Edged Weapon Defense: Is or Was The 21-foot Rule Valid?

As a prelude to more extensive studies of edged-weapon-related issues, the Force Science Research Center at Minnesota State University-Mankato has responded by reexamining the 21-Foot Rule, arguably the most widely taught and commonly remembered element of edged-weapon defense.
After testing the Rule against FSRC’s landmark findings on action-reaction times and conferring with selected members of its National and Technical Advisory Boards, the Center has reached these conclusions, according to Executive Director Dr. Bill Lewinski:

1. Because of a prevalent misinterpretation, the 21-Foot Rule has been dangerously corrupted. 2. When properly understood, the 21-Foot Rule is still valid in certain limited circumstances. 3. For many officers and situations, a 21-foot reactionary gap is not sufficient. 4. The weapon that officers often think they can depend on to defeat knife attacks can’t be relied upon to protect them in many cases. 5. Training in edged-weapon defense should by no means be abandoned.

Read more-- edged-weapon-defense-is-or-was-the-21-foot-rule-valid?

Related Video
Someone questioned if the rule was still valid, on ice or snow so this video is a response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnPmNwm4dF0

28 Real-World Reasons why a firearm may not be the best response to an edged weapon attack

1. You don’t have a gun.

2. You cannot easily accesses your gun because of clothing or position. (concealed carry, fallen or against a wall)

3. The average attack occurs in less than 2.5 seconds. (21-foot rule)

4. The average human mental reaction time is nearly one second.

5. The average draw to presentation from an open holster takes over 2.5 seconds.


Read more about why a gun doesn't always beat a knife

Sword versus M16s.. The Phillipines, 1967

In the grubby streets of Pasay City, a suburb of Manila, a most unusual group of men gathered last week. They were members of an obscure political sect called Lapiang Malaya (Freedom Movement), and they were armed with long bolo knives and dressed in peculiar blue uniforms with red and yellow capes. At the command of their leader, an old (eightyish) fanatic named Valentin de los Santos, they had come up from their homes in the paddy fields of southern Luzon. Their mission: to march on the presidential palace in Manila and overthrow the government.

Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,902050-1,00.html

EDGED WEAPON DEFENSE: Is or was the 21-foot Rule Valid?

This is a two part article with two links to outside articles.

Part I
For more than 20 years now, a concept called the 21-Foot Rule has been a core component in training officers to defend themselves against edged weapons.

Originating from research by Salt Lake City trainer Dennis Tueller and popularized by the Street Survival Seminar and the seminal instructional video "Surviving Edged Weapons," the "rule" states that in the time it takes the average officer to recognize a threat, draw his sidearm and fire 2 rounds at center mass, an average subject charging at the officer with a knife or other cutting or stabbing weapon can cover a distance of 21 feet.


The implication, therefore, is that when dealing with an edged-weapon wielder at anything less than 21 feet an officer had better have his gun out and ready to shoot before the offender starts rushing him or else he risks being set upon and injured or killed before he can draw his sidearm and effectively defeat the attack.

Read More about part I of this article

Part II

3. MORE DISTANCE. "In reality, the 21-Foot Rule--by itself--may not provide officers with an adequate margin of protection," says Dr. Bill Lewinski, FSRC's executive director. "It's easily possible for suspects in some circumstances to launch a successful fatal attack from a distance greater than 21 feet."
Among other police instructors, John Delgado, retired training officer for the Miami-Dade (FL) PD, has extended the 21-Foot Rule to 30 feet. "Twenty-one feet doesn't really give many officers time to get their gun out and fire accurately," he says. "Higher-security holsters complicate the situation, for one thing. Some manufacturers recommend 3,000 pulls to develop proficiency with a holster. Most cops don't do that, so it takes them longer to get their gun out than what's ideal. Also shooting proficiency tends to deteriorate under stress. Their initial rounds may not even hit."
Read More about the 21 foot rule

Shooting Equipment Placement

Thoughts on equipment placement, conditioned response, reaction time, Hick’s Law, the 21 foot guideline, and the OODA loop...
Recently, a transit Officer was convicted of homicide after he shot an individual to death while attempting to control the subject’s behavior. According to the Officer’s testimony, he thought he was reaching for his Taser but discharged his duty firearm instead, killing the subject.

read article

Handgun Drills, Standards, and Training Page : Tueller Drill

Tueller Drill (after Sgt. Dennis Tueller)

Teaches: speed draw and fire under stress.
Requires: three people, or two people and a timer.

The Tueller drill is essentially an exercise, under stress, to measure your draw and first shot in terms of distance rather than time. The area that a charging assailant is able to cover in the time it takes you to draw and fire gives you a good idea of what a "safe distance" threshold is. Read More

How Close is Too Close by Dennis Tueller

The "good guy" with the gun against the "bad guy" with the knife (or machete, axe, club, tire-iron, etc.). "No contest", you say. "The man with the gun can't lose." Or can he? A great deal depends on his ability with that gun and the proximity of his opponent.

If, for example, our hero shoots his would-be attacker at a distance of 20 yards, he loses. Not the fight, you understand, but most probably his freedom because he will almost certainly be charged with murder. The only thing that justifies your shooting another human being is the immediate need to stop him from trying to kill you (or someone else), remember? Read More

Explaining the deadly force decision: the opportunity factor

Part I: We looked at the ramifications of bad advice on armed self defense being given to the gun-buyer at a dealer'.s shop. Part II: we defined the levels of homicide. Part III: justifiable homicide was quantified. Part IV: the first of the necessary ingredients for a justifiable homicide, the ability factor, was detailed.

The triad that completes the situation that warrants justifiable use of lethal force, "Immediate and otherwise unavoidable danger of death or grave bodily harm to the innocent," are ability, opportunity, and jeopardy. Read More

Wikipedia entry on The Tueller Drill

The Tueller Drill is a self-defense training exercise to prepare against a short-range knife attack when armed only with a holstered handgun.

One would think that a gun beats a knife every time[citation needed]. With superior weaponry, the fight should be easily won[citation needed]. But Sergeant Dennis Tueller, of the Salt Lake City, Utah Police Department, showed that it was not that simple[citation needed]. Read More

Use of Deadly Force: Pre-Shooting Conduct and the 21 Foot Rule

A circumstance that officers often face is the suicidal individual who, in essence, holds him or herself hostage. These are difficult cases. While such cases require a police response, officers sometimes are caught between a rock and hard place. Much has been written about the concept of “suicide by cop” but the fact remains that officers are often called to deal with these situations and are expected to prevent the suicide without causing injury or death. At times this is an impossible task. A common denominator that runs through this type of case is an attack on the officer’s tactics in approaching the individual. While at the moment the officer shot, he or she was in danger, the theory is that the officer did something that was tactically incorrect in the approach that contributed to the need to use deadly force. Read Article

Article on 21 foot rule

For more than 20 years now, a concept called the 21-Foot Rule has been a core component in training officers to defend themselves against edged weapons.

Originating from research by Salt Lake City trainer Dennis Tueller and popularized by the Street Survival Seminar and the seminal instructional video "Surviving Edged Weapons," the "rule" states that in the time it takes the average officer to recognize a threat, draw his sidearm and fire 2 rounds at center mass, an average subject charging at the officer with a knife or other cutting or stabbing weapon can cover a distance of 21 feet. see article link below.


http://www.policeone.com/edged-weapons/articles/102828-Edged-Weapon-Defense-Is-or-was-the-21-foot-rule-valid-Part-1/