A personal experience on being cut:
This little incident happened while I was a street LEO. By no means am I stating “I did the best thing”. Like all situations concerning violence, it happened very fast and unexpected. Another officer had received a domestic call to an apartment complex known for violent crime. When I heard his back up was several miles away, I cancelled him and went myself. I arrived on location about 2 minutes after him and found the apartment, front door was open. I stated “police!” and entered the small foyer and walked into the cramped living room. The first officer was standing to the right and talking to the two females, one standing and the other sitting on the couch. Since he was on the right, I took the left about 2 feet from him, and a little to the rear, which placed me about 4 feet from the female sitting on the couch. The room was very stuffed with small pillows, cushions, and crap. No where to move. As I was listening to the officer trying to calm the females down, especially the one standing, I scanned the females and room for weapons. I noticed that the female sitting on the couch, had her left hand on her knee and her right hand in between the couch cushions. When there was a slight break in the yelling, I pointed at the female on the couch and said, " Miss, would you put your right hand on your knee, where I can see it? “It sure would make me feel better about our safety” She looked at me and said “What are you scared of me?” I stated, No, I am not scared of you, but, I am scared if you have gun in your hand" She just looked at me and said, “I aint got no gun” and then she jumped off that couch like a bat from hell and I caught a glimpse of the knife in her right hand. She lunged straight at me, holding the knife in a point first position. Now, the reaction I had was pure instinct, based on my previous training and being one the departments “defensive tactics” instructors. I “bladed my body” to the right, just as her blade took the underside of my left arm. Fortunately, it was winter and I was wearing a jacket, because the blade cut a nice path down on the inside of my left elbow, resulting in about 40 stitches. I wish I could say that I used a super ninja move, but, no, I was so jacked up that I automatically trapped her knife arm againist my body and slammed her into the wall. I was lucky she was small, non trained, and weighed about 115 pounds. That close quarters with a knife expert, and no time to draw a handgun, would have been death for either me or my partner. lessons learned: The only thing that saved me from serious injury was my training, not because it was a superior style, but, because I was ALWAYS training when not working, and even with that, I still got cut, have a nice 6 in. scar and lost three weeks of work. I made mistakes, I never made them again in the same manner.
Whatever you do: train and train hard, use mental visualization to “practice” your responses to various knife and weapons attacks. Develop a “combat awareness” to your everyday life, so, that you may have a chance to see trouble coming. Never, Never, Ever, not scan a persons’ hands, because that is what will kill you.