“It may seem unnecessary to learn to evade the knife by twisting: After all, can't you just use your hand or hands to block? The twist may be a last ditch defense. Reality is that you may not detect a knife thrust until the last second, and you may not have time to get your hands in position. Also if your block or parry doesn't work, your evasive body twist is your backup. This body twist was an essential part of my instruction under Master Ed Planas and Grandmaster Maranga. The most deadly knife attack does not travel parallel to the ground in a straight line, but hooks upward like an uppercut, thrusting a blade up under the ribcage. This is devilish to block or parry, so getting the hell out of the way by means of the body twist is your best option. The Parry Once you have the body twist down, the next step is to add a downward parry with the right hand as you twist. Imagine karate chopping downward, not perpendicular to the opponent's forearm, but intersecting it at a slight angle. If you try to chop the forearm at a right angle, you have a very narrow window to intercept the attack. A perpendicular block also places your body in the wrong position. By intercepting the attacking forearm at a slight angle, there is greater opportunity to intercept at several points, and this move meshes with the body twist that presents the left shoulder parallel to the line of attack.”