I (21f) am 5’5" and skinny. I recently attended a self-defense class, and there I was tought how to use a pocket knife. And as I have some male friends 6’5"+ tall, I thought that that height actually makes your belly particularly vulnerable in case of a fight (in comparisson with short people):
- a short person’s shoulder height is around the same level as your belly making it easier to stab/hit;
- your belly is proportionally a larger target.
And in general, if a 6’5"+ guy stands in front of me with his stomach released (even if he has just a bit of a belly) it feels like having an exposed, large and squishy punching/stabbing bag right in front of me, into which, if needed, I can easily harshly and deeply plunge anything straight away.
I also practice historical fencing (rapier) and most of the times I stab tall opponents into the belly - my favorite thrusts are ducking counterattacks when I duck while they attack, go low and impale a tall guy’s unprotected belly right onto my rapier.
What do you think about it?
Thanks for advice!
Though I think it would be more difficult to stab such specific targets which you describe. So, yep, slashing is an option - but then still: wouldn’t the belly be a perfect target for a kind of combination between a stab and a cut? For example if I plunge my blade into a tall guy’s gut and then instantly move the blade up disemboweling him, or just immediately slice his belly open with my blade. My idea is that in contrast to just a stab, such a disembowelment will likely immediately incapacitate the tall opponent and also will be pretty easy and realistic to perform.