# What would be the most effective place to stab an assailant with a 1.5 inch knife? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037 "2009-01-13T04:07:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/41 "2009-01-13T22:22:35Z")
This was something I’ve always wondered, ever since I saw _The Man Who Wasn’t There_. Billy Bob Thorton stabbed a guy in the jugular with a small letter-opener kind of knife, and the guy quickly bled to death/choked on his own blood. I was a bit skeptical, but hey, the jugular is right there under the skin. I suppose you could do it. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/42 "2009-01-13T23:01:54Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > and that may well fold shut during a thrust This was my first thought, actually. I’ve had too many of these flimsy little things close up, gashing my thumb, during routine, everyday use, so there’s no way I’d even consider trying to use one for self-defense. Try to stick it into somebody’s skull, the only thing you’re going to accomplish is cutting a chunk out of one of your own fingers. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/43 "2009-01-14T02:18:31Z")
> [@puppygod](#): > > I’d say go for the eyes. 1.5 inch blade is too short to have reasonable chance of damaging his spine or reaching major artery. Can I just say how wonderful it is to have the god of puppies commenting on the best way to kill someone? Must be the old testament puppy god… ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/44 "2009-01-14T02:38:58Z")
A non-locking knife is useless for stabbing. You’re limited to slashes or cuts. The small blade you’re talking about is almost useless for that kind of cutting. You’d be better off with almost any other improvised weapon. Even a flimsy Bic pen is probably better for stabs. About the only place I’d even try to cut with a blade that short would be across the forehead to blind him with blood. Not really useful unless that’s just an element in your overall attack. If you’re a very good fighter, you could use the knife as an adjunct to grappling, as a distraction or to do extra damage while you’re doing a technique. But if you were a good fighter you wouldn’t be asking this question. Realistically, you don’t have much chance at much without a longer blade. As **Stranger** pointed out, the cuts aren’t going to hurt him much. You’re looking to destroy his mobility or incapacitate him due to shock and blood loss. If you try cutting the throat, you need to cut _deeply_. The [common carotid](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100124_1.htm), which is probably the most vulnerable spot readily available, is buried an inch or two under muscle. If you actually get it, he’s going to be unconscious in about 15 to 30 seconds. I wouldn’t place any bets on that outcome though. You’d have to be pretty good at fighting to get him in a vulnerable position with his head back, by his hair, or partially restrained in a choke so that you can get to those spots. If you can do that, you can probably get the damn gun away from him. In general, places to cut in knife attacks are at joints. There are vulnerable arteries and nerves there. In particular, at the inside bend of the elbow you’ve got the [brachial artery](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24440/24440-h/images/038P15_25.jpg) (large red vessel labeled C) pretty close to the surface. It’s buried under the biceps higher up. At the front crease of the hip, toward the inside of the thigh, the [femoral artery](http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/edu/ref/ga/l/550.gif) is relatively accessible, but clothing will probably prevent you from reaching it with what you’ve got. An inch and a half is completely inadequate for any torso attack, including a kidney shot. Those are partially protected by the lower ribs, and you have thick muscle to get through before you can do any real damage. You’d probably do more with punches considering that you can’t stab without the blade closing on your fingers. My advice: look for a better weapon, or completely ignore the knife. Concentrating on your weapon is a bad idea in any circumstances, but in this case it would be a serious liability. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/45 "2009-01-14T03:57:55Z")
> [@Sleel](#): > > My advice: look for a better weapon, or completely ignore the knife. Concentrating on your weapon is a bad idea in any circumstances, but in this case it would be a serious liability. A great point. In self defense the goal is always to stop the threat, not to kill, not to wound. Stopping someone with a knife is going to be very difficult for anyone who’s not been trained in advanced knife fighting techniques because you would, in most imaginable self defense situations, have to stab the everloving shit out of somone in order to arrive at a safe stoppage. Not to mention the need to engage the threat at arms length or less which is really less than optimal if it can be avoided. There will exist at that point a very real chance that your weapon would be turned against you if you don’t know what you’re doing. Best to just run away if at all possible. ETA: Why not check into seeing if your jurisdiction allows the carry of a stun gun or pepper spray, both of which are far more effective in the hands of a layperson. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/46 "2009-01-14T04:17:02Z")
Just to be clear, I acknowledged in the OP that this would be a very stupid course of action in the first place, and I have no intention of playing a Swiss Ninja in the unlikely event that such a situation should arise. I was just wondering what such a multi-tool master’s best bet would be to take an armed target down in one hit. 🙂 Anyway, the consensus seems to be the throat, eyes, or shoulder area, but even moreso that you’d be better off (even if you couldn’t run) dropping the knife and going hand-to-hand or picking up practically anything else. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/47 "2009-01-14T07:58:55Z")
> [@UncleBill](#): > > An inch and a half should do it, especially if you push it all the way in and jiggle it around a bit. That’s what **she** said. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037/48 "2009-01-14T08:36:30Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I’ve never been in a knife fight Wanna know the winning strategy? Bring a gun [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-most-effective-place-to-stab-an-assailant-with-a-1-5-inch-knife/481037.md?page=2)