Logic of Steel: A Fighter’s View of Blade and Shank Encounters

The Logic of Steel is not about the art of knife fighting. Its sole purpose is to capture the cold, hard, logical nature of edged-weapon encounters as experienced by author James LaFond and more than 90 other people. This analysis of more than 250 knife fights is told from the perspective of the attackers, eyewitnesses and victims. The action is broken down by weapon type and use patterns. The circumstances, motivations and mechanics of real-world blade and shank encounters are illuminated through the use of gripping (and sometimes comical) first-person accounts, photographs and hard statistics. The author also examines the psychology, injury patterns and legal ramifications of knife fighting, as well as providing invaluable tips on preventing clinches and groundfighting from escalating into a knife fight, surviving unarmed against a blade-armed assailant, "dressing for success" against a knife fight, spotting a knifer and predicting his behavior before it's too late, assessing when it is in your best interest to run for your life instead of fighting a knife-wielding opponent and much more.