Objective of this course

The objective of this course is to teach Hapkido coloured belts practical skills to deal with a committed knife attack. This course is not designed to teach students how to attack someone using a knife.

Ethical Considerations

A knife is a very serious weapon that can easily kill you. If a person pulls out a knife to intimidate you – you should assume they are ready and willing to stab you with it. You could choose to assume they do not have the intention to use the knife and are just bluffing, but what if you are wrong? Then you will not be mentally or physically prepared to defend your life.

If a person attempts to actually stab you with a knife, then you need to realise they probably are willing to kill you, willing to end your life. They deliberately carried the knife in their pocket, it did not accidentally fall into their hands. They made a deliberate choice to carry the knife.

Also, the attacker may have more than one knife. Take this into consideration when you decide how forcefully to defend your life and when to consider that the danger is over.

If you do not survive the knife attack, it is not just you that suffers, all your family, dependants and loved ones will suffer greatly for the rest of their lives.

You need to decide today, now, that your life is worth defending so that when that threat presents itself, there is not a split second of hesitation or doubt.

Even if it seems the attacker does not have a knife, they may have a knife in their pockets or in their socks, and just when you think you have dealt with their attack, they can pull out their knife to try and gain advantage over you. You cannot assume an unarmed conflict will remain that way – especially if they are losing.

As in most human conflicts – your brain and ruthless determination are your best weapons.

In Hapkido classes, students are not encouraged to use the attacker’s knife against the attacker – as is often seen in other knife fighting systems. In real life you must of course guarantee you survive the attack.

Safety

• Never use real knives in class for practice – the risk of serious injury is too high.

• It is preferable to use foam training knives (training knives can be easily made from pool noodles).

• If you only have wooden or aluminium training knives then wear protective headgear or eyewear.

• Start slowly and build up slowly – most injuries occur because students try to go too quick too soon.

About this course

In the past the AHA Syllabus has included Knife Defence at Red-Tip Level – however it has long been felt by senior instructors that this material was not developing the skills or understanding sufficient to deal with a knife attack. This new Basic Knife Course will be spread throughout the coloured belts from White Belt onwards and will help students develop the correct habits and reflexes to improve their chances in a realistic knife attack.

Structure of the course

Level One – Concepts and Basic Movements

Level One is taught to white and yellow belts. Basic concepts of knife defence are introduced. Then basic movements such as stop, pass and disengage are learnt and two drills are shown to help the students practice these basic skill and concepts with a partner. The focus of this level is to avoid being cut – the student is not yet taught to counter or strike back.

Level 2 – Basic Counter Strikes

Level Two is taught to green and blue belts. Basic and simple counter strikes are added to the defences they already learnt in Level One. In the Level Two drill a partner knife and focus pad attacks and the student learns to defend and strike back to stop the attack from continuing. The focus of this level is to be able to neutralise the attack with strikes.

Level 3 – Putting it all together

Level Three is taught to red and black belts. Here the students will be shown how to combine the core self defence techniques they already know from Hapkido with the basic defences and strikes they have learnt in Levels One and Two.

Students progress from just controlling the attackers wrist and arm to applying joint locks and throws. Using joint locks and throws is very risky against an armed attacker because of how close you need to get to make the techniques work effectively.

Strategies like “stripping of the knife” and “moving to the outside” are encouraged, along with strikes to stun the attacker before you attempt your self defence techniques. The focus of this level is to be able to neutralise the attack with strikes and (if the attacker over-commits) with core self defence techniques.