this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2026
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Explain Like I'm Five

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Why in case of a stab (especially if the person stabbed is significantly tall) - its the belly which usually gets wounded?

I (21f) am a pretty short (5'2") fencer (HEMA, rapier), and I often get advice to target a tall opponent's belly with my rapier. Also I've attended a self-defense class, and the instructor gave me advice to go for the abdomen of a tall attacker, if I have a pocket knife in my hand.

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[–] AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@sh.itjust.works 19 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Why are you so weirdly specific and focused about this topic in particular? Yesterday you posted about this same topic and deleted all your comments and the post itself.

It's... peculiar, to say the least.

[–] Dindonmasker@sh.itjust.works 4 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Must be tall and live in london. Bro's gonna get some armor to walk outside.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 3 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

According to the post she's a fencer so she's already got armor lol

[–] anneSong@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I'm a 21 y. o. girl and 5'2", not a guy and not tall anyway. And yep, I'm a fencer.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)
[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 3 points 56 minutes ago (1 children)

Don't assume this person is telling you the truth.

https://lemmy.world/post/15756549

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 1 points 36 minutes ago

Their pronouns can be whatever they tell me they are, although it is suspicious that her username and height continuously changes.

[–] clean_anion@programming.dev 2 points 7 hours ago

If I recall correctly, there were multiple posts in different communities.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 7 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Please stop. We've had our fill of belly stabbing posts.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 3 points 8 hours ago

Except for Derek Chauvin getting stabbed posts, I could read those all day.

I took a self defense class once that covered attackers with a knife. Most of the class was around defending against attacks on the belly, the instructor said it was the most obvious target. That makes sense too, it's high lethality, hurts like a bastard, isn't protected by bones, and it's in easy reach for most people.

In the context of fencing, I'd have to guess there's two things at play. First, if you're much shorter than your opponent, I'd guess the belly is roughly the same height as where you've been practicing striking people anyway. Second, if your opponent is especially tall, then strikes against the belly are further away from his perspective (his eyes are up here), and that might put them at a disadvantage.

I don't know much about fencing, so correct me where I'm wrong, but I imagine the belly is the physically lowest legal target to score a point? I'd think that technically anybody would be disadvantaged to defend the lowest point, but their height makes it more pronounced. If you're 5'2" your belly is something like two feet below your eyes, but if you're 6'3" it's like three feet. That's a pretty significant difference.

[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Fucking hell we're back to this shit? This is the worst Lemmy meme by far, I'd rather someone bring back the moths, or the beans, or the moths with beans in their mouths and when they bark they shoot beans at you out of their mouths

[–] cattywampas@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

The belly is a big, soft target. If you aim for center of mass there's a good chance you hit a bone.

[–] philpo@feddit.org 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Tbf, I am tall and I am much happier to be stabbed into the abomen than higher up, if you must insist on stabbing me.

[–] anneSong@lemmy.world -1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Getting stabbed in the belly could be as fatal as getting stabbed in the chest. But a belly stab would hurt much more

[–] philpo@feddit.org 4 points 7 hours ago

No. Survival chances of a stab to the chest(aka the 'cardiac box') or neck is far far more lethal than a abdominal stabbing wound. Even stab wounds to the groin are more lethal.

Source: Critical care paramedic.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 34 minutes ago)

The Human Body "center of mass" is at or above the hips, it's where the majority of weight is and all movement is around this point: standing is holding this point up, walking is pushing this point from behind it, etc. It's generally a slower target than extremities and upper body.

That said, I think most fencers would aim for the arms or wherever their own shoulder height is.