# Passing a knife between your hands during a knife fight, is that an actual technique? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2023, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936 "2023-01-28T08:18:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/21 "2023-01-28T18:19:42Z")
OK - correction - another topic Stranger has good basic info on. You good w/ that? A huge portion of the knife/stick training we did was to be familiar with the various angles of attack and to work on body mechanics. Tho we all carried blades, I didn’t know anyone who used their other than to open boxes, strip wire… As far as using a knife for self defense, it was pretty straightforward. Don’t pull the knife unless you intend to use it, don’t show it until you are using it, then slash/slash/stab until you can run away. One often under practiced aspect was actually pulling your knife. Doesn’t do much good if you can’t get it out of your pocket/sheath and open quickly. It was always a hoot, the first time someone fought with markers - when they saw all the ink all over their body! 😉 I assume most people here are familiar with [ the Dog Brothers.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD-YBWkvrGk). Their vids are a lot of fun and - IMO - about the closest you can get to actual stick and knife fighting. (Personally, I never did full contact stick sparring w/o considerable padding.) > [@Alessan](#): > > I’d do the same thing I’d do in a gun fight - aim for center mass and keep on trying to hit him until he goes down. I’d stab him directly and repeatedly in the chest and stomach… Good instincts. But it is hard to beat a nice X pattern of slashes. Also familiarize yourself with the most accessible arteries. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/22 "2023-01-28T18:27:16Z")
I still think this is the best technique for dealing with a knife fight. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8jkIDhAEnF0/hqdefault.jpg "How to survive a knife fight") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jkIDhAEnF0) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/23 "2023-01-28T18:35:02Z")
We used to call that Nike-do! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/24 "2023-01-28T18:35:55Z")
Reminds me of my first lesson in krav maga: 1. If you’re unarmed and someone comes at you with a weapon, _run away._ 2. If you can’t run away, get yourself a weapon - a rock, a stick, whatever. Anything’s better than nothing. 3. If you can’t find a weapon… well, here’s some krav maga. Pray you won’t need it. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/25 "2023-01-28T20:53:47Z")
That is exactly how I survived a knife attack after being stabbed. Only I was bleeding while I ran. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/26 "2023-01-28T21:01:29Z")
Forget changing hands, just pull the gun according to Indy Jones. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/27 "2023-01-28T21:16:16Z")
Well, that works [about half the time](https://youtu.be/zYWLE9HIqUM&t=30s) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/28 "2023-01-28T21:22:09Z")
Any examples of this trope being lampshaded? The baddie is grinning maliciously, licking his lips as he tosses his knife back and forth between his hands. Then he fumbles and drops it, and while he’s bent down trying to retrieve it, the hero kicks him in the head. That sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/29 "2023-01-28T22:25:53Z")
Well, there’s this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YQTn1QxCZ2s/maxresdefault.jpg "The Hero Yoshihiko and the Demon King's Castle: Poison Knife Scene [ENG SUB]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQTn1QxCZ2s) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/30 "2023-01-29T00:40:13Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > But would you _toss_ it, or just move it quickly between hands (or drop it one into the other, ala the MCU’s Winter Soldier)? The last knife fight I was in, I hit the guy with a chair. So I don’t think I’m somebody you should ask about the proper technique. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/31 "2023-01-29T00:45:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The last knife fight I was in, I hit the guy with a chair. So I don’t think I’m somebody you should ask about the proper technique. - How the hell do you conceal a chair? Or do you just open carry? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/32 "2023-01-29T01:01:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The last knife fight I was in, I hit the guy with a chair. So I don’t think I’m somebody you should ask about the proper technique. Technique is doddle. If you achieved the desired outcome, nobody cares about your technique. My cite: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YrwfZEyx72E/maxresdefault.jpg "Who am I? -Fight Scene Part 1 [HD]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrwfZEyx72E) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/33 "2023-01-29T15:51:39Z")
Is it like this? [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/KZizX1l.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/KZizX1l) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/34 "2023-01-29T19:09:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I often change hand to get a better angle for something precise, too. In sports (especially combat spots like boxing and martial arts), this is called changing stance. I don’t see any reason it couldn’t apply during a knife fight. > [@Alessan](#): > > I’d stab him directly and repeatedly in the chest and stomach and hope he doesn’t hurt me more than I hurt him. My expertise is learned entirely from my cringey ninja phase in early high school but I think conventional advice is that slashing is better than stabbing, at least early in the fight. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/35 "2023-01-29T19:14:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The last knife fight I was in … The last knife fight I was in was when Carl threw the Play Do knife tool at me in preschool. Cutting remarks sure. You all have lived different lives than I have. If a knife was pulled out in me I pull out the wallet they’d be asking for. And it doesn’t flip from hand to hand. I did grow up with a kid, a tough of our grade and high school, who took his tough act on the road and died of being knifed in some city bar. I doubt it lasted long enough to called a fight. What I’d suspect most knife fights are is two people both circling doing nothing, staying out of each other’s reach, or a quick attack and over. I have read here I think that wrapping a coat or such around one arm to defend with, maybe to get the attacker’s blade tangled up with is a good tactic. Seems to make showy flipping between hands impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/36 "2023-01-29T19:23:25Z")
It depends on whether you’re an American or European knife-fighter, and whether you have a fork. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/37 "2023-01-29T19:33:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The last knife fight I was in was when Carl threw the Play Do knife tool at me in preschool. Yeah, i did disarm my little brother a couple of times when we were kids. Once he had a hatchet in the middle of the living room floor. Another time he had an open pocket knife. But he was my little brother, not very strong, and didn’t actually want to damage me. I’ve never been in an actual knife fight, and hope never to be in one. That military guy who demonstrated the best defense against a knife runs a lot faster than i can. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/38 "2023-01-29T19:36:00Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Seems to make showy flipping between hands impossible. Or at least a really obviously stupid idea. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/39 "2023-01-29T19:49:08Z")
I have a [butterfly “balisong style” bottle opener.](https://www.barninja.com/products/bar-ninja-bottle-ninja-butterfly-opener) A few times I’ve pulled it out of my pocket at parties/picnics and flipped it open. It scares people for about two seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936/40 "2023-01-29T20:04:29Z")
FWIW, I took a self-defense class for PE credit in college. It was taught by a former unarmed combat instructor from Fort Benning, and was primarily aimed at women; I was the only guy. That big tough Army sergeant also stressed Nike-do as the best form of self-defense, and everything else he taught was contingent on “if you have no other choice”, and each technique ended with “and then run away as fast as you can.” His suggested form of knife combat was strictly defensive - hold your non-dominant forearm about a foot in front of you, waving the knife back and forth in your dominant hand. If your assailant puts his hand or arm past your guard, slash; but never let the knife go past your forearm. Carrying a pocketknife is a good idea, but only because it’s an excellent tool; I’d never use one as a weapon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-a-knife-between-your-hands-during-a-knife-fight-is-that-an-actual-technique/978936.md?page=3)