Carsten Draheim
KRAV MAGA
Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
The official KRAVolution
training book
Krav Maga
For purposes of better legibility, we have decided to use masculine (neutral) forms of
address, and they to achieve gender neutrality where applicable, throughout this book.
Of course, the content is applicable to all people irrespective of gender.
This book was carefully compiled. However, we make no guarantee for all information
herein. Neither the author nor the publisher can accept liability for potential detriments
or damage resulting from the information presented in this book.
CARSTEN DRAHEIM
KRAV
MAGA
EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR SELF-DEFENSE
Meyer & Meyer Sport
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Originally published as Krav Maga: Effektive Techniken zur Selbstverteidigung by Meyer & Meyer Verlag, 2018
Krav Maga
Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2019
All rights reserved, especially the right to copy and distribute, including translation rights. No part of this work my be produced–including by photocopy, microfilm or any other means–processed, stored electronically, copied or distributed in any form whatsoever
without the written permission of the publisher.
© 2019 by Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.
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ISBN: 9781782558170
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Images: All pictures and graphics were created with kind permission from www.enitiative.de—enitiative GmbH, Ms. Alexandra Wirtz.
Copyright 2018
Cover photo: Alexandra Wirtz
Cover design: Annika Naas
Interior design: Anja Elsen
Chapter opener design: Alexandra Wirtz
Layout: Amnet
Managing editor: Elizabeth Evans
Copyeditor: Amnet
Translator: AAA Translations, St. Louis, MO, USA
Contents
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
Foreword������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 12
1
The Principles of Krav Maga������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
1.1 Technical Elements of a Krav Maga Self-Defense Technique�����������������������������������������19
1.2 Tactical Elements of a Krav Maga Self-Defense Technique���������������������������������������������19
1.3 Effectiveness Under Stress������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 20
1.4 Development Process of a Krav Maga Self-Defense Technique�������������������������������������21
1.5 A Krav Maga Technique, Divided into Individual Defense Stages��������������������������������21
1.5.1 The First Stage—Building on the Initial Reaction�������������������������������������������������������� 22
1.5.2 The Second Stage—the Counterattack���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22
1.5.3 The Third Stage—Orientation��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
1.6 Distances and Alertness—Time Line������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
1.7 Krav Maga Combat Positions������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26
1.7.1 The Unprepared Starting Position—Reflexive Position����������������������������������������������� 26
1.7.2 You Are Alert and Prepared—Ready Position���������������������������������������������������������������� 27
1.7.3 A Fight Is Unavoidable—Combat Position��������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
1.8 Ranges of an Unarmed Assailant����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29
1.9 Reflexes as a Basis of Krav Maga Defense Techniques��������������������������������������������������� 30
1.9.1 Upper Section—Head and Chest����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������31
1.9.2 Middle Section—Stomach, Hips, and Pelvis������������������������������������������������������������������� 32
1.9.3 Lower Section—Legs�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
1.10 Tactical Movement Patterns��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
1.11 Floor Position—Standing Up as Quickly as Possible��������������������������������������������������������� 36
1.11.1 Breaking Forward Falls��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36
1.11.2 Breaking Backward Falls������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 37
1.11.3 Defense Position on the Floor and Subsequent Standing���������������������������������������� 37
5
6
KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques�������������������������������������������������������� 48
2.1 Angle of Attack�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 48
2.2 Deflecting Defense With Tactical Movement��������������������������������������������������������������������� 50
2.3 Blocking Defense With Tactical Movement������������������������������������������������������������������������ 52
2.4 Benefits of Everyday Items Over Using Your Body����������������������������������������������������������� 55
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques��������������������������������������������������������� 58
3.1 Vulnerable Points of the Human Body�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 58
3.2 Long-Range Base Attacks������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 60
3.3 Medium-Range Base Attacks������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 64
3.4 Close-Range Base Attacks������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 69
3.5 Combinations of Various Offensive Techniques�����������������������������������������������������������������74
3.6 A Hard Block With the 360-Degree Outside Defense as an Example������������������������� 77
4
Attacks and Threats From Various Distances����������������������������������������������� 82
4.1 Long-Range Attacks and Threats������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 85
4.1.1 Attack on the Upper Section—
Bailout Kick Against a Running Assailant��������������������������������������������������������������������� 86
4.1.2 Defense Against a Straight Kick��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 88
a) Defense Against a Straight Kick From the Reflexive Position��������������������������� 90
b) Defense Against a Straight Kick From the Ready Position�������������������������������� 93
c) Defense Against a Straight Kick From the Combat Position����������������������������� 94
4.1.3 Defense Against a Stick attack From Above—Overhead Swing������������������������������ 97
4.1.4 Defense Against a Swinging Baseball Bat—Baseball Swing���������������������������������103
4.2 Medium-Range Attacks and Threats���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 109
4.2.1 Defense Against Striking Attacks With a Stick—Stick Push������������������������������������109
4.2.2 Defense Against Roundhouse Kicks�������������������������������������������������������������������������������114
a) Upper Section—Defending Against a Roundhouse Kick to Your Head���������114
b) Middle Section—Defending Against a Roundhouse Kick to
Your Upper Body�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������116
c) Lower Section—Defending Against a Roundhouse Kick to Your Legs�����������117
4.2.3 Defense Against a Straight Right Punch From the Front�����������������������������������������119
a) Defending From the Reflexive Position�������������������������������������������������������������������119
Contents
4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
4.2.7
4.2.8
4.2.9
Defense Against a Straight Knife Stab������������������������������������������������������������������������� 123
a) Special Defensive Position During a Knife Attack���������������������������������������������� 123
b) Disarming From the Inside Defense������������������������������������������������������������������������ 127
c) Special Feature—Scooping or Stabbing Defense������������������������������������������������� 128
Defense Against an Oriental Knife Attack������������������������������������������������������������������130
Defense Against an Icepick Knife Attack���������������������������������������������������������������������133
Alleviating a Threat Situation—Gun Threat From Front, One-Handed���������������137
Alleviating a Threat Situation—Gun Threat From Front, Double-Handed���������144
Alleviating a Threat Situation—Gun Threat From Behind, Lifeside����������������������146
4.3 Close-Range Attacks and Threats��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 151
4.3.1 Defense Against a Vertical Hammerfist����������������������������������������������������������������������� 152
4.3.2 Defense Against a Horizontal Elbow����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 153
4.3.3 Defense Against a Knee Blow����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 154
4.3.4 Defense Against a Headbutt������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 155
4.4 Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks���������������������������������� 157
4.4.1 Defense Against a Front Choke Close���������������������������������������������������������������������������160
4.4.2 Defense Against a Frontal or Rear Choke Attack on the
Throat With Shoving or Pulling���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������162
a) Choke Attack on the Throat From the Side����������������������������������������������������������� 171
4.4.3 Defense Against the Side Headlock������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 176
4.4.4 Defense Against the Headlock From Behind��������������������������������������������������������������180
4.4.5 Alleviating a Threat Situation—Knife From Behind on Throat������������������������������184
4.4.6 Bear Hugs�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������188
a) Bear Hug Front Arms Free�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������188
b) Bear Hug Front Arms In�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������190
c) Bear Hug Side Arms Free (Only Quickly) and Arms In��������������������������������������194
d) Bear Hug From Behind Arms Free����������������������������������������������������������������������������196
e) Bear Hug From Behind�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������199
4.5 Defense Against Attacks on the Ground��������������������������������������������������������������������������203
4.5.1 Side Choke on Ground��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������204
4.5.2 Defense Against Choke on Ground in Mount Position��������������������������������������������206
4.5.3 Defense Against Choke From the Guard Position: Assailant Between
Your Legs and Choking������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������208
4.5.4 Defense Against Side Headlock on the Ground�������������������������������������������������������� 210
4.5.5 Defense Against Choke From Behind on Ground������������������������������������������������������ 214
4.5.6 Ground Combatives������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 216
7
8
KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
5
Training Tips����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 220
Appendix����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 230
1
List of All Krav Maga Techniques Described—Description
in KRAVolution Curriculum��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������230
2
Glossary��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������240
3
Bibliography������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������243
4
About the Author��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������244
9
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my family and dedicate this book to my children, who have been
studiously training in Krav Maga since they learned to walk. I am grateful to my wife for
her never-ending understanding and for her support and motivation for all my activities.
I would like to thank my entire team of instructors—in particular, Ändi Sperzel, Kevin
Herrmann, Karl-Heinz Gündenbach, and Patrick Conee—for the constant, active assistance with this book. Thanks also to Robert, Sami, and Adrien for the corrections. Thanks
to Sandra for the great pictures and patience with every step of the editing process. Not
lastly, I am grateful to Megan Berkmann and Jean-Paul Jauffret for the great motivation
and friendship. I extend my thanks and enthusiasm to all Krav Maga practitioners and
students at our Krav Maga Institute and the global KRAVolution! I am excited for many
more Krav Maga lessons with all of you!
Foreword
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats from Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
FOREWORD
Don’t get hurt! — I. Lichtenfeld
Upon closer analysis, this quote from Imrich “Imi” Lichtenfeld (Imi Sde-or), the founder
of the Krav Maga system, summarizes everything that makes Krav Maga so successful
around the world as a system of self-defense.
Conceived in the violent, anti-Semitic attacks in Europe during the 1930s, and constantly developed since, Krav Maga has become one of the most successful self-defense systems worldwide and forms the basis for a variety of professional systems of military and police units.
What makes Krav Maga so unique from fighting sports and martial arts is its uncompromising nature, its effectiveness at all costs. Imi was responsible for training the Israeli
armed forces. It was important to prepare them for the worst-case scenario as quickly
as possible, regardless of prior experience, age, or sex. He also had to ensure that when
they were eventually in the reserves, they would be able to quickly recall the close-range
combat system they had learned, in short training sessions, and without too much strain
on their level of fitness.
Instead of telling the trainees what soldiers should do in case of an attack, Imi tested the
soldiers’ initial reflexive reactions to the stress of a self-defense situation—namely, from
an attack. He applied techniques to these reactions and polished them by also analyzing
the resulting movements of the attacker. After leaving the army, Imi devoted himself to
suiting the Krav Maga system to the needs of civilians.
Unlike in sports, real combat situations are not concerned with rules, points, and sportsmanlike fairness but rather solely with surviving a situation in which there are no rules.
Foreword
That is what makes Krav Maga so incredible, because there is no silver medal for the
first loser in violent conflicts. Success is the only standard. This means defending yourself
with anything at your disposal so that you can come out of the situation as unharmed
as possible.
This certainly applies to civilian life. The goals may be quite different for professional
users. Everything that makes the average person in the present able to defend themselves as successfully as people in the 1930s is the result of evolution. Everyone can fight.
Imi’s greatest benefit lay in helping people who had to prepare for combat as quickly as
possible to rediscover these inherent fighting skills.
The path to success, now as it was then, was the knowledge that only natural reflexes
can function in times of stress. This approach, coupled with Imi’s technical prowess from
various martial arts, such as boxing, wrestling, and jiujitsu, and supplemented with fundamental technical behavior, is now the basis of modern Krav Maga.
Even though the skills necessary to fight successfully are within us, they still have to be
(re-) discovered and improved through regular training in most people. This book is thus
directed toward the no-longer entirely inexperienced Krav Maga students, the so-called
Kravists, but cannot and should not replace regular Krav Maga training and the development of individual skills.
Following my first book, Krav Maga: A Comprehensive Guide for Individuals, Security, Law
Enforcement, and Armed Forces, which deals with instructional methods of Krav Maga
training, I received numerous questions asking why this first book contains almost no
techniques. I would like to close the “gap” with this book.
At the time, because of my membership in a society, I was not permitted to write about
techniques, but my first book was already seen as a “betrayal of secrets.”
Together with my team of trainers and international Krav Maga experts, I founded an
independent Krav Maga society in 2017: KRAVolution. The success of KRAVolution was
overwhelming, and we are now not only represented with more than 150 Krav Maga
trainers and numerous schools in Europe, but also in Israel, the United States, Canada,
and South America. Thousands of Kravists regularly take part in training sessions with
us. Police officers and members of the military are also trained. This is ideally provided by
trainers who themselves belong to the respective occupation.
Since founding the society, we no longer train in accordance with a curriculum, but rather
more in line with the Krav Maga principles developed by Imi.
With these principles we train in Krav Maga with professional users such as police officers
or soldiers who provide their daily service on the street or in various crisis areas, and also
on the mat when training with professional fighters.
13
14
KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
I too teach by a progress plan for specific techniques, or a curriculum: at least for Krav
Maga beginners and intermediate students. At the end of the book, you will find a table
with the curriculum that I use.
Yet, in the advanced stage, it’s not explicitly about katas “set in stone,” the sequence
of which is firmly defined. On the contrary, Krav Maga is of course not a traditional or
competitive martial art, but pure self-defense, and fighting for sheer survival. You have to
protect yourself and others as quickly as possible.
