Thursday morning, police say a man who was pumping gas at the United on 50th and Q at 9:30 a.m. when another man came and asked him for money, and then threatened him with a knife. The suspect eventually left the scene, police don’t believe he took any money or injured the victim, but they haven’t been able to reach the victim yet. But what if that knife attack had turned more violent? EverythingLubbock.com asked Kaleb Reese, a martial arts instructor at Premier Martial Arts to explain what to do in a knife attack.
Reese teaches in both Katate and Krav Maga, the martial arts form used by Israeli Special Forces.
When it comes to self defense, Reese said, “It’s not about finishing who you’re fighting it’s always about escaping with your safety.”
Reese said in cases where an attacker asks for your money or wallet, he recommends tossing it over to the attacker.
“If you ask for my wallet and you have me at knife point or gun point, what I definitely want to do is toss the wallet in the opposite direction of my exit,” he said.
In Reese’s opinion, no item in your wallet is worth dying over. Some attackers, he said, will be placated when given the money they ask for and doing so will give you time to exit quickly.
But sometimes attackers will continue to make demands after they’ve received money.
“If you’re ever in a situation like the gentleman was in at the gas pump, but you’ve already given them you’re wallet and they’re not worried about the wallet, then the motive wasn’t the wallet, the motive was to hurt you,” he explained.
He said that at that point, attackers may ask victims to move, sit on the ground, or enter another vehicle, he urges anyone who becomes a victim not to comply with such demands.
If the attacker still pursues, then it’s time for self defense, Reese said. (See video for demonstrations of self defense).
When it comes to defending against a knife attacker, Reese said that it’s crucial to move your chest and torso so that you’re not directly exposed to the range of the knife. In knife attacks, Reese said, most involved parties will get cut in some form, the most important part is avoiding being stabbed. He recommends distancing yourself from the knife as possible or restraining your attacker’s hand to keep the knife as far or as it can be.
Once you have a safe distance from the knife, Reese said that you can strike the attacker so that you can then push them away, and make an exit as soon as possible.
Outside of physical defense strategies, he says situational awareness is crucial to avoiding dangerous attacks. He explained that people can be vulnerable to attacks while they wait at ATMs, especially at night time.
Above all, he said it’s important to think out what you would do in an attack situation before you ever encounter one.
“In any assault case, someone is trying to rob you the biggest thing to understand is that nothing you have on you is gonna be worth your life,” Reese said.
