Knife Fighting Club: DISTANCE

Now we're going to try to clear up some of those doubts in your mind.
Sure, your opponent's got a knife - maybe he's got two knives.
And maybe he knows how to use them.
But, here and now, we want to cut you in on a big slice of scoop - IF YOU'VE GOT A BOWIE KNIFE IN YOUR HAND you're armed with a BETTER WEAPON than any other nation in the world has ever devised.
And that's only half the scoop. A KNOWLEDGE of the BASIC PRINCIPLES of the use of the Bowie knife or ANY BLADE simply means that you'll be able to save your blood for a Stateside blood bank instead of leaving it on the battlefield.
Up to this point you've learned three basic principles:
THE GUARD POSITION.
THE THRUST.
THE CUT.
"All of this," you will say, "is fine on the drill field or in a gym, but what do O do when I'm in combat and a crazy enemy comes chargin' at me with a wicked lookin' dagger? The guy's gonna kill me if I don't do something to stop him!"
You're right. He'll kill you if you don't do something immediately to discourage him.
CONFIDENCE in YOURSELF is your primary MENTAL attack. A bucketful of his wild zest will drain from him when he sees you plant yourself in the guard position and DEFY him. He'll stop in his tracks and think things over. You have won part of the mental duel. but the physical bout has just begun.
SIZE UP YOUR OPPONENT.
You will be able to judge the EFFECTIVE RANGE of your opponent immediately by the way he holds his blade and the stance he takes.
If your opponent has his blade in his RIGHT hand and has his LEFT foot forward, he will telegraph his attack with a body movement, even if he holds the blade in the sabre manner.
If he holds the blade in the OVERHAND or UNDERHAND position, or in any position other than that of a sabre, he will definitely LIMIT the effectiveness of his RANGE. This is the predominant stance of most knife fighters throughout the world in spite of the fact that it is contrary to the 400-year-old fencing principle of keeping the RIGHT FOOT FORWARD.

(A) Keep yourself out of range of your opponent's full thrust. If he attacks, you'll be forcing him to come into your range
If he extends his knife-holding hand to any marked degree, regardless of his grip, he is also LIMITING his range.
With practice, you will IMMEDIATELY notice these errors in your opponent and TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM.
If you are confronted by an opponent who displays these errors, the rule is simple:
STAY ONE FULL THRUST'S DISTANCE AWAY FROM YOUR OPPONENT'S NEAREST EXTREMITY.
From this range you will be in a position to continually SNIPE at him with LIGHTNING-LIKE cuts. You will be amazed to find that, although he is in range of getting cut by your blade, he cannot try for a cut on you without missing by ONE or TWO FEET.

(A) Above picture shows your opponent in the same position as in (A) on opposite page, but you have been able to advance
If your opponent should BODILY ADVANCE in an attack, MAKE IMMEDIATE USE OF YOUR LEGS: they are slightly bent in the guard position and ready for instantaneous action. If your enemy's advance is slow, you merely STEP BACK - REAR foot FIRST, followed by the FORWARD foot.
If you are pressing the attack aiul arc advancing, your first step will be made by the FORWARD foot; bring the REAR foot up BEFORE taking a second step with the FORWARD foot.
If your opponent assumes a skille'd knife duelist's stance you will recognize it immediately - AND BECOME EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS. He will be OUT OF RANGE. You will have NO immediate TARGET, and you will have to work hard to GET one.

The slightest extension of your opponent's knife hand presents a target. Strike and recover immediately to a guard position

With THIS opponent:
1. Your DISTANCE will be INCREASED. Stay one full thrust's distance from his full thrust's distance. The distance is from HAND to HAND. Your blade fully extended to his hand; his blade fully extended to your hand.
2. Usually the HANDS will be your targets.
3. The duel is on, and you will have to resort to fencing TECHNIQUES to draw him into your range.
4. Attack your opponent when he is LEAST alert to your attack. When you sense that HE is about to attack, he will be thinking of HIS OWN strategy - NOT of his own defense.

Draw your opponent into an attack but keep your body in a well-balanced position and out of opponent's striking distance

5. You may wish to attack when your opponent is IN MOTION - EXECUTING an attack or RETURNING from one. In this moment, his LACK OF BALANCE and the DISTANCE will be definitely IN YOUR FAVOR. Once you have launched your attack, catching your opponent off balance, force vour attack with straight thrusts and cuts.
DISTANCE and TIMING are closely allied; distance is a matter of keeping within a safe defensive range, and at the same time, being within an effective offensive range. Timing is something you will always have to FEEL; it is the ability to recognize the proper moment to attack.