The Harsh Reality of Knife and Gun DefenceBy Sensei Liam Musiak

Let’s not sugar-coat it—most knife and gun defences don’t work. Disarms? Flashy tricks? Perfect textbook techniques under pressure? They might look good in a demo or in the dojo, but out there in the real world, it’s a completely different story. And if you don’t understand that, you’re walking around with a false sense of security.

Knife and gun attacks are fast, violent, and unpredictable. The attacker doesn’t cooperate. You don’t get a warm-up or a second chance. You might not even see the weapon until it’s already too late. And most of the stuff you’ve been shown—especially the disarms—just won’t hold up under that kind of chaos.

Let’s be clear: I still teach these things. But not to pretend they’re guaranteed to work. I teach them because sometimes, you might not have a choice. And in that split second, having something in your muscle memory is better than having nothing. But I always tell my students—don’t rely on these techniques. Know the odds. Know the risks. Know that the goal is survival, not looking like an action hero.

If someone points a gun at me and I believe giving them everything—my wallet, my phone, —will get me home alive, then that’s exactly what I’m doing. That’s the smart move. That’s self-defence. There’s no shame in walking away unhurt. I’m not gambling my life for material things. Not a chance.

But if I believe, in that moment, that the man with the gun is going to shoot me anyway—no matter what I give him—then I’m fighting with everything I’ve got. I’m not going quietly. I’m not begging. I’m exploding. Win or lose, I’m going down swinging. And if by some miracle I manage to escape or disarm him—then I live. That’s even better. But I understand the reality: it’s a desperate gamble, and I might lose. A lot of people do.

This is why we train. Not to become invincible, not to learn a magic trick that guarantees survival—but to increase the odds just enough that you might have a chance. To make peace with the reality that you may get cut. You may get shot. But you might also survive. That sliver of hope is worth preparing for.

Knife and gun defence training isn’t about mastering a technique—it’s about mindset. Staying calm under pressure. Moving explosively when needed. Reading danger early. Escaping when you can. And most importantly, having the clarity to decide: do I comply, or do I fight? That’s the question you’ll only answer in that moment.

So no, most things won’t work. Disarms are incredibly unlikely. But I still believe in training them. Because if the worst happens, and it’s fight or die, I want to know I gave myself every possible edge—however small.

Stay realistic. Stay prepared. Understand the limits of what you’re learning. Because in a real weapon encounter, it’s not about being the best fighter. It’s about going home alive.

And if you have to go down—go down fighting.

— Liam Musiak