It felt like the edge of a very short blade….

I looked left and right and one man stood just watching, didn’t say a word and the other bloke, to my amazement, was pretending it wasn’t happening

Birmingham Krav Maga Instructor Joe writes about the reality of Knife crime – from his own perspective as a victim at just 16 years of age.

I was 16 and a getting a train from Harrogate in Yorkshire to Colchester. I had been in the Army for about 4 months by this stage and was in still in training. I was really enjoying my basic training and had a long weekend ahead of me so was on my way down to Essex to visit some mates. I had been on the train for a few hours and was quite close to where I was heading. I can’t remember where about on the line I was but I remember the stops were getting more and more frequent, people were getting on and off the train quickly and it was quite crowded. I was stood in the space at the end of the train where the carriages link together, where the toilets normally are. I could only ever stand in these parts of the train because the amount of bags I was carrying home, mostly full of washing for mum.

So there I was stood in the end of the train with 3 other people, back against a wall, large bag at my feet, listening to the CD skipping in my apparently “jog-proof” disc man, minding my own business. What happened next, like many others, I was totally not prepared for. The train had come to another stop and the doors opened, someone got on but I didn’t look to see who it was, although I was aware that one of the people I had been stood with went through the glass doors back in to the carriage. I looked up and a young bloke was stood in the space, hoody pulled over a baseball cap and he was wearing matching jogging bottoms. The bloke looked pretty normal but as soon as I looked he fixed eye contact.

I remember half smiling and dropping my eyes straight away. If I’m completely honest I was quite intimidated, and pretended to concentrate on my brick of a mobile phone. No one was actually texting me, I reckon he probably knew that as well. Before I could look up again, I was on my tip toes forced up against the wall. I felt something cold against my throat which forced my chin in to the air so high I had to really look down to see this guy’s face.

It felt like the edge of a very short blade.  I looked left and right and one man stood just watching, didn’t say a word and the other bloke, to my amazement, was pretending it wasn’t happening

I don’t remember being scared but I was completely stunned. I was looking at this young man’s angry screwed up face and his mouth was moving, spitting as he spoke. I couldn’t hear what he was saying and he ripped the head phones out of my ears still holding this object up against my throat. I didn’t actually get to see what this was in the end but it felt like the edge of a very short blade.
I looked left and right and one man stood just watching, didn’t say a word and the other bloke, to my amazement, was pretending it wasn’t happening! He seemed to be trying the same mobile phone trick that had just failed me so miserably. I looked over my attacker’s shoulder through the glass sliding doors and looked at a carriage of about 15 people who just sat and watched too. I didn’t know why anyone wasn’t helping me? I was completely caught unaware and felt absolutely helpless.

‘Even after a tour of Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan twice it still bothered me.’

Anyway, this bloke said he wanted my Discman and my wallet. I didn’t have a wallet so he just took the £42 in my pocket and my Discman, leaving the headphones swinging from underneath my coat. He took my phone too but looked at it and embarrassingly threw it on the floor. I actually don’t blame him; I didn’t want it either! As soon as the phone hit the floor the doors seemed to open up again. He shoved me again with his knife hand looked me dead in the eye and called me a “fucking Pussy” and was gone. All the people that were watching were getting on with their lives about 3 seconds later. The bloke who was stood next to me just watching moved to a different carriage and the other guy was still texting an imaginary girlfriend. No one asked if I was ok or anything.  I felt humiliated and a coward, in honesty up until about 2 years ago I still did. I didn’t tell anyone what happened, not even the police. I felt exactly like what my attacker had called me when he left. Even after a tour of Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan twice it still bothered me.

Since then I have trained in Krav Maga and am now an instructor opening my own Krav Maga school in Birmingham. It wasn’t until I trained with my Instructor Brian at Krav Maga Devon that I was reassured I had done the right thing; in fact, he was the first person I told nearly 12 years later! It cost £42 and a bad Discman to walk away that afternoon. Since then I’ve enjoyed a career in the armed forces, travelled, had a beautiful daughter and am getting married this year. It could have been a lot different had I reacted differently.
I am much more aware of my surroundings following that incident. I don’t walk around looking at my phone with my ears plugged in to an IPod anymore and when I am uncomfortable with the people I am with I move to a safer location (e.g. the carriage I was stood opposite).

Krav Maga gave me back confidence, it gives me the tools I need should I need to use them. If that incident was to happen again I would still definitely give that bloke my money. It’s a fair trade for not getting my throat cut in my eyes. However; should those doors not open next time, I now know what I need to do and how I’m going to do it in order to give myself a better chance of survival. I also feel confident I have the tools that I need to protect those I care about should it happen again.

There were 26,370 cases of Violent Knife crime last year and its risen every year since 1981. Is it enough to hope that it won’t happen to you or those you care about? Or should you prepare for the possibility it might happen to you? Ultimately it is your choice but if you do learn Krav Maga you will be better prepared and hopefully never have to use it for real. Whilst you are training you will be fitter, more confident and be part of a friendly and social community who enjoy challenging themselves. I have learned a great deal through Krav Maga and it has helped develop me as an individual too. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time training and if you make that step, I hope you do too.

Joe is a Graduate Krav Maga Instructor under British Krav Maga and the Instructor at Birmingham Krav Maga