If the Kravist is more comfortable performing a knee blow in place of the technically
recommended elbow, that’s completely fine, because it’s about the practitioner’s own
instinctive movements. The approach lies in finding a comprehensive solution for every
type of attack but with the knowledge that it is impossible to have the right technique
on hand for all attacks.
Specifically, this is sometimes heavily impaired by uncontrollable factors like stress and
adrenaline release during a real attack. Training hundreds or thousands of techniques
would also contradict the basic mind-set of Krav Maga. In a serious situation, they would
not be apparent because of the aforementioned factors. Of course, it helps to train the
techniques every day, but that would also certainly not be enough if things get serious.
It’s not about always studying a technique and studying it some more but rather about
understanding the principles and acting in accordance with them. Your own reaction
capacity and ability to act under stress are honed through Krav Maga training.
Most Kravists, regardless of whether they are civilians, police officials, or military, generally have no time for intensive daily training. Krav Maga was conceived for people who
are not professional athletes and who cannot train every day. In a serious situation they
have to rely on their reaction capacity and intuitive behaviors. This is the essence of Krav
Maga training. It hones the flow of reaction and movement patterns with minimal training effort, with the goal of remaining capable of acting under stress.
The Krav Maga system thus intentionally consists of a limited number of opportunities
for action. If you can escape the danger through alertness and flight, you will get away.
What sounds simple often leads to astonishing results in training. In our “civilized world”
have we actually unlearned how to properly detect risks, unlearned how to run away sooner and from a potential escalation? Yes, I feel that we have and often rely on everything
going well and that some bystander will help, which is often not the case; even martial
artists, like I once was, have a very hard time with this manner of avoiding a fight.
Only when I can no longer flee do I defend myself with everything at my disposal. In
this instance self-defense isn’t about coming out of the fight as the victor, but rather the
intent to flee and the goal of not only bringing myself to safety, but also others—family
Foreword
members, colleagues, and friends. What I nicely describe here as “everything at my disposal” means nothing other than the fact that war, which Krav Maga was once developed
to train soldiers for, is always hard and brutal!
As are the Krav Maga combat techniques that stem from these principles: uncompromising, unfair, hard, and brutal, and thus highly effective. To put it more directly, Krav Maga
techniques and the aggression that their consistent employment entails, and which are
used as a form of defense, sometimes even consider (depending on proportionality) neutralization of the assailant to effectively halt their attack.
Becoming petrified with fear, seeing the danger fall upon you and doing nothing, is
not an option. It’s all about the right attitude, the mind-set for consistently and uncompromisingly defending yourself, because in the end this is much more important than
any self-defense technique you can learn! If you don’t know what you should do, do
something. The assailant will not go easy on you if you’re frozen with fear and aren’t
defending yourself. Don’t be an easy victim. Defend yourself.
As happens so often in life, there are many ways to succeed in violent situations, and
thus in Krav Maga. The techniques presented in my book are thus not guaranteed to be
complete or immaculate. They merely reflect my experiences from many years of Krav
Maga and should help take the reader a few steps further in their own KRAVolution, with
the goal of being able to defend themselves and their loved ones.
To drive the point home once more with the words of Imi Lichtenfeld:
“So one may walk in peace!”
15
The Principles of Krav Maga
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats from Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
1
THE PRINCIPLES OF KRAV
MAGA
The principles of Krav Maga can largely be reduced to just one sentence: use your natural
reactions and movements to defend yourself, and combine them with a counterattack.
Furthermore, every resulting technique must function under stress and thus be easy for
anyone to remember.
Effective self-defense primarily consists of a technical and a tactical element. Both
­elements should be equally considered when finding the solution in the respective
self-defense situation.
Technical elements (referred to in Krav Maga training as checkpoints) are defined as the
conscious or unconscious body reactions, conscious or unconscious defensive movements,
and the fastest possible, ideally simultaneous, effective counterattacks. All three technical elements must be reflected in one defensive strategy. Depending on the situation and
the available reaction time, either the conscious (muscle memory) or unconscious (base
reflexes) portion will be more prevalent.
In order to make a technique good and easy to learn, and thus able to be remembered
in times of stress, it may not deviate too strongly from your natural reflexes. The counterattack is a reversal of aggression, and thus acceptance of the dominant position in the
conflict. It’s important to use the appropriate resources with reasonable intensity for as
long as possible so that you incur as little harm as possible and can escape the situation.
The Principles of Krav Maga
Tactical elements refer to active movement, loosening oneself from the attack and reassessment of the situation, as well as orientation in the surrounding space. The goal is
optimization of the defensive or counterposition, followed by setting a time frame for
orientation. This, in turn, serves to detect further risks and secure flight from the danger
situation. If there are multiple dangers in a situation, these are referred to as primary
(direct) and secondary (subordinate) threats. In a dynamic situation, secondary problems
can quickly turn into primary problems and vice versa. That is why tactical orientation is
a fixed component of any defensive strategy in Krav Maga.
1.1
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF A KRAV MAGA
SELF-DEFENSE TECHNIQUE
Technical checkpoints
1. Defensive movement—the defensive technique must function under stress and be
easy for anyone to remember.
2. Body movement—the body moves out of the line of attack as quickly as possible, as
a reflex or deliberately.
3. Counterstrikes—defense is ideally direct, simultaneous, or directly successive. The
counterattack must be directed at vulnerable points.
1.2
TACTICAL ELEMENTS OF A KRAV MAGA
SELF-DEFENSE TECHNIQUE
Tactical checkpoints
1. Early detection of dangers and subsequent reaction with flight or fight—establishing
readiness to fire in military Krav Maga.
2. Moving yourself out of the line of attack and finding a new position if necessary.
3. Distance—technique adjusted to the distance from the assailant.
4. Scanning—orientation and alleviating tunnel vision.
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There are also other checkpoints, including in the execution of a technique, such as the
principle of “hard against soft, soft against hard.” This is about which part of your arms
you use to block an attack. If the assailant tries to stab you in the stomach with a knife
from below (p. 130, oriental knife attack), you block the muscular part of their forearm
with the bone of your forearm, thus blocking soft with hard. However, if you block an
attack by a pole or an iron rod, then you will not use your bones but the muscular part of
your forearm, thereby blocking “soft against hard.”
I will only marginally address these particularities from here on out, because I already
described them in detail in the first book. Only if it’s highly relevant to the execution of
the technique will I explain these principles further.
1.3
EFFECTIVENESS UNDER STRESS
In order to maintain control of yourself and the situation, it’s important for the defender
in a self-defense situation to strive for the greatest necessary aggression, never the greatest maximum.
This requires a high level of stress tolerance and self-control, as well as the swift processing and alleviation of stress. This is due to the necessity to simulate situations as
realistically as possible and under physical strain in order to do justice to the system’s
requirements.
I personally benefit from it not only in everyday situations but especially in my job so that
I can keep a cool head when things get dicey. People always ask me whether I have “fighting experience” outside of the mat or if I have had to “use” Krav Maga. I reply that I do
it nearly every day: in my profession as the owner of multiple companies; communication
with customers, suppliers, and employees; as the director of an international company
that specializes in personal protection; and of course, as a Krav Maga instructor around
the world.
Of course, I’m no street fighter nor a professional fighter. In my humble opinion, the real
danger is significantly smaller if you recognize it as such early on and clearly address it!
If there is still a confrontation, it helps to use your own adrenaline rush to act uncompromisingly and controlled, but not blindly.
This “switch-on/switch-off” principle, or the quick transition from a relaxed situation to a
tense one and vice versa, is a primary component of the Krav Maga system and, alongside the subelements of technique and tactics, forms the basis for the development and
application of defensive strategies in self-defense.
The Principles of Krav Maga
Naturally Krav Maga has a lot to do with prevention, especially in the civil sphere. If I
can avoid a confrontation, this is always the better solution. If I see the danger, I will flee
from it. Yet it is often not that simple, as life is sometimes not black and white, and such
situations may be gray. It’s not directly clear to you that a situation could result in an
attack. Your gut feeling says, “Be careful.” Your brain tells you, “Nothing can happen to
you.” But that is the moment when the attack happens.
1.4
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF A
KRAV MAGA SELF-DEFENSE TECHNIQUE
I’m not interested in writing a book about Krav Maga techniques, explaining them and
creating colorful pictures for them, without presenting my own perspective as to why I
think the technique I’m presenting and describing is appropriate.
I have been training and teaching Krav Maga for many years now. But after lots of “dull”
training of techniques, only in recent years have I begun addressing the “why” of a technique
and questioning it. Perhaps this was also the foundation for establishing a separate, and
now internationally successful, Krav Maga society. This open mind-set and communication
with professional practitioners in the police and military, martial arts masters, Krav Maga
experts from other organizations, and especially with survivors of violence, as well as the
bottom line of how we can use that, what we can do differently, is Krav Maga to me.
I never knew Imi Lichtenfeld personally, yet I am sure that this attitude is exactly what the
developer of the art had in mind. I do not want to point fingers, but everyone who claims
that they have the only true, definitive, or original Krav Maga self-defense is a charlatan.
In this book I present solely my own, limited view of the techniques to the best of my
ability, and would also like to justify my selections accordingly.
1.5
A KRAV MAGA TECHNIQUE, DIVIDED INTO
INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE STAGES
The division of a Krav Maga technique into individual steps, which I refer to as stages,
helps with the fundamental understanding of the tactical and technical requirements of
a Krav Maga self-defense technique. These stages present a strategy for achieving the
best possible result when defending against an attack.
In theory there are three basic stages within a Krav Maga technique.
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The second stage is also concerned with so-called special needs. I would like to call this
stage 2.1—namely, the stage of a technique for special needs, which is of special importance to professional Krav Maga users. These technical elements are primarily control,
fixation, and transport techniques. Such special needs will not be further addressed in
this book for civil self-defense. However, standing up from a position on the ground is a
special need.
1.5.1 The First Stage—Building on the Initial Reaction
The first stage of the self-defense technique is the immediate reaction to a completed
attack. This is determined by a reflexive reaction and protective movement.
Through regular training with muscle memory, these reflexes can be optimized and replaced with conscious defense motions, but this first stage must always be based on reflexes.
The defense motion is an immediate reaction to the attack, ideally in conjunction with
body motion.
This defense motion, coupled with the body motion, is the first technical necessity for defending against an attack. This defense motion, or in other words the defense technique,
thus also constitutes the first technical checkpoint. The movement of the body—that is,
the body motion—is the second technical checkpoint within this stage.
1.5.2 The Second Stage—the Counterattack
The second state includes the counterattack from a technical and tactical p­ erspective,
and directly follows or is even simultaneous with the first stage. Best-case scenario:
defense is thus also the offense.
This uncompromising counterattack can also be referred to as counterstriking. It consists
of a reasonable, purposeful combination of offensive techniques with the goal of creating a time window in which safe retreat from the situation is possible, or the attacker is
brought under control.
By tactically moving from the line of attack to an ideal position, you also avoid further
attacks from the assailant in the short term. Orientation also plays a critical role—that is,
acquiring new fields of view with regard to additional dangers and escape opportunities.
This tactical movement forms the main strategy of every Krav Maga technique and is the
underlying principle of the Krav Maga system.
The Principles of Krav Maga
This counterattack can also entail various techniques, such as firearm control during an
attack with a gun, or the aforementioned special needs of professional practitioners.
1.5.3 The Third Stage—Orientation
Stage 3 includes more tactical checkpoints that immediately follow a physical confrontation, and which are understandably, often severely neglected in most martial arts but
even in most self-defense systems I am familiar with as well.
In the civil arena, escaping the immediate reach of the assailant—namely, creating distance—is the necessary tactical strategy. Professional users can strive to obtain a secure
position or control the attacker. Because acquiring a secure position is listed as the second tactical checkpoint, the third stage involves the subsequent orientation with the
objective of detecting other dangers in time and determining suitable flight (or refuge)
opportunities. This scanning of the area is the third and final tactical checkpoint, and
marks the end of the defense situation.
In case of multiple assailants, the most urgent problem must always be taken care of as
per the aforementioned structure, and this can only be punctual in the event of an ongoing assault. A bouncer once said to me, “In a group I always take the loudest one first.”
Yet I doubt that this is always the right solution.
1.6
DISTANCES AND ALERTNESS—TIME LINE
The sooner a (potential) danger situation is recognized, the greater the opportunity for
prevention and de-escalation. The term time line describes the time period between recognition of the danger and beginning of implementation of a defense strategy. The closer
the danger is to the time of recognition, the shorter the reaction time, and the defense
strategies become all the more complicated.
Early detection thus plays a central role. In order to describe a strategy for prevention and
de-escalation, we use the time line based on insight from communication psychology.
A preventive, tactical approach requires awareness of the risk—namely, visual contact—
and observation of suspicious or threatening behavior by potential attackers.
