The first and perhaps most important principles to grasp are these:

Where possible, do not confront anyone with an edged weapon of any sort. In the words of W . E. Fairbairn (and many other wise Martial Artists) “Run!”

If making an exit / disengaging from the attacker is not an option, then you must go all out in your pre-emptive attack or counter attack. Defending against an edged weapon is not only foolish - it is suicidal.

Your first consideration for a counter - attack should be with an “equaliser” - any type of improvised weapon that is easily to hand. Contrary to the “Hollywood Martial Arts Systems” taking off a jacket or coat and wrapping it around your arm is inadvisable. The same applies to removing a belt from trousers and attempting to use it as a Mariki Kusari - don’t do it!

When training against Edged Weapons of any kind, you must train to be able to deal with your attacker from both inside and outside of his attack. Many systems (usually those incorporating very little in the way of dealing with EW attacks) advocate that you should NEVER be on the inside of the attack - that instead you should be to the outside of your attacker’s arm by passing the blade across your body, or moving to the outside. True - the further away from the blade the better! However, ask the questions: “How do you get to the outside when you are trapped in a six foot wide alleyway? A telephone kiosk? A toilet cubicle?” Go ahead - train it! It’s better that the truth hurts now than the pain you could feel from cold steel later on!

Action is always faster than reaction

The last principle we shall mention here is simply that to take away the weapon, you must first take away the intention of the attacker. The weapon by itself can do little or no harm. It is the attacker’s intention that is the real danger, and has always been a core element of our S. T. A. B. system.