Fighting stance - The Weapons Mindset

Different martial arts approach the fighting stance from different angles.  Some are meant to keep the opponents at a distance, some are meant to allow for quick defense.  All incorporate some level of the following things into the stance to allow for quick defense either from footwork, angling, of parries and/or blocks with the hands.   A lot of these stances are, however, meant for hand to hand combat.  When you bring weapons into the equation, especially bladed weapons, these stances have several weaknesses, especially when you move away from the traditional weapons practice of thrust and defend.  On the street, you may not even be aware that your opponent has a weapon.  Take for example, the follow stance. 
While this stance may be perfectly effective in defending against a punch or a kick, the first thing I think of when I see this stance is that:

1.      If I had a weapon, a knife or even a pen, my primary focus would be to take out the right hand.  It is right there, waiting to be stabbed.  

2.     Another option would be punch with my left to get my opponent to defend using their left side to open up that side and them come in with a weapon from my right. 

3.     Finally and perhaps the most important is that this position leaves the two very vitals spots velnerable:  the eyes and the throat.   One may be able to take a not so perfect hit to the face or the throat, but if a blade ever made penetrating contact with either one of those areas, that could be a deciding move. 

The Filipino Martial arts having their foundation in weapons training, take a very different approach.  I will state my disclaimer here that this may not be the case for all practitioners, especially since for most people, the FMA didn’t start out as their primary art.    However the following is the ready stance as I’ve practiced it.  A few things to note here:

1.  the elbows are in providing protection to the vital organs from the front such as the heart, lungs and liver. 

2. the fists are facing inward and protecting the neck and face. 

Any confrontation with a bladed weapon is going to be quick, complex and messy.  No stance is going to ensure that I don’t get hurt.  Footwork and parrying will help, but as I’ve heard many times--if a blade is involved, you’re going to get cut.  However, at least here there is a fighting chance of ensuring that the first strike is not one that damages a vital organ.

As always, given the opportunity, walk away… run away if required.  I would rather that I never have to use my martial arts and live, then try to prove how skilled I am, especially against a blade.