Every situation is different, and you have to decide based on the situation. It is not like doing 1, 2, and 3. If you learn martial arts, you will also learn how to defend against knife attacks.
If someone attacks you, you block that, then grab his hand, turn and sweep his leg. When you practice with your training partner, it looks good. But the fact is when the attacker attacks you with a knife, he is not going to keep his hand there so that you can grab his hand.
He can move his hand instantly when you block that. Now you think this is not supposed to happen since you practice like grabbing the hands and then make next moves. In a knife attack, the attacker can attacks you in different directions.
When you train with your partner, he is not in front of you. You can see him. There is enough space to move. But in reality, you might not get enough space to move. It is narrow or you cannot step back or step to the side. But you practice step to the side to your opponent as a defense.
See what happens in real-life situations. Get out of the imaginary world. You can imagine something nice and clean. When you fight for self defense, it is not nice and clear. As a matter of fact, it is not a fair fight. You cannot expect it to be a fair fight. It is what it is.
When you fight in a fighting competition, you know who your opponent is. In a street fight, you do not know whether there are multiple attackers or not. You pay your full attention to the person who is making trouble, but there is another guy behind you. And he is going to attack you from behind.
Being a champion in a fighting competition and learning how to survive in a fight in real life are two different things. The sooner we understand that, the better.
Stay safe. Always be happy! God bless you and your entire family!
47.802 SRY