This comment showed up under a syndication of my “Hard Truths About Civilian Combat Tactics” piece. It is worth a reprint here. (Language and content warning on the linked blog. It is for rough-and-ready types.)

Here’s what ANN got wrong. Like “Kerodin” she has no training or background in real world knife fighting. I spent more than 20 years in knife and sword school. YES. Do run at your attacker with your blade out. YES stab your attacker as fast and as many times as you can. NO NO NO! DO NOT go for the face and head. Attack the pelvic vault, the penis, testicles and especially the inside of both legs. When you do this attack you are striking at the largest group of major blood vessels in the human body. The part of the body that also contains the BIGGEST BLOOD VESSELS in the human body. Cutting only one or two of them is a certain kill.

The human head is almost all bone. The points of fatal attack are small and difficult to hit under pressure. If you do manage to get within striking range and land a blow to his nuts or inside his leg DON’T STOP TO ADMIRE YOUR HANYWORK. Hit him as hard and often as the Lord God will let you. Cutting the Femoral artery, or any of the other SIX major arterial strike points are not only quick kills, they are very painful. But your knife is the last resort. I prefer my hand gun vs. nutjob myself. That’s why I carry. So I don’t have to die taking the SOB with me.

Agreed. I always subscribed to the “Indiana Jones” school of edged weapon tactical response: