Do You Know How to Use a Knife for Survival?

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Using a knife in a survival situation is a skill that can mean the difference between life and death. But, you have to know how to use the knife. Here is some information:

Knife Safety:

  • Carry a fixed-blade knife if you are going outdoors. It is less likely to get broken
  • Always keep a knife in its sheath. If you trip, it could cut or stab you if it is not contained.
  • Practice pulling the knife from the sheath, so that you don’t get cut. You might need to draw it very quickly.
  • Drawing the knife is a two-step process: first, hold the handle with one hand to loosen the blade. While doing this, push against the knife’s sheath with the thumb. Next, wrap your thumb around the knife’s handle and pull the knife away from the body.
  • When handling a knife, always use slow movements.
  • When handing the knife over to someone, use your forehand grip. Rotate the knife between your thumb and your forefinger. The knife’s handle should face the person you are giving it to, and the edge should point up. Don’t release the knife until the other person is holding it securely.
  • A sharp blade is much safer than a dull one because it requires less force.

Gripping Your Knife 

  • For most uses, handle a knife with a forehand grip. The knife is inside of your fist with the edge of the blade facing the first finger.
  • When buying a knife, make sure that you can fully close your fist around the knife’s handle.
  • If cutting a cord, use a reverse grip. In this case, the edge of the knife is towards your thumb. When using the knife like this, pull with your torso or shoulder for the best result.
  • The chest lever grip is when you hold the blade with its edge pointed in the opposite direction of the forehand grip, which is up towards your hand’s knuckles.

The Uses of a Knife

  • Wood Chopping – Hold the knife in a forehand grip and use it against the wood. Use a wooden object to “hammer” the blade into the wood you want to cut.
  • Wood Splitting – With the forehand grip, place the blade of the knife over the wood. Then, use a baton to push it through the wood in the grain’s direction.
  • Slicing with a Knife – You have certainly sliced with a knife. In a survival situation, use a forehand grip to slice like you do at home.
  • Power Cutting – To power cut, use a chest lever grip. While doing this, hold the object you wish to cut. Using your back muscles, draw the blade through the object…HARD.
  • Controlled Cutting – Using the chest lever grip, work your way slowly around the object you wish to cut.
  • Drilling with a Knife – Place the knife’s tip onto the object, and then twist left and right. Don’t use too much force, as your hand can easily slip.

With all knife grips, make sure that there is no other body part in the path of the knife.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.