The outer radius is the public distance. This begins within the field of vision with a radius
of about 4 m. Outside of this distance, people are usually classified as unthreatening,
even if they are facing the defender and without any further alarming signals, meaning
there is no alarm and thus no preventive measures.
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This lacking level of alarm is marked with the color green in the following alertness color
code. When training for situations, an unprepared, natural and neutral stance is selected
as the starting position. This is also referred to in Krav Maga as the natural position, and
in this book as the reflexive position.
This is also generally the starting position when attacks come from outside the field of
vision and are trained later in Krav Maga, if they are not noticed sooner. Defending an
attack from behind can only occur from the reflexive position, because otherwise you
would have been prepared for it.
The middle radius is the social distance. This begins within the field of vision with a radius
of about 1.5 m. People are observed more closely in this area. Preventive behavior is thus
possible, and also advisable if dangers are present. This begins by turning and observing,
and upon closer approach, by clearly addressing them with hands raised. The goal is to
prompt the person to stop through verbal and nonverbal communication. Palms at chest
level, facing forward, appear defensive yet de-escalating. A small sidestep and shifting of
weight can stabilize your stance and prepare you for a quick movement.
The alarm level for the detection of danger in the social distance is marked in yellow in
the alertness color code. Under 2 m this shifts to orange. The aforementioned position,
the so-called ready position, is used as the starting position when training for situations
in the yellow state of alertness. In this position the defender has the chance to react to
an attack as quickly as possible by keeping their hands lifted in a “centered position” in
front of their body. Of course, this always varies depending on the size of the attacker
and the defender.
The inner ring is the area of about 1 m or closer, which must once again be divided into
two subzones. These are the personal distance (>0.5 m) and the intimate distance (<0.5
m). This requires you to act in the interest of tactical prevention and self-defense. This
so-called acting distance is depicted in the graphic as the color red.
When a person enters this zone, the defender must immediately become active. In Krav
Maga training, situations at the red alert stage begin in a dynamic combat position. If the
distance has been completely bridged, and there is no more space between the actors,
this is referred to in Krav Maga training as the zero distance, for example ground combat.
This distance must be avoided at all costs so that you do not end up on the ground at
all and, for example, preventing your own takedown. If this was not possible, I leave this
distance as quickly as possible.
The Principles of Krav Maga
Timeline
Acting / Reacting
Distances:
Positioning:
7m
PUBLIC
Reflexive Position
Possibility to Flight
6m
5m
SOCIAL
Ready Position
(Prepared, Verbal &
Nonverbal communication)
4m
3m
PERSONAL
Combat
Position
(Prevention/
Movement)
2m
INTIMATE
Fight
1m
G01: Distances of a potential attack in relation to alertness.
GREEN distance >4 m: It’s difficult to adequately assess the intentions of a
potential opponent across this distance, because neither verbal nor nonverbal communication can be perceived without increased volume and intensity.
Alertness is low. Should an attack occur in a lower alertness level because of
lack of attentiveness by the defender, the defense strategy is primarily based
on unconscious body reaction and reflexive defense motion (see Reflexive
Position, p. 24).
YELLOW distance 2–4 m: This distance is the last opportunity to assess potential dangers and to mentally prepare for the situation. The goal is to use
communication in a preemptive and de-escalating manner and to demonstrate the ability to put up a fight. The transition from alertness to combat readiness, without being provoked into an escalation, is fluid. An attack in this
situation will primarily be based on conscious, trained body reaction and defense motion due to the prepared defense position (see Ready Position, p. 27).
ORANGE distance 1–2 m: In this distance an assailant has a direct reach, and
this is a primary problem. An immediately impending attack must be expected, and preventive measures are justified.
RED distance: At a distance of <1 m, also with preventive application of offense techniques (see Combat Position, p. 28).
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This “streetlight system” of distances is also found in most military and police training
programs, and I mentioned it in the first book through the status of personal combat readiness based on the color code described by Jeff Cooper (Q1). Cooper supplements this
state of personal alertness with another color—namely, white—for “completely inattentive
and completely unprepared.” As a Kravist we should never find ourselves in this state
outside of the safety of our own homes.
These result in the following starting and basic positions.
1.7
KRAV MAGA COMBAT POSITIONS
I have referred to the positions with which you can defend yourself as Krav Maga combat positions, because this term is more common. However, to be more precise, they are
defense positions.
1.7.1 The Unprepared Starting Position—Reflexive Position
B001 (B1A1): Reflexive position—passive-natural stance—low alertness.
No risk has been detected. The arms are loose and low; the stance is natural and suited
to the situation. A sitting or lying position is also generally a reflexive position, as these
are postures in which one can only react intuitively, and based on reflex because they are
not prepared for an attack. That is why in Krav Maga this stance is also referred to as the
not ready, neutral or passive position (stance).
The Principles of Krav Maga
1.7.2 You Are Alert and Prepared—Ready Position
B002 (B1A2): Ready position—semipassive stance—increased alertness.
A danger was detected. The defender is facing the danger; the hands are raised, with
palms facing forward ideally. The hands are in a de-escalating position, but you can still
become verbally loud, but not very loud. Make it very clear to the potential assailant
that you do not want them to come closer. Signs of escalation, such as the balling of
fists, should be avoided because on the one hand you are sending outwardly aggressive
signals, and on the other, your muscles take longer to react when tensed. This position is
also often referred to in Krav Maga as the semipassive stance.
The height of the hands may vary. If your hands are too high, you are still sending aggressive signals, and the assailant will see your hands. If they are too low, you may not be able
to react quickly enough. At this distance verbal communication is important. Your body
language also sends clearly repellent signals without being threatening, and your hands
should not be entirely in the potential assailant’s field of vision.
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1.7.3 A Fight Is Unavoidable—Combat Position
B003 (B1A2): Combat position—fighting stance.
The hands preempt attacks and protect the body up to chin level. Your elbows are at
the sides of your short ribs, and your chin is hung low toward your sternum. At the same
time, a sidestep forward stabilizes your stance; your knees are bent. Your body’s center of
gravity is centrally located above your repositioned legs. This stable and simultaneously
mobile leg position is the basis for an effective counterstrike, also referred to in Krav
Maga as the counter.
Your back heel is raised; your weight distribution should be balanced or placed lightly on
your back leg. The back leg is “on the go” so to speak, and you can lean on it to lunge
forward.
If you have to move backward, your raised foot will help you feel out obstacles (curb, wall,
objects) before you potentially fall over them, without you having to look at the ground.
The classic stance for right-handed people is keeping the left leg forward and vice versa
for left-handed people.
But a variable position is desired in order to be able to fully satisfy the tactical requirements. The hands are positioned at chin level, and the elbows touch against the ribs.
Your eyes should be fixated on the solar plexus of the assailant, because this ensures that
The Principles of Krav Maga
you detect movement in the shoulders and hips of the attacker as quickly as possible.
Whether the hands are balled into fists or left open depends on the attitude of the Krav
Maga instructor. I personally prefer to keep my jab open and my punch closed. This position is often also referred to as the fighting stance.
1.8
RANGES OF AN UNARMED ASSAILANT
Depending on which “tool” the assailant uses to execute an attack, the range can vary.
We divide unarmed attacks into three primary ranges, due to human anatomy.
The longest, direct opportunity for an unarmed attack is the length of the legs. A distance of about 2 m can easily be bridged through usage of the hips. This leg range is referred
to as the long range. It can even be increased to 3 m if the assailant takes a quick step
to carry out a kick.
The length of the arms is the middle distance. Here the assailant uses the arms to reach
a distance of 1.2 m, depending on technique and body measurements. This can also be
increased through usage of the fingers (e.g., poking the eyes).
If the knee (up to 80 cm), elbow (up to 50 cm), or forehead (up to 30 cm for a headbutt)
are in range of the target, this is called the short or close range.
Biting also plays an important role in self-defense and can be interpreted as a subgroup
of the close range. Sometimes the attacker is then in the zero distance.
A reasonable combination of attacks of various ranges, coupled with a tactical strategy,
forms the core elements of Krav Maga. They are referred to as combatives.
! REMEMBER
Long range:
Legs, about 2 m
Middle range:
Arms, about 1.2 m
Short range:
Knee, elbow, forehead, and biting, below 0.8 m
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
1.9
REFLEXES AS A BASIS OF KRAV MAGA
DEFENSE TECHNIQUES
Because of involuntary body movements, known as reflexes, the human body can be
categorized into three reflex sections in Krav Maga. A certain body reaction and a certain
defense motion are to be expected during attacks on the respective sections. We utilize
these to our advantage in Krav Maga, and that is why Krav Maga techniques are always
based on this concept, as the starting basis for the defensive technique—at least they
should be. Of course, not everyone follows the same concept and has the same reflexes as
other people. In my experience, when training with small children up to adults, reactions
other than those described below have already been learned. That is why we use the
following concept when training Krav Maga techniques:
Level of Attacks
Ranges of Attacks
Reflex Areas
Upper Section
≤ 0,5 m
Short Distance
≤ 0,8 m
Medium Distance
≤1,2 m
Long Distance
30
Transition Area
Middle Section
Transition Area
Lower Section
G02: Ranges of attacks by section.
Attacks on the upper area of the body, such as the head or upper body, are hereafter
referred to as attacks on the upper section of the body for the sake of simplicity. The most
common attacks in this area are definitely more likely to be punches than kicks.
The Principles of Krav Maga
1.9.1 Upper Section—Head and Chest
In this section the involuntary movement by the upper body to pull away, turn away, or
duck is opposed to the direction of attack. The hands also perform a reflexive or controlled (trained) defense motion against the attack.
Attacks by blows to this section can come from the following directions, among others:
––
––
––
––
straight punches (left/right or in combination)—directly from ahead;
hook punches (left/right, also side hook)—indirectly from the side;
uppercuts—directly from below;
hammerfist—indirectly from above.
B004 (B1J1): Attack on the upper section—deviating defense against a straight inward attack.
Attacks on the middle section of the body, such as the stomach, are generally direct,
straight punches, or indirect, lateral hooks, or even roundhouse kicks against the ribs or
kidneys.
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1.9.2 Middle Section—Stomach, Hips, and Pelvis
In this section the involuntary body movement lies in a pulling away or turning away of
the hips against the direction of attack. The hands also perform a reflexive or controlled
(the scooping defense in the image below) defense motion against the attack.
B005 (B1J1): Attack on the middle section—deviating defense against a straight outward attack.
The Principles of Krav Maga
1.9.3 Lower Section—Legs
In this section the involuntary body movement lies in the pulling away or closing of the
legs. In Krav Maga we use this natural movement to train a deviating motion of the legs.
The kick is deflected by the front leg. The hands protect the face and upper body. The
hands can also be used defensively if the initial reaction was to move them forward.
Here too there is a deflective scooping hand movement as described in the attack on the
middle section.
B006 (A1A3): Attack on the lower section—deflective defense against a straight kick.
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1.10 TACTICAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS
Movement in the combat position follows a certain pattern of steps in order to ensure
maximum stability and balance in the dynamic. These steps follow the defensive ambling
legwork known from boxing or the offensive diagonal step as per the open-close principle.
If a defender wants to fight in their preferred position, they could take the first step from
the front leg forward while the back leg closes with another step. The back leg first moves
backward, the left leg to the left, and the right leg to the right. This ensures that the starting position is recreated after two steps. If tactical requirements necessitate a change in
position, this can be done by taking a crossing step forward or backward.
The term line of attack describes the direct path between the front of the attacker and
the defender. If there is no direct path, the defender’s position is not in the line of attack.
If the defender’s position is in the line of attack, the first tactical need is to leave this as
quickly as possible!
Tactical Movements
A = Attacker
D = Defender
Diagonally Forward
A
Sideways
D
Laterally Rearward
Line of Attack
G03: Tactical movements of the defender to the attacker.
The Principles of Krav Maga
Tactical checkpoint—tactical movement
The defender has the following directions of movement at their disposal:
a) diagonally forward, closely past the attacker, right or left;
b) sideways, right or left;
c) diagonally backward, right or left.
! REMEMBER
Movement forward or backward does not meet the criteria for leaving the line
of attack! Leaving the line of attack should entail a movement of 90 degrees or,
ideally, 180 degrees. If the defender has used strategies and techniques to defend
against the attack and also effectively countered, the tactical requirement is to
acquire physical distance.
Tactical checkpoint: Distance
The creation of distance after successful defense helps with regeneration as well as reassessment of primary and secondary threats and with preparation to escape.
If the defender sees neither any primary nor secondary threats in their field of vision, the
tactical requirement is spatial orientation. From the combat position, the defender checks
the areas over both shoulders as well as the areas outside their field of vision. Only when
no other dangers are detected is there a controlled withdrawal from the situation. The
elbow protects the face when turning.
Tactical checkpoint: Scanning
Essentially, movement in the area of your own field of vision is preferable to a “blind”
step, unless there are tactical considerations that support it (too little space, secondary
threat near the desired position). Backward movements must also be avoided because of
the risk of falling and lack of vision, and can generally be prevented by subsequently moving to the side or diagonally. Circular movements around the attacker also improve your
own orientation and detection of secondary threats, because the release of adrenaline
heavily constricts the field of vision and can create tunnel vision.
If the defender detects a primary threat from an angle >45 degrees during prevention or orientation following a defensive act, the tactical requirement is a turning motion to face the attacker and moving out of the line of attack. The same applies to threats or attacks from behind.
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1.11 FLOOR POSITION—STANDING UP AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE
If the defender falls down due to obstacles on the ground, for example, the tactical requirement is standing up and retaining a stable, and thus straight, position as quickly as
possible. Techniques for breaking falls play an important role in dulling the impact and
thus allowing you to act as fast as you can. In dicey situations in which the attacker is
standing over me, I personally tend to take them onto the ground with me. As a former
“lutador,” or luta livre practitioner, I feel more secure on the ground. Here I can use
chokeholds and armbars.
However, that has worked to my disadvantage on the mat more than once, especially
when I was not alone with the aggressor. In self-defense situations it’s not about staying
on the ground, even for ground fighters. Perhaps the attacker is not alone, has a gun, or
previously uninvolved third parties get in the mix. Standing up is thus an essential component of any Krav Maga ground technique.
1.11.1 Breaking Forward Falls
B007 (B5A2): Breaking a forward fall—hard breakfall forward.
Hands and forearms protect the upper section when breaking a fall. The head is also
turned to the side both to prevent any collision with the face and to keep the threat
in your field of vision as quickly as possible. Any collision with the ribs, pelvis, or knees
should be avoided if possible.
To break the fall, the palms land on the ground or against the obstacle to weaken the
impact. The palms protect the head and throat area. Here too you must keep an eye on
the threat as soon as possible.
The Principles of Krav Maga
1.11.2 Breaking Backward Falls
B008 (B5A3): Breaking a backward fall—hard breakfall backward.
To break the fall, the palms are held backward with arms spread out at 45 degrees.
Landing the palms against the obstacle or the ground aims to prevent a collision of the
lumbar spine and the coccyx. This movement also tenses up the shoulder and back muscles, protecting the thoracic spine. The chin must be touching the breastbone to prevent
a collision of the back of the head.
1.11.3 Defense Position on the Floor
and Subsequent Standing
If the defender has fallen to the ground, the tactical requirement is the quickest possible
regaining of visual contact with the threat as well as protective orientation of the legs for
usage as a weapon against the attacker. The arms simultaneously protect the head and
ribs. This position is referred to as the ground combat position.
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B009 (B5A4): Breakfall sideways.
From this position, the defender prepares to stand up through counterattacks and constant movement and reorientation. The trained defender needs about two seconds to
apply a standing technique. This means in turn that, for this short period, the attacker is
incapable of continuing their assault either due to the effective countering or the increasing distance. The right timing is thus key to the proper execution of standing techniques.
If this is not possible because of the distance, standing must be avoided and attacks
carried out from the ground until there is an open window of time.
When that window opens, the defender switches from the ground combat position to the
figure-four pose, named for the position of the legs.
B009-2 (B5A4): Standing with tactical stand-up with the figure-4 leg position.
The Principles of Krav Maga
If a certain position is desired, the leg that leads when standing must be stretched out;
the other is held close, and the knee is touching the ground. The arm on the side of the
outstretched leg supports the upper body while the other arm protects the head. In
­mixed martial arts (MMA) this type of standing is called the tactical stand-up, and in the
military it is practiced with a firearm in hand. It’s important that the hands must not be
used to stand up, but instead are used for unlimited defense.
B010 (B5A1): Ready position on ground.
From this position the defender has three ways to stand up depending on tactical needs:
forward, in position, or backward.
a) Standing up forward (offensive standing) from the back or side position
The defender shifts their center of gravity over the lying knee, the outstretched leg rises
and stabilizes the center of gravity. During this motion the outstretched leg can also serve
to continue the counterattack. Then stand up from the kneeling position with a spin and
position yourself tactically.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
B011 (B5B2): Getting up forward and attacking.
B012 (B5B2): Continued: getting up forward and attacking.
b) Standing up in position (defensive stand-up)
Here the defender raises their hips by pushing upward on their outstretched leg and supporting arm. The outstretched leg is pulled under the body and planted, and the body’s
center of gravity is centrally balanced. This type of standing is referred to in MMA as the
tactical stand-up. Then stand and position yourself tactically.
The Principles of Krav Maga
B013 (B5B3): Tactical stand-up in place.
c) Standing up backward, turning to sprint position
This is one of the few motions in Krav Maga in which you intentionally turn your back to
your opponent because distance allows.
The defender turns their hips over the lying knee and rotates on their arm. The outstretched leg is pulled to the side of the hand and planted. Similar to a sprinter at the starting
block, push down and stand up. Then regain visual contact as quickly as possible.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
B014 (B5B4): With sufficient distance, turn to sprint position and escape.
Rolling away can also be an effective way to break falls, but it also serves as a tactic for
changing position. For example, if I’m pushed forward or backward with a high shove, this
force can be used to acquire greater distance forward or backward. Immediately turning
to face the opponent afterward is important. I can also roll to the side as a tactic, for
example to quickly pass an open door if I assume there is an attacker behind it, or to get
closer to an attacker.
The Principles of Krav Maga
d) Forward and sideways roll
The upper body bends in the direction of the roll, and both hands go toward the ground.
The shoulder in the rolling direction is used to roll, the chin against the collarbone. In
order to cushion the roll, the hand on the side of the roll direction is set at a 90-degree
angle, and by kinking the arm into the roll, the movement is forced over the proper shoulder. When rolling do not stretch your back and transfer the swing into a standing position
through the figure-four. After the forward roll the defender has an altered angle of vision
of about 180 degrees. If they roll sideways, the angle of vision remains unchanged.
B015 (B5C1): Forward roll over an obstacle.
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e) Backward roll
A controlled bending of the knee and associated lowering of the coccyx with a curved
back cushions the backward roll as much as possible. In the roll the hands are thrown over
a shoulder and the head turned to face them. After the roll you must not stand up with
your knee on the ground, and the swing must be used to stand.
The Principles of Krav Maga
B016 (B5C3): Backward roll.
45
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats from Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
2
FUNDAMENTALS OF DEFENSIVE
TECHNIQUES
2.1
ANGLE OF ATTACK
Whereas the previous tactical movements primarily concern the line of attack, the angle
from which the attack occurs as well as the attacked area plays a primary role in the
defensive technique.
The attack can come from multiple directions:
––
––
––
––
––
––
Right " left,
Left " right,
Up " down,
Down " up,
Straight (direct),
Diagonally.
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
An attack can thus either occur from the inside to the central part of the body, or from
the outside. The possible defense is chosen depending on the type of attack (inside or
outside).
Inside = Direct Attacks to the Midsection
G04: Inside and outside.
Outside
Inside
Outside
Outside = Surface for Indirect Attacks
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
2.2
DEFLECTING DEFENSE WITH TACTICAL MOVEMENT
From the ready or combat position in which the hands are already lifted for protection,
defensive techniques that deflect the attack inward, or so-called inside defenses, are
preferred.
The movement for deflecting the attack is diagonal and forward. Your own body rotates
both to support the action as well as to take your body out of the danger area through
diagonal, forward motion (past the side of the attacker). This is called the body defense.
It corresponds with a deliberate body reaction in line with the technical elements of a
defense strategy and, with the defense motion, constitutes the first important reaction. I call this the first stage. Your own body’s weight is shifted onto the front leg. This
causes the head to automatically move out of the line of attack. If necessary, a counter
technique can be implemented in the first stage.
Angle of Attacks
Inside & Outside Defense
D
A = Attacker
D = Defender
D
D
Direct Attack
D
D
A
Deflecting Defense
Indirect Attack
D
D
D
Blocking Defense
Outside Defense
G05: Angle of attack—blocking and deflecting defense.
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
B017 (B3C2): Tactical movement and countering out of the line of attack with the inside defense.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
2.3
BLOCKING DEFENSE WITH TACTICAL MOVEMENT
Outward defense techniques, so-called outside defenses, are preferred against attacks
that start from the outside as indirect attacks. Body defense plays a special role here
as well, but may vary depending on technique and can be supported by a simultaneous
counter technique in many situations. Ducking can also be an incredibly sensible initial
reaction in order to finish off with a counter technique.
B018 (B2B2): Tactical movement and countering out of the line with the 360-degree outside defense.
Instead of a block, deflective defense techniques have also proven effective against indirect attacks, especially when the attack is so strong that blocking and countering seem
impossible: deflecting defenses.
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
Depending on angle of attack and tactical considerations, these must be performed as
an inside or outside defense. These include:
––
––
––
––
––
––
Palm/forearm defense,
Scooping defense,
Sliding defense,
Stabbing defense,
Shin/knee defense,
Absorbing defense.
So-called blocking defenses have also proven effective against indirect attacks. These
are generally outside defenses, although inside defenses can also be required here if an
indirect attack comes at the inside, central area. Subgroups of this are as follows:
––
––
––
Forearm defense,
Shin/knee defense,
Absorbing defense.
B019 (A3A1): Deflecting outside defense vs. kick/punch to underbelly/groin.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
The usage of stopping kicks to block kicks can also be appropriate over long distances.
Indirect attacks from below to the upper and middle section, such as an uppercut, are
preferably defended against with deflecting techniques when the defender is in ready or
combat position, because the attack occurs solely in the central, inside area.
B020 (A3A1): Continued: deflecting outside defense vs. kick/punch to underbelly/groin.
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
2.4
BENEFITS OF EVERYDAY ITEMS OVER USING
YOUR BODY
Generally in Krav Maga it’s important that my last resort is defending myself with my
body, and my first choice is using everyday items that I have on hand. These are called
common objects, and can have various characteristics:
––
––
––
––
––
Shield-type objects—Objects that I can use as a shield.
Sharp objects—Sharp, knifelike objects that I can use for defense.
Stick-type objects—Sticks or other sticklike, long everyday items, such as an umbrella.
Liquid objects—Liquid and gaseous substances such as pepper spray, the effect of
which we would never solely rely on.
Light-type objects—A desk lamp for briefly blinding the attacker, for example.
All objects must be seen in combination with various defense and offense techniques.
With my athletic bag as a shield alone, I will certainly not be able to keep a determined
assailant at bay for long. That’s why it’s also important to practice offense techniques.
B021 (B3D1): Usage of the shield-type object, a common object used as a shield.
55
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats from Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
3
FUNDAMENTALS OF
OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUES
A few efficient, basic offensive techniques are required in order to practice defending
against offensive attacks and to be able to carry out further counterattacks after successfully defending yourself. The efficiency lies in both the intensity with which these
are carried out and the point of contact on the human body, known as vulnerable points.
3.1
VULNERABLE POINTS OF THE HUMAN BODY
All attack techniques can be found in martial arts. But the primary goal of preventing the
opponent from attacking further by striking their vulnerable points sets Krav Maga far
apart from sport. It’s about making the opponent unable to fight as quickly as possible,
and not engaging in a contest with them. Other factors that cause increased pain tolerance such as the attacker’s build, chemical substances, or endogenous adrenaline can
have a strong influence on the self-defense scenario.
Krav Maga aims to incapacitate the attacker or attackers as quickly as possible, or to
at least severely impede their nervous or motor skills. Attacking vulnerable points plays
a crucial role in stopping assailants quickly and effectively, and preventing them from
performing further offensive acts. In a civilian context, your own goal is generally to flee.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
In a police context, which may require apprehension of the attacker, leverage techniques
and leverage points are also utilized.
Vulnerable Points
Striking Targets for Punches and Kicks
Leverage Targets
G06: Vulnerable points on the human body.
The vulnerable points on the human body include, for example, the eyes, nose, ears, jaw,
and throat with emphasis on the jugulum, larynx and neck. Other areas marked in the
image, such as forehead, calf and stomach (list not complete) do not tend to quickly and
effectively stop the attacker.
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3.2
LONG-RANGE BASE ATTACKS
Attacks are divided into long range, midrange, close range, and zero range (e.g., when the
attacker is on top of you).
If you can no longer pull away from the attack at a long distance through flight or better
positioning, a kick is possible at the yellow distance (p. 26, 2–4 m), especially to keep
the attacker at bay or to stop them. These are known as regular kicks or front stopkicks
and can be carried out with a step forward or no step at all. Using the forward force is
important—that is, your whole mass is steered forward, the hip leads the attack, and the
power comes from the hip. The foot is planted forward after the attack with the intent
to continue the attack.
B022 (B1E2): Straight kick forward: front kick or defensive front stopkick.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
Unlike the front kick, the regular kick entails a “snapping” movement. In kickboxing this
kick is known as a front snapkick. The lower leg also snaps forward. One area of impact
on the opponent in this case could be the genitals.
B023 (B1E1): “Snapping” straight kick to the genitals.
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If the attack is coming from the side, it is answered from a long distance with a sidekick.
Here too the leg is first raised, then the heel, and aims for the direction of the attack
through movement of the hip. The standing leg turns opposite to ensure a secure stance.
B024 (B1E3): Sidekick to the knee.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
If the attacker is standing behind the defender, a regular backkick is appropriate. It’s
­important not to tilt the body too far forward in the other direction so that you do not
lose your balance. It is also important that you fix your eyes on the target so that you can
hit it. Look where you would like to kick.
The kick is directed backward, the toes pointing down and the heel up. Depending on
how you have turned to the opponent and whether your own movement was rather to
the side or even if you were tilted a bit more forward, you will follow this movement with
a defensive backkick. This means that the foot, as with the sidekick, hits your opponent
to the side because your hip was already turned.
B025 (B4A2): Defensive backkick to groin/knee.
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3.3
MEDIUM-RANGE BASE ATTACKS
Punches are preferred in the medium range (see orange distance, p. 26). This is the
punching distance. The only kicks used here are stopkicks or so-called roundhouse kicks
(p. 114), which is a kick directed sideways at the opponent in a half-circle.
Unlike in kickboxing, this kick does not aim to wear out the opponent through repetitive
blows to the thigh muscle (lowkicks). Ideally the opponent’s knee is struck. This blow
weakens the attacker’s mobility significantly and allows you to escape.
Similar to the defensive kick, strength is built up by hip rotation. Before the actual kick,
your shoulder, hip and foot form a line to the opponent and only then, in the last moment,
does the foot snap with the shin. The foot of the standing leg turns on the other direction
for stability.
B026 (B3A3): Indirect kick to the knee—roundhouse leg kick.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
Straight punches to the opponent’s center are the means to the end at this distance.
Here too the secret to the power lies in hip rotation, quick turning, and withdrawal of the
hip and arm to a straight line (recoil). The upper arm, forearm, and the hand form a line;
the hand is tightened for a punch so that the raised knuckles of the index and middle
fingers strike the target.
Because in self-defense on the street, we do not generally wear hand protection, it’s recommended that you carry out this punch with the ball of your hand. The risk of injuring
your hand in this manner is considerably lower than that of injuring your knuckles so
badly during a misplaced punch against the opponent’s head (for example) that you are
severely impaired or one-handed for the rest of the fight.
B027 (B1D1): Straight palm strike.
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The hook punch can be performed with a fist or with the ball of the hand. The force of
this punch comes from the rotation of the hips. For example, a great way to practice this
is with a broom handle so that you cannot drop your cover and it is difficult to perform a
backswing. The punch is thus performed by rotating the hips.
B028 (B1D2): Hook punch practiced with a broom handle.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
If the attack is coming from behind or the side at medium range, the following tactical
movement is recommended:
a) Step 1: Turn the head.
b) Step 2: Elbow and shoulder protect throat, jaw, and face.
c) Step 3: Turn and move into a tactically appropriate position.
B029 (B1B2): Tactical turning motion.
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Hammerfists are also convenient at this distance. The person performing it visualizes
hammering a nail into a wall. The hammerfists are performed forward, to the side, or
backward. The hammerfist backward is either vertical or horizontal depending on the
initial reaction of your own body. If you turn first to the side, the punch is horizontal. If
you tilted your body forward and lowered your head, it’s intuitively carried out vertically.
The other hand, of course, serves as protection.
B030 (B1B2): Continued:
Tactical turning motion
B031 (B4A3): Continued: Tactical turning with
backward hammerfist.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
3.4
CLOSE-RANGE BASE ATTACKS
At close range the knee strike—for example, to the genitals, is a good way to quickly incapacitate the opponent. The opponent should be fixed with both arms over the shoulder,
otherwise there is an acute risk of a headbutt. The opponent is also easier to control this
way. The knee strike also really strikes with the hard knee, and not with the entire surface
of the thigh, to achieve the greatest accuracy. It comes, as always, from the hip.
B032 (B2A1): Knee strike.
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The hook punches also have their place here, this time vertical as an uppercut (a very
powerful upward hook) instead of horizontal. The power comes from below through hip
rotation; cover is not dropped, whereupon the power does not come from the arm but
rather from the upward velocity of the entire body. The uppercut can be performed from
this short range but also from medium range.
B033 (B1D3): Uppercut.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
The elbow strikes are an often underestimated but are devastating weapons at close
range. Here too the secret to the power lies in hip rotation. It is wound up like a spring,
then explosively surges forward, and then back into cover! The hand is left open and the
forearm tensed.
Elbow strikes are possible forward horizontally or upward vertically and downward vertically. Just like the hammerfist, which can also be directed downward at this distance.
Elbow strikes are also vertical or horizontal depending on the initial movement of your
body, and this applies to the backward variant as well. Essentially I always check first
where I am striking, including backward or to the side. While performing the blow, my
elbow covers my face, and the other hand is also up for cover.
B034 (B2A4): Elbow strike upward and (B2A3) sideways.
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Headbutts or even biting are also suitable at close range. The head surges forward like
for a header in a soccer match, but without a swing beforehand so that you do not give
away your movement. An effective self-defense method at close or even zero range is
definitely biting! This is usually enough to loosen a grip or something similar but not to
prevent the opponent from fighting further. You have to follow this up with more counterstrikes.
B035 (B3A9): Headbutt forward.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
In Krav Maga we generally assume that one single kick, punch, or blow will not incapacitate the opponent anyway. Combinations are the means to an end here and should
­always be practiced. The goal is reaching the deathside of your opponent. While attacking, keep moving around the opponent so that you can obtain a better tactical position, at least 90 degrees to the opponent but ideally 180 degrees, because you want to
stand behind the opponent.
B036 (B2B3): Combination of attacks.
In practice, a position behind the opponent is often wishful thinking, however, so if there
is no other choice, then reach the opponent’s lifeside. Here you are facing them, and it
is easier for your opponent to attack you, but it’s also sometimes easier for you to reach
lethal targets like the larynx, solar plexus, genitals, and so on so that you can quickly
incapacitate the opponent.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
3.5
COMBINATIONS OF VARIOUS OFFENSIVE TECHNIQUES
Only once you have learned the basic offensive and defensive techniques of Krav Maga is
your imaginary toolbox for self-defense at various ranges sufficiently filled. In the preceding chapter (p. 31), we discussed the reflex zones, and so we know how our body behaves in the upper section, middle section, and leg section.
If we are attacked from the reflexive position, our body tends toward deflective defense
motions. This may be an inward deflection—for example, during a direct attack—or an
outward deflection over the outer side. The attack is not blocked, but redirected. We
follow the movement of our own body, so generally away from the attack. However, in
doing so, we avoid uncontrolled backward motion, and rather move tactically in a forward diagonal motion, out of the line of attack.
Training the switch-on/switch-off principle you are already familiar with is important for
this combination of various attacks. If you have decided to attack, carry it out without
preparation or hesitation—from zero to one hundred, hard, fast, and uncompromising.
Immediately afterward you have to “come down” as quickly as possible so that you can
stay capable of acting!
Blind rage is not a good way to win a fight. It’s important to regain level-headedness and
to maintain an overview. It may shock a few people, but in Krav Maga we do not want to
disproportionately injure the opponent, only as much as necessary to defend against the
initial (and possibly following) attacks on life and limb.
This can be trained with drills that repeatedly test the techniques and continuously train
the switch-on/-off principle. One of the easiest drills is practicing the technique under
stress—for example, with eyes closed. The attack “wakes up” the defender. It’s immediately necessary to open your eyes and to react quickly and harshly to the attack. This is
easiest under additional physical stress.
Under great strain, the body reacts, as it should, pragmatically and to few movements.
You “solve” the problem of the attack again and again as you have learned, and after that
is peace, and your eyes close again. You are ready for the next attack! This means that
Krav Maga is also a method for learning how to handle stress. I discuss the didactics of
Krav Maga instruction and its training methodology extensively in my book Krav Maga—
Effective Self-Defense—the Big Training Book. Both books very sensibly supplement Krav
Maga instruction but cannot replace regular training.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
B037 (B2D2): Deflecting outside defense.
B038 (B2D2): Continued: Deflecting outside defense.
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This intuitive reaction is then further honed, and building on the initial reflexive reaction,
techniques are trained that we in Krav Maga refer to as inside and outside defense.
Inside Defense
For the inside defense already mentioned previously (pp. 49–51), the force of the attack
is redirected inward, almost on a straight line to the opponent. The body defense in the
opposite direction is important. While my hand deflects the attack with a defense motion, my body moves out of the line of attack beforehand or simultaneously at the latest.
Defense, such as with the forearm, is performed with a rotational movement diagonal
toward the opponent. While you move, leave the line of attack so that you can direct
further counterpunches or kicks at vulnerable points, depending on your distance from
the opponent. The goal is to acquire sufficient distance from the opponent either so you
can flee or so you can regenerate, develop a new strategy, or attack again from the preferred distance, and prevent the opponent from continuing their actions. As with every
technique in Krav Maga, this ends with scanning—that is, the sweeping glance to keep
an eye on other dangers and to get rid of your own tunnel vision.
B039 (B2D1): Deflecting inside defense against a straight punch.
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
3.6
A HARD BLOCK WITH THE 360-DEGREE OUTSIDE
DEFENSE AS AN EXAMPLE
When defending against indirect attacks that can come from outside at a 360-degree
angle, such as a classic slap to the face, in training it is no longer deflection, but rather
a block. The hard part of my arm blocks the soft part of the attack, so for a slap in the
face, it’s the opponent’s forearm muscle or near the wrist on the forearm tendons. Here
the block is also the counter should it result in a painful pulled muscle for the opponent.
However, we do not rely on this alone successfully stopping the attack, but rather execute an ideally simultaneous counterstrike at vulnerable points of the opponent. Without
training, the simultaneous defense and strike is generally not possible for most people. It
must be practiced, and drills are the ideal method.
B040 (C5E1): Stabbing defense against a bottle/rock from outside.
Both techniques always ideally end with the acquisition of distance and a look around to
locate further dangers. In law enforcement these end with apprehension of the opponent,
and in the military with incapacitation of the attacker.
After we have become acquainted with the most common attacks at various distances
and trained for them, we can focus on the corresponding defense techniques.
Krav Maga is not a martial art, but rather a system for solving problems—namely, defending against severe violence! It’s about swift reactions and making decisions under great
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stress. You will notice in the fight whether the decision was right or wrong. If you made
a wrong decision, the movement is still carried out so that the attacker does not regain
the initiative.
It’s better to make a wrong decision than to let yourself be petrified with fear. This is best
trained with additional physical stress. When highly strained the body reacts the way it
is supposed to: pragmatically and to fewer movements. You resolve the problem of the
attack as you have learned, over and over, and then you rest. Your eyes close again, and
you wait, prepared, for the next attack.
It’s not about long contemplation, but intuitive action regardless of the cause. It does not
matter why someone wants to injure you, because you can think about that later after
you have successfully defended against an attack. Once you have internalized all that
you have learned so far, you will quickly and easily learn everything that I have written
from here on out!
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
79
Attacks and Threats From
Various Distances
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats From Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
4
ATTACKS AND THREATS FROM
VARIOUS DISTANCES
For the structure of the following techniques, I have deliberately not divided them among
levels of advancement of the students.
Of course, the following techniques are included in a curriculum used by our organization,
but in a completely different order. You can find an extract from the curriculum in the
appendix. I intend for this book to present a path that is as free as possible from standards, katas, or organizations in which a master structures the techniques of self-defense
or possibly even finds them to be thought-out and sensible.
There is also no claim that the following Krav Maga techniques that I describe here
constitute a list of the most dangerous or frequently occurring danger situations or even
attacks. As far as I know, there are no representative studies in that regard.
The techniques were selected by distance, because I feel these are the most representative Krav Maga defense techniques for attacks in various situations.
Attacks and Threats From Various Distances
I have also divided some techniques separately based on the respective “state of readiness” for self-defense, as per the time line of reflexive, ready, and combat positions on p.
26. In turn these can be divided by the respective angle of attack—that is, from the side
to the front, from the side, or from the back. I did not do this with every technique, but
just for some in which I am certain that these would succeed from the position described.
It would also massively affect the size of this book.
I do not want to sound presumptuous, but I personally believe that once you have trained
and internalized the following techniques and have read the book closely, it will be clear
what Krav Maga truly is and how you can defend yourself in a wide range of other threat
and attack situations or angles of attack.
For example, now you know that you can only act reflexively when a swift attack is coming from behind, or you have to keep your nerves to be able to act in a threat situation.
You must practice these again and again as drills and put yourself under the greatest
controlled stress possible. Unfortunately, there is no sure formula for all types of attacks.
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4.1
LONG-RANGE
Attacks and Threats
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
4.1
LONG-RANGE ATTACKS AND THREATS
As you already know, Krav Maga was not conceived to defend against a drunk in a bar
fight who wants a piece of you or a mugger who comes at you with a rod. Krav Maga was
developed for military close combat, but it’s not just combat. It is a cohesive concept that
is relatively easy to adapt to civilian self-defense.
Based on the “ranges of an unarmed assailant” (p. 29), Krav Maga techniques for long
ranges are used for a distance of 2 m, and the attacks do not differ between military and
civilian approaches. But this range can also be increased during armed attacks, such as
with a stick, or the attacker can quickly bridge the distance.
Armed attacks at long-arm range can be performed with a gunshot or a stab with a stick.
In military and civilian training, it’s about activating and training your natural reflexes. In
principle, there is hardly any difference between being attacked with a knife or a dynamic
blow. The sequence of defensive techniques trained in the drill is the same.
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4.1.1 Attack on the Upper Section—Bailout Kick Against
a Running Assailant
I would like to start with an attack that is actually outside of the long range but approaches you quickly so that the transition is fluid. Imagine the attacker is rushing up to you.
Perhaps they have a knife in their hand and have already seriously injured some people
before you. Similar scenarios happened in Frankenthal in early 2017 (Q2), mid-2017 in
Hamburg (Q3), and late 2017 in Munich (Q4). Innocent bystanders were indiscriminately
attacked by a knife-wielding assailant in broad daylight.
You see the danger coming but cannot run away. The knife attacker holds the knife like
an ice pick and wants to stab your head, face, or carotid artery from above in order to
cause the greatest injuries possible.
Stage 1: You stand still and wait for the attacker. This is when the “tag” you played as a
child will come in handy. Just like the game, you only move when the person who is “it,” or
in this case the attacker, is near you and you move backward or sideways out of the line
of attack. You can also move diagonally forward, like you learned in Krav Maga.
B041 (B3B1): Bailout kick—the attacker rushes up to you.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 2: While you perform this movement, you deliver a sideways kick to the attacker’s
stomach or genitals.
B042 (B3B1): Continued: Bailout kick—the attacker rushes up to you.
Stage 3: Instead of turning toward the attacker, you continue running in the opposite
direction.
B043 (B3B1): Continued: Bailout kick—the attacker rushes up to you.
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This simple, yet highly effective, defense technique should commence the long-distance
techniques described below. The transition is sometimes quick and fluid, and nobody can
claim that they are always prepared for everything at any distance.
4.1.2 Defense Against a Straight Kick
The straight kick can be a quick, “snapping” kick, usually in the area of the genitals or lower stomach. In Krav Maga this is called a regular kick. Yet the kick can also be a straight,
powerful kick to your face, chest, or genitals. In this case it is called a defensive front kick,
because it serves to keep the attacker at a distance.
There are very few attacks in Krav Maga in which you aim for the opponent’s head
when performing a kick. An uneven, slippery ground, your own clothing, and your specific
physical attributes (your own hip mobility) make a target in the upper section unwise in
most cases.
If you strike the attacker with such a kick, you should know their reflexive movement. If
you strike the middle or lower section, such as the genitals, the attacker will fall forward.
This is problematic when the attacker is holding a knife. It’s possible to be struck by the
attacker’s knife as they fall forward. A kick to the upper section causes the attacker to
fall backward, and their knife with them.
This scenario is depicted in my KRAVolution logo.
If the attacker is holding a knife and you kick them in the middle or lower section, such as
the genitals, the attacker would fall forward and be able to reach you with the weapon.
In the following description, it essentially does not matter at what height or section the
attacker tries to kick you away. The defense against it is the inside defense (p. 76), because this is a direct attack directed toward your inner, central area. More important is the
position or state of alertness you find yourself in as you defend.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 1: Depending on the height and intensity of the kick, you can also defend against
it at a long distance either from the reflexive or ready position through an inside defense.
The long-distance kick is generally not aimed at the lower section, such as the genitals,
but rather the middle section and more uncommonly the upper section, although only a
few people are trained enough to perform a kick to the head at this range.
The deflective defense, inside defense, against such a kick is very intuitive. The body
virtually pulls together so as not to be hit directly by the kick and tries to dodge it. We
use this reaction in Krav Maga training. Instead of pulling backward, you protect yourself
with the body defense, or a body movement out of the line of attack with a diagonal step.
Your leg deflects the attack just like your forearm.
B048 (A1A3): Defense against a straight kick.
Stage 2: Other counters must immediately be performed, such as the hammer punch
(based on distance), in which the attacker falls following a forceful, forward shove. It’s important to avoid a block with shin against shin, as the shin is supposed to meet the calf—
hard against soft. Simultaneous counters through instant attacks with punch techniques
are very prudent. It’s important to keep the hands up for cover, as the kick can surprise
you by striking the upper section and not just the middle and lower ones!
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If the distance from the kicking attacker is shorter, the attack is directed toward the
middle section, more uncommonly toward the lower section. If the attack is detected
early enough, this kick can also be answered with a stop kick with the front leg (the heel
facing outward) or the back leg (the heel facing inward). However, this requires a faster
reaction or a start from the combat position prepared for the attack. The stop kick requires intensive training. Some people intuitively tend to defend against a kick from this
distance or position with the hands, although this is not advisable as it is not an effective
blocking technique and the risk of injury is too great.
B044 (A1A1): Stop kick with simultaneous counterstrike.
Stage 3: Regain a distance outside the attacker’s kicking range. Then look around for
other attackers and escape routes.
a) Defense Against a Straight Kick From the Reflexive Position
The lower the target of the attack, the more likely a reflexive reaction in the stomach/
hip area becomes.
A straight kick to the lower body should be expected because of the range and simplicity.
As always, in Krav Maga, the defense depends on your alertness and arm position. If your
arms are in the reflexive position and you were not prepared for an attack, things have
already gone wrong.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 1: Your first reflex, your body motion, will very likely involve quickly pulling your
hips back. Your upper body will lean forward, while your arms and hands will defend
against the attack from the front and bottom. Because it is a direct attack against the
center of your body, a deflective defensive motion is the optimal choice. Avoid stopping
the kick with an arm block or even your palms at all costs. Your hands cannot stop the
attacker’s shin, and if you break your wrists you can no longer defend with your hands.
B045 (A4A2): Defending against a straight kick from the “reflexive” position—your hands were down.
If you have your arms low and your hip pulls back, deflect the kick to the side with your
palm. Make sure that your fingers are not spread out. You will strike the attacker’s lower
leg at the calf, avoiding collision with the shin. You will push the attack off to the side.
You immediately pull your other hand up for defense, as the attacker will likely continue
their attack with a punch to the head or upper body. If you were able to rotate your hips
sideways out of the line of attack, bring your forearm forward with the elbow facing to
the front.
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B046 (A4A3): Defending against a straight kick also from the “reflexive” position with the forearm
defense.
B047 (A4A3): Defending against a straight kick also from the “reflexive” position with the forearm
defense.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 2: This is followed by more counterstrikes until you can safely leave the attack
situation. These are performed either with the arm that also deflected the attack, such
as with a side hammerfist or with an elbow strike or with the other hand in the form of
a straight punch.
Stage 3: After you have regained distance from the opponent with a kick, you move
as always: out of the line of attack, keeping an eye out for other attackers and suitable
escape opportunities.
b) Defense Against a Straight Kick From the Ready Position
If your hands are already in the ready position for defense and you are more or less expecting an attack in the form of a punch or a kick, it’s very intuitive to want to constrict
yourself.
Stage 1: Instead of pulling your body together by pulling your legs up and keeping your
arms in front of your face, you deliberately deflect this attack with the inside defense.
No matter what height the attack is coming toward, this is a general defense motion
in Krav Maga. If the attacker kicks in the lower section, you deflect the attack inward
with your leg. If they kick higher, in the middle or upper section, you deflect it with your
forearm. Your arm moves forward at an approximately 70–80-degree angle to deflect
the attack. Your upper body thus moves out of the line of attack. Contrary to deflective
defense against a punch, with a kick you keep your fist balled. Your arm is tense. The
other hand, of course, is already up to provide cover.
Stage 2: After you have deflected the attacker’s kick with your leg, you place your leg to
the side of the attacker. You are now at punching distance and perform more counterstrikes while you move around the opponent.
Stage 3: You have now moved 180 degrees around the attacker, and you see if there
were other attackers behind you. As always, end out of close range with your eyes peeled.
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B049 (A1A3): Continued: After the inside defense with the knee, further counters with punches.
c) Defense Against a Straight Kick From the Combat Position
If you are prepared for the attack, you can either counter with the stopkick (as with the
aforementioned defense from the ready position) or with scooping or stabbing (see p.
128).
This reaction can also be performed when defending from the so-called security stance,
in which your hands are atop one another. The transition between ready and combat
position is sometimes fluid.
Depending on the situation, your body defense can consist of pulling backward or turning
or ducking the lower body. Together with your hands—for example, from the security
­position, this results in Krav Maga’s so-called scooping defense.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 1: Here you make a hook with your hand and push the attacker’s leg to the side.
Make sure to stretch your elbow, otherwise you run the same risk as with a block defense
and can seriously injure your forearm and elbow.
B050 (A3A1): Standing across from the attacker in the security stance and defending against the kick
with “scooping.”
Stage 2: With the other hand you can simultaneously prepare for a punch to the attacker’s head. From the combat position you ideally use the backhand, because it generally
has greater room for movement in the middle section, as the front leg is not in the way.
Instead of scooping you can also stab forward and downward with a quick, lateral kick
and balled fist. With this stabbing technique, pay attention to your elbow position, because it absolutely cannot be protruding out from the side. The stab must cross the line of
attack in order to ensure deflection of the attack from the side, just like the scooping
defense. The benefit of this technique is the quick and sudden closure of distance so that
you can simultaneously punch the attacker’s face and keep the element of surprise on
your side for a moment.
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B051 (A3A3): Defending against a straight kick—stabbing defense.
Stage 3: Instead of moving backward, you consistently move diagonally toward the attacker. Create distance from the attacker, and finish your counter with a kick technique.
Look around for other dangers once you are out of reach of the attacker, and then find
safety. Only then can you lower your hands. Always prepare for the unexpected beforehand, and be ready to resume the fight.
No matter which of the aforementioned defenses you have used from the various positions, always move diagonally forward out of the line of attack.
Counter with punches, elbows, and knees depending on the distance, but always remember to aim for vulnerable parts of the body (see p. 58, vulnerable points). Also make sure
not to hit the sides and back of the skull with fists, as these parts of the head are very
hard and sturdy and you run the risk of breaking your hand. And a broken hand is hard
to fight with. Use an open hand for these areas and strike with the heel of your hand, as
this will not impair the effectiveness of your attacks. You can also use hammer punches.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
4.1.3 Defense Against a Stick Attack From Above—Overhead Swing
In terms of danger, stick attacks are on the same level as knife attacks, if not even more
dangerous because large distances can be bridged with a stick. A stick attack can involve
a baseball club, an iron rod, or a telescopic rod, among others.
When defending against stick attacks, timing and quickly closing the distance are of the
essence. This means moving from long to close range on time.
That is why, with this Krav Maga defense, you must do something to counteract the urge
to escape the attack: you have to run to the attacker!
Because of the leverage of the long stick and maximum acceleration during the blow,
the outer end (the part of the stick furthest away) is most dangerous to you. Of course, the short end can become dangerous in close-range combat, but you should always
avoid the end of the stick before it strikes your head at full force.
Based on the distance we assume that you had no more time to run away, and if you turn
around the baseball bat may shatter the back of your skull. But keeping your arms up
above your head to block the blow will probably not be very effective, because either the
stick will strike your arms and then your head, or the attacker is striking for the second
time, now at your unprotected head after he broke your arms, and you can barely defend
yourself because your arms are injured.
Your only option left is to run into it. Except not diagonally past it, as is normal in Krav
Maga, because the stick can still reach you that way. Your hands are up for protection of
course, but not to block. Instead they form a wedge. You stab into the blow with outstretched hands, and lunge at the attacker. In Krav Maga this is called stabbing (see p. 95)
and bursting in. You are literally attempting to knock the attacker down.
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B052 (A3D1): From threat to attack with a stick.
Stage 1: The first stage of this Krav Maga technique is about lunging into the attack so
as to bridge the dangerous distance that the attacker maintains with the stick.
B053 (A3D1): Continued: From threat to attack with a stick—bridging the distance.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 2: But because the block is also the counter in Krav Maga, ideally only the hand
closest to the stick forms a wedge. With the other you charge a punch to the face, solar
plexus, or throat of the attacker, and use the full force of your forward motion. Your head
is low, as far below your arm as possible.
B054 (A3D1): Continued: From threat to attack with a stick—closing the distance and counter.
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Stage 2.1: Instead of directly loosening yourself, you first disarm the attacker.
Because both your hands are now above the attacker’s head, you seize the back of the
attacker’s neck with the hand that just performed the counter. With the other hand, you
slide over the shoulder to the wrist of the hand holding the stick, without losing contact.
Now you give at least one more kick or, depending on the distance, probably a knee to
the attacker’s genitals.
Like the inside defense, you now rotate your body out of the line of attack, and the hand
that is still firmly holding the attacker’s wrist with the stick pushes sideways to the attacker, your arm completely outstretched. If you were lucky, then you are standing to the
side of the attacker, and the stick is practically under your armpit. You now disarm the
attacker by pushing the stick downward and using leverage.
B055 (C3C3): Continued from B054: Disarming the stick from the attacker—disarming.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
You now pull the hand holding the attacker’s wrist toward your upper body. Your elbow
is now no longer stretched; rather your arm is bent about 90 degrees, and your elbow is
in front of your stomach. With your other hand you grab the bottom end of the stick and
disarm the attacker through leverage.
If this is not possible, then counter with your knee to the attacker’s genitals for as long as
is necessary to incapacitate them and to then seize the stick from them.
B056 (C3C3): Continued from B054: Disarming the stick from the attacker.
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Stage 3: While you tactically loosen yourself from the attacker, you keep the stick in
your hand ready to attack. If the attacker returns and attacks you, strike the attacker’s
joints with quick blows with the stick, stabbing or swinging with the stick while you move
around the attacker in an X-formation. Avoid using large backswings to keep them away
from you.
B057 (A3C1): Continued from B055: Keep the attacker at bay after disarming.
! REMEMBER
The head is as low as possible below your arm that is stabbing upward, while of
course keeping an eye on the attacker. Even if you do not have your eye on them
and do not strike them with your counter arm, you will catch the attacker with
a headbutt! It’s important that the hand sticking out into the attack in order to
shorten the distance (stabbing motion) gives the attacker as little room as possible. The fingers are to the side of the attacker, and the arm must be completely
outstretched and straight. When you bend your arm, we are back to the block
and the attacker may break your arm or elbow. The arm performing the stabbing
should aim to glide along the attacker’s forearm, not the stick.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
4.1.4 Defense Against a Swinging Baseball Bat—Baseball Swing
If the weapon is operated with both hands by the attacker and swung sideways at the
head or upper body, this is called a baseball swing. Of course, this depends on whether
the weapon is a baseball bat or an iron rod. The attacker has decided to injure you as
much as possible. To that end, they have to perform a wide backswing in order to gain
momentum.
B058 (A4B1): From threat to attack with a stick—baseball swing.
Stage 1: Here too you have to shorten the distance between you and the attacker as
quickly as possible. In order to bridge this distance, the arm closest to the attacker is
outstretched and moved toward the attacker in a stabbing motion. The goal is to stop
the blow as soon as possible. Your outstretched arm “stabs” below the attacker’s arm in
order to weaken the backswing or striking movement. The attacker’s blow can thus only
move upward along your arm. The second arm simultaneously provides a block to protect
your head, and ultimately stops the swing at the level of your upper arm. The shoulder
of your stabbing arm moves up to your chin and provides additional protection for your
face. You run, or rather jump (see glossary: bursting) into the attacker to hit them during
the backswing.
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B059 (A4B1): Continued: From threat to attack with a stick—baseball swing.
B060 (A4B1): Continued: From threat to attack with a stick—baseball swing.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 2: From the stabbing defense, you grasp the attacker’s arms from below in order to
secure the stick against being pulled back. You perform your counters at the same time.
For example, you can direct a horizontal elbow to the head or perform a headbutt. Your
inner leg attacks in combination with the elbow and knee or toward the attacker’s lower
body, followed by another elbow to the head. Following this counter combination, your
hand reaches over the stick.
B061 (A4B1): Continued: From threat to attack with a stick—baseball swing.
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Stage 2.1 (disarming): You now pull the weapon out, toward the attacker’s head. Your
lower arm is still grasped around the attacker’s arms.
B062 (C3C1): Continued from B061: Disarming with stick blow to the attacker’s head.
Long-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 3: In order to get distance from the attacker and scan the surroundings, the
technique can be finished off with a kick. If the attacker continues performing offensive
motions, defend yourself with their stick, such as with small figure-8 movements in their
direction in order to maintain distance. Then you can regain your bearings and look
around for other risks as always.
B063 (A3C1): After the threat you keep the attacker at bay with their stick through small figure-8
movements.
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4.2
MEDIUM-RANGE
Attacks and Threats
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
4.2
MEDIUM-RANGE ATTACKS AND THREATS
Medium range is not only predestined for punches, but also for close kicks, and you
can encounter sticks as weapons at this range as well. In order to better illustrate the
following Krav Maga techniques, I will present them from three different positions when
possible.
4.2.1 Defense Against Striking Attacks With a Stick—Stick Push
As mentioned earlier, this technique comes from the military. One attack technique for
soldiers with a weapon in their hand is quickly jabbing the weapon forward.
In civilian Krav Maga this is called the horizontal push. The attacker holds the stick
horizontally and strikes you in the face with it. Defending against it is the same as the
headbutt (see p. 72), and initially consists of a block.
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B064 (P2B1): Strike with a stick from the horizontal position—blocking.
Stage 1: You block the attack from the ready position, because if someone with a stick
comes up to you at this distance, you are at least half-prepared. To block, both your hands
go up, palms forward, and block the attacker’s hands. Not the stick. At the same time, you
perform a body motion: your upper body and head move back at the same time while you
block. In the military this body motion is even more important because the gun that the
attacker is shoving into your face has a magazine in the front or a scope on the top and
could thus drastically reduce the distance between them and you.
If the attacker doesn’t have a gun but rather, like in our example, a baseball bat or an iron
rod, it is still not a good idea to block against the hard item or to perform this with your
radial bone. The soft against hard principle applies here (see pp. 77, 103). You block with
your forearm—namely, your forearm muscle.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B065 (P2B1): Continued: Strike with a stick from the horizontal position—countering.
Stage 2: You immediately pull the stick up. This is done via a rolling upward motion. While you pull the stick up, you lean back and kick the attacker in the genitals.
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B066 (P2B1): Continuation: Strike with a stick from the horizontal position—disarming.
Stage 2.1: After you have shocked the attacker, you can disarm them. In order to make
up for any strength differences you move toward the opponent with paddling motions.
In doing so you attempt to strike their head with the stick. The aggressive forward
­movement makes it impossible for the attacker to keep holding the stick.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 3: After you have disarmed the opponent, you immediately turn toward the attack­
er and continue to defend yourself with their stick if necessary. Avoid large backswings.
Short, stabbing movements or quick blows to the attacker’s joints are effective. You consistently move around the attacker and out of the line of attack, create the necessary
distance, and scan your surroundings.
B067 (A3C1): The stick as a weapon for self-defense.
! REMEMBER
This technique is similar to defense against the headbutt (see p. 72). When disarming it is important that you “paddle” up to the attacker. Like paddling a kayak,
you paddle at the attacker in an X-shape, and it’s crucial that you try to strike
their head. This will probably not be successful because the attacker will react
intuitively by letting the stick go instead of being struck in the face with their eyes
open. Disarming functions through leverage. You use your wrist as a lever for the
stick if the attacker does not let go.
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4.2.2 Defense Against Roundhouse Kicks
The roundhouse kick is a quick and explosive kick and extremely effective at the right
distance for knocking you out.
a) Upper Section—Defending Against a Roundhouse Kick to Your Head
Stage 1: The roundhouse kick to the head is not taught in Krav Maga, as it is not possible
on a slippery surface, and its execution also demands a high level of flexibility. But, of
course, you can still encounter this kick on the street.
The defense against the roundhouse kick is the blocking defense. The block is performed
with the outer side of your forearm. Your fist is balled and your forearm muscles are tensed in order to give the block more stability. The angle of your elbow is about 90 degrees.
With a sufficient reaction time you can also perform a double block with both forearms.
Your body defense depends on reaction time. If you have little time, you lean your upper
body away from the block. If you have some more time, you can increase the distance
with a step diagonally from the attacker.
B068 (A4D3): Defense against a roundhouse kick by blocking with one or both hands, depending on
reaction speed.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 2: Because in Krav Maga the block is ideally always accompanied by a counter,
you can simultaneously (or right after blocking) kick the attacker in the genitals, because
in order to land this kick the attack must open themselves, and their genitals are close
enough to kick.
If you have successfully blocked their kick to your head with both arms, you can directly
counter with a hammerfist to the attacker’s head. At medium range you can respond with
more punches, at short range with an elbow and knee while you tactically move out of
the line of attack. If you have blocked the attack with only one arm, you may have shoved
the swing off to the side, whereupon you will once again be within kicking distance.
B069 (A4D1): Defense against a roundhouse kick with nearly simultaneous counterkick.
Stage 3: In order to create more distance, you can round off your Krav Maga technique
with a kick. This ends with a retreat from the danger area and a scan of your ­surroundings.
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b) Middle Section—Defending Against a Roundhouse Kick to Your Upper Body
Stage 1: A roundhouse kick to your ribs—that is, an attack on your middle section—can
quickly knock you off your feet and onto the ground.
You defend against this kick with a double block with your shin and arm. That is also how
this kick is blocked in traditional kickboxing or Muay Thai, and this block can also be
used as a general defense against kicks of uncertain height. Your knee and elbow meet
together at waist-height and are stretched out far from you. Note: If the attacker is only
pretending to kick upward but then kicks very low, this feint can knock you off your feet.
B070 (A4D3): Defense against roundhouse kick—your shin and forearm form the cohesive block.
Stage 2: After you have successfully blocked this kick with your leg and a simultaneous
forward movement, you either kick right away with the leg that led the block, or with the
other leg, at the attacker’s genitals, or you continue with further counterattacks while
you move around the attacker and out of the line of attack.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 3: Here too the defense ends with tactical distancing from the attacker to a safe
distance, and looking around.
c) Lower Section—Defending Against a Roundhouse Kick to Your Legs
Stage 1: Roundhouse kicks to the thigh, like those in kickboxing, are used to wear the
opponent down. You will not encounter them often on the street because the fight there
does not last as long as that in the ring. However, should you come across a so-called
lowkick, it is best to defend against it with the Krav Maga technique from the previously
described distance.
Generally, when it comes to roundhouse kicks to the legs, your front leg is the attacker’s
primary target. They want to kick or literally sweep you off your feet to make you fall.
Such an attack to the outer side of your leg is called an outside leg kick, and can also be
countered with the shin. An attack against the inner side of your knee is called an inside
leg kick.
B071 (A1A2): Defense against roundhouse kick to the outer or inner side of the knee of your front leg.
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Stage 2: Based on distance you may be able to pull your leg away. To do so you simultaneously switch into the combat position. In both instances you immediately start further
counters against the attacker’s throat or head while you move around them.
B072 (A4A1): Continuation of B071: Defense after you have changed position through counters. Note
the change in leg position in the picture.
Stage 3: You then scan the area for other attackers and head for safety.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
4.2.3 Defense Against a Straight Right Punch From the Front
a) Defending From the Reflexive Position
B073 (A4A2): Defending against a straight right punch from the reflexive position.
Under consideration of the time line, a fundamental error has already been made if you
actually have to defend against such an attack without being prepared.
Because remember that when you enter into the yellow zone, the ready position should
be your starting point, even the combat position once you’re in the orange zone. You
should also tactically move out of the line of attack.
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Stage 1: Because of the surprise attack, your body will move reflexively. Your head will
probably move back, whereby your upper body will also move backward to prevent or
weaken such a blow. At the same time, your hands will move to protect you by shooting
upward. You will attempt to redirect the attack with the palms of your hands. While
your upper body leans back, you should ideally perform a counterkick, preferably to the
genitals.
B074 (A4A2): Defending against a straight right punch from the reflexive position—hand position 02.
If you were already able to expect an attack and are thus starting in the ready position, redirect the attack with your hand like with the inside defense. You can defend
quickly from above or below with your hand or from the side, like in the picture “hand
position 02.”
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B075 (B2D1): Defending against a straight right punch from the ready position.
B076 (B2D1): Defending against a straight right punch from the combat position with the deflecting
defense—inside defense.
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If a fight was to be expected and you were ready, you start from the combat position with
the deflective defense, the inside defense. Just like the defense against the aforementioned straight kick to the upper section, your hand makes a rotating forward motion and
deflects the attack from the inside.
Stage 2: Immediately after your kick, the counterattack begins with other offensive combinations against the attacker’s vulnerable areas as well as movement out of the line of
attack.
B077 (B2B2): Combination of attacks after successful defense: elbow, knee, hammerfist, and side kick.
Stage 3: After the counterattack you end the fight as always and, if possible, with a
tactical and smart retreat from the situation. Look around for other attackers beforehand.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
4.2.4 Defense Against a Straight Knife Stab
The straight knife stab comes up frequently in Krav Maga training, especially at medium
range and is also likely common on the street. That gives this attack special significance,
like all knife attacks.
In general, a knife attack is extremely hard to defend against. The likelihood of being
struck during a knife attack in which the attacker is aggressively and repeatedly striking
(see glossary: multiple attacks) is incredibly high. However, the difference lies in where
and how intensely you are struck.
The most important checkpoint here is certainly also the right mind-set—namely, the willingness to not give up that must be trained intensively in Krav Maga. If you have been
struck and can keep fighting, then don’t give up, but rather keep defending yourself.
The distance also plays a big role in a knife attack. I have already described the bailout
kick at long range. If you can use an everyday item for defense, such as a chair, then you
had better use such items. If you can’t find an item and the attacker is at medium range
and you have the opportunity to increase this distance, then kicking helps.
It doesn’t make much sense to defend yourself against a knife with your bare hands when
you can use your legs. So kick at the hand holding the knife in quick succession, or even
at the attacker.
Try to break their will to fight with your willingness to act and your uncompromising
aggression. Protect your lethal points by guarding your upper body and throat with outwardly turned forearms and fists. In this position you can also react quickly, and along
with kicks you can use rapid double-punches. But do not neglect to maintain cover.
a) Special Defensive Position During a Knife Attack
This position is a special combat position developed for knife fighting. It makes a difference whether the knife “only” cuts through your forearm or stabs fully into your throat
or upper body. So you continue to protect your hands, arteries and throat. You are also
still sufficiently mobile so that you can perform quick counters from this position and can
lunge at the attacker in order to run away from them when things get dire (see glossary:
bursting).
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Images—Knife Attack Combat Position
B078 (B1A3): Special knife combat position for protecting your own lethal points.
B079 (C3A2): Continuation of B078: special knife combat position for protecting your own lethal
points, combined with kicks for defense.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
Of course, you may sometimes be able to defend from the regular Krav Maga combat
position. The defense does not differ from the previously described defense against a
straight right punch. But depending on the situation, it ends with disarming the attacker.
Stage 1: For a stab to the upper body, you defend yourself with the inside defense. Here
the body defense (moving your body out of the line of attack) is of course more important
than with a straight punch, as the attacker has extra reach because of the knife in their
hand.
Your arm shoots out forward at a 70–80-degree angle to deflect the knife attack. Your
upper body moves out of the line of attack. Your legs then follow, and then ideally you
are standing with your feet parallel to the attacker’s. The other hand is already up to
provide coverage.
B080 (A3B1): The defense against a straight knife stab does not differ from that against a straight
punch.
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Stage 2: Immediate counters to the attacker’s face are also performed under consideration of the vulnerable points, sometimes even blows to the larynx, anything that helps
prevent the attacker from what they aim to do—namely, stab you. This attack is all about
your life.
With the other hand, you secure the attacker’s attacking arm with a hook. You hook your
hand in, and your elbow must be below the attacker’s elbow so that it is hard for them
to pull their arm downward and out. This only works if you exert a lot of pressure forward
toward the attacker with your shoulder and elbow. If they move back, you follow them,
and if they move to the side then you go with them.
After the counter both your hands reach for the attacker’s knife-wielding hand, ideally
one hand from above and the other from below. Because your arms are outstretched and
your hands grasp firmly onto the attacker’s knife-wielding hand, you are now at the right
distance for kicking. Kick right into the attacker’s stomach or genitals.
B081 (A3B1): Continuation: The defense against a straight knife stab does not differ from that
against a straight punch.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B082 (A3B1): Continuation: The defense against a straight knife stab. Only kick once both hands
grasp the knife-wielding hand.
b) Disarming From the Inside Defense
If you have sufficiently shocked the attacker, disarm them with a wrist leverage maneuver
called cavalier. To do this, you turn their forearm toward themselves, hold it with your
front hand that deflected the attack (with the left hand for a right-handed attacker) below the wrist. Your other arm, which is on their knife-wielding hand, quickly turns 90 degrees upward and you reach for the knife handle as your fingers scratch along their hand
like a comb. The attacker’s knife-wielding hand will loosen from the pain of the cavalier.
It all must be done quickly before the attacker can regain their grip. Note: They must be
able to open their hand on time. If you hold too tight, the disarming will not work.
B083 (C3C2): Disarming with wrist lever “cavalier.”
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Stage 3: Here too the defense technique ends with tactical distancing from the attacker
to a safe distance, followed by a scan of the surroundings and securing the confiscated
knife. If other assistance or the police have shown up in the meantime, make it known
that you are not the aggressor.
! REMEMBER
With quickly repeating attacks, it is very likely that you will have to perform the
hand and body defense multiple times until you have the right position and thus
the reach for a counterattack.
When controlling the knife-wielding hand your elbow must be lower than the attacker’s.
While you deliver punches, you follow the attacker’s direction of movement and exert
permanent pressure toward them. Disarming is only necessary if there is a risk of this
attack claiming other victims as well, or if you cannot run away from the situation. That
is why disarming is not a component of basic Krav Maga training for beginners—defense,
­kicking, running away. Once you are in a relatively safe spot, check your body immediately
for stabs and cuts that you may not have even noticed through the rush of adrenaline.
Essentially, it’s important that you reach the attacker’s deathside. But if this is not possible in the dynamic course of the attack, or if the attacker strikes with the left arm, the
defense hardly differs from the deathside version. The first counter after the hand and
body defense entails a headbutt instead of a fist to the attacker’s face. But you already
know that.
c) Special Feature—Scooping or Stabbing Defense
If the attack is very low, in your lower stomach area, you could “make yourself smaller”
by prostrating in order to retain your position for an inside defense. But this is rather unrealistic, because it’s neither intuitive nor does it allow for a good stance. This generally
results in an outside defense.
The untrained will instinctively defend below with an arm bent at 90 degrees and carry
out a simultaneous counter if possible. Trained Kravists will perform an outside scooping
defense. In the left stance, the closer hand (in this case the right) scoops at the chest,
with simultaneous, lateral backward movement of the upper body away from the knife
attack. A counter is directed at the attacker’s head shortly thereafter. Then, as described
above, control the hand holding the weapon and disarm it.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B084 (A3B1): Outside scooping defense to defend against a straight knife attack to the lower
stomach.
It would also be possible to apply a stabbing defense—that is, a downward stab with the
hand, with simultaneous body defense and counter. This works by rotating the hip and
shoulder toward the attacker. If it is not necessary to control the knife hand after your
counter, you can run away past the attacker.
B085 (A3B1): Stabbing defense against a straight knife attack to the lower section.
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4.2.5 Defense Against an Oriental Knife Attack
This type of knife attack is named for the usage of scimitars. The attack is performed with
an upward slash. The attacker aims to stab your stomach from below in order to slice you
from the bottom up.
For the following technique, I assume that your hands are already up in the combat position, or at least in the ready position, because the attacker must have already reached
close range in order to be able to carry out this attack.
Stage 1: The defense is performed with the 360 degrees outside defense. Your arm forms
a block against the knife. Your arm position is at about 90 degrees, and your upper body
moves backward, away from the knife.
B086 (A3B1): Oriental knife attack—one hand blocks at 90 degrees, the other performs a counter.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
Stage 2: With the other hand, you simultaneously direct a counter at the attacker’s face,
throat, or solar plexus. Because the attacker has decided to slice you up, you may have
to perform this defense multiple times. It’s important that your arm stays in the block
position and your other hand counters uncompromisingly. Once you are back in kicking
distance, you should use your legs and kick the attacker in the genitals.
B087 (A3B1): Continuation: Oriental knife attack—one hand blocks at 90 degrees, the other performs
a counter.
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Stage 3: Loosen yourself with a kick against the attacker if possible, quickly scan for
other dangers and escape opportunities, and run away as fast as you can. Here I have
abstained from describing the disarming of the knife, as it is only possible to do so if the
attacker is nearly incapacitated. Then you can also run away. Once you are safe, check
your body for potential stab wounds that you did not notice during the adrenaline rush.
B088 (A3B1): Continuation: Oriental knife attack—one hand blocks at 90 degrees, the other performs
a counter.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
4.2.6 Defense Against an Icepick Knife Attack
In this attack the attacker holds the knife with the tip facing downward, like an icepick,
and tries to stab your head (or, more likely, your throat or shoulder) from above.
Stage 1: Just like the oriental knife attack, you defend yourself with the 360-degree
outside defense. Once again your arm forms a block, this time not low but rather about
90 degrees above your head. “About” is a flexible term here because, if you take a close
look at the attack, it cannot be 90 degrees, so it has to be approximated depending on
the target of the attack. In the meantime your head moves backward out of the line of
attack.
B089 (A3B1): Icepick knife attack—defense with simultaneous block and counter.
It’s important that your upper body also moves forward, or at least out of the line of
attack, during the block and counterstrike.
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B090 (A3B1): Continuation: Icepick knife attack—the block always stays in place, even during the
counter.
B091 (A3B1): Continuation: Icepick knife attack—if you are able, grab the arm during the backward
motion for better control.
Stage 2: At the same time, you deliver a counter to the attacker’s face, throat, or solar
plexus. While you carry out (perhaps multiple) counters, your other arm remains blocking.
If you are able, loosen yourself with a kick to the attacker’s genitals. If this is not possible,
try to hook the attacker’s arm after pulling back. While the attacker withdraws, try to
lock their neck and stretch out the knife arm as far away from you as possible to prevent
further swings. It’s important to remember that you should already be standing outside of
the line of attack at this point (see bailout kick, pp. 123, 86), as the knife may still strike
you despite the distance.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B092 (A3B1): Continuation: Icepick knife attack—loosening from the attacker.
If this is not possible, your kick must be aimed high at the upper section so that the attacker is knocked backward instead of falling forward into the attack.
B093 (B1E2): Icepick knife attack—defensive kick to the upper body so that the attacker moves back
instead of falling forward—the KRAVolution logo.
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Stage 3: Loosen yourself from the attack. Look around for other attackers and escape opportunities. You should also abstain from disarming, if possible. Once you are safe, check
your body for stabs that you did not notice through the rush of adrenaline.
! REMEMBER
The block stays in place. Your arm, which blocks the attack at a 90-degree angle,
does not move forward or backward, but rather stays in the front to defend while
your punching hand moves forward and backward to carry out the counters.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
4.2.7 Alleviating a Threat Situation—Gun Threat From Front,
One-Handed
There are people who tease about Krav Maga also incorporating firearms into its training. “Oh, you do Krav Maga? What would you do if I were to shoot you?” The answer
is simple: nothing. But that’s not the point; it’s about threat situations with short- or
long-range weapons and the ways to react to them.
In order to use a technique in a threat situation or to even be able to disarm the attacker,
the right distance is required. If you are far away from the firearm, defense is not possible.
You have to be able to grab the weapon.
We begin all weapons training by stating that there are few things so valuable that you
will put yourself in such danger to want to overcome a threat by putting your life on the
line—namely, by grabbing the attacker’s pistol. No money in the world is worth dying for.
However, in an actual situation, it may have been decided for you that your life, or that of
a loved one, can only be saved by giving up money or your car keys. What if your children
are in the car? What if you are in a terror situation and only you can decide—your family
or the attacker?
That is what Krav Maga came from: war and terror. The philosophy behind it is pragmatic,
because even if the chances are fifty-fifty or worse, sometimes it can be better to do
something even if it involves risking your life.
Of course, like with knife attacks, there is a wide range of possibilities and angles from
which someone can threaten you with a firearm.
In the current example, we assume that the attacker has pointed a hand at your upper
section—namely, your chest or head. You are in the reflexive position or, if the attacker
allows it, the ready position. So your hands are up, and you are probably looking right at
the gun!
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Stage 1: Hand and body defense. The upper body quickly rotates out of the line of attack,
in this case away from the barrel. At the same time, your hand goes up and onto the gun
in a C-grip (a firm grip with the thumb on the bottom, see glossary). Your arm is stretched
into the direction of rotation, and so you are blocking the attacker’s arm, and the barrel
is at least (!) 90 degrees away from you, or even pointed at the attacker.
In the first phase of the control, the barrel should be pointing upward, as it is to be expected that a shot will fire. If the gun is pointing at the attacker, that is also good. The
pressure you exert goes forward. This Krav Maga technique relies on the simultaneous
execution of your body and hand movement.
Some people move their foot diagonally forward while doing this, but that is in the second stage because the hands are always faster than your feet are able to move. Your
front leg takes a diagonal step forward toward the attacker (still while you exert forward
pressure on your outstretched arm).
B094 (C2F2): Pistol threat from the front—stage 1—hand and body defense with C-grip on the
weapon.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B095 (C2F2): Continuation: