[modoc]

I've never fenced, but have done extensive knife fighting training both specifically and as part of jujitsu training. I've practiced a ton with rubber chalked knives, both armed and disarmed against an armed opponent.

Untrained fighters are, in my experience, usually pretty easy to either disarm or to block their knife hand/arm with my non-knife hand. If they are VERY quick, I might take a minor slice on my hand or forearm, but I've never sparred against a non-specially trained opponent who's been able to either "kill" me, or prolong the fight more than a few seconds.

Thankfully I have never been in a real knife to knife fight, so YMMV.