Tactical Movement and Firearm Draw Performance During Charging Knife Attacks

In response to knife attacks between 10 to 30 feet, tactical responses involving either a backpedal or lateral movement led to higher success rates (i.e., the ability for an officer to discharge two rounds before contact is made) by creating more distance and time between the target and attacker, rather than being stationary. The time to draw and discharge a weapon is faster during actual knife attacks compared to a stationary practice firearm draw due to adjustments made before discharge, such as arm speed, shooting from the hip, or shooting from a close-contact position. Average firearm draw performance against a knife attack ranged from 0.87 to 1.21 seconds when comparing each movement tactic at each distance. In comparison, the baseline firearm draw time was 1.41 seconds.