I don't want to seem like I'm discouraging you from posting, but this thread was from 2010 and nowhere in it did anyone advocate knife based self defense. Rat_Man actually discouraged getting in fights, and all other posts were about learning a historical martial art for novelty value.

"Put 'Em Down, Take 'Em Out - Knife fighting techniques from Folsom Prison" by Don Pentecost  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ah_0gia4A0  Title: A real knife attack is likely to look like this  
 
Two of many things I like to live by when it comes to fighting.  
1. You can't Karate chop a bullet.  
2. Never bring a knife to a gun fight.

Good question Mauro. Fighting with knives and dirks a la the Highlanders is interesting for a lot of people, not least those interested in historical systems. As is using spears for combat or indeed swords. There are many reasons people like to study these things but I feel that relatively few will do so with the intention of being able to transfer the requisite skills for self defense or street fighting applications. There are plenty of modern knife systems for this. There is inherent violence in all of these arts, because well, knives and spears and slings and swords have been used to hurt, maim and kill people for far longer than firearms have been around. In the modern age, things have changed, somewhat.
 
My point is that while violence is an underlying factor, studying historical, or indeed relatively modern weapon systems doesn't necessarily make the student violent. Even taking part in competitions or sparring with blunt steel longswords, we realise that we are not actively trying to seriously hurt or kill each other and that the idea of engaging in such behaviour with sharps is suicidal and idiotic. If we came across people in our group who were studying medieval swords arts with a view to applying them on the street for self-defense, they'd be out so fast, their feet wouldn't touch the floor!  
 
 
It always makes me sigh when the headline news screams about some guy going nuts with some cheap crappy wallhanger samurai swords and the public perception of my hobby (Italian longsword) is yet again set back a notch because the idea that all swords are dangerous and all who have anything to do with them must be deranged. While I may be able to handle a longsword under pressure in a tournament or sparring, I'd never dream of applying it to street-fighting. The best application is to run.

MY advice - a three foot club usually come off best in a knife fight

Quote from bigkahuna on Feb 18^th, 2012, 10:00pm:

 
...Because he's the one that won't have to spend the rest of his life on life support. That being said, I feel like this thread has gone way off topic and not in a very friendly way.

Hello
 
As I see that you love knfe fights LoL...
 
Here you have this:
 
http://bladebrothers.narod.ru/broken/instruction.html
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-frazq0fqY
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIrR6RdNtEw
 
It is a movie so the knife fight it is not accurate and last too much.
 
Greetings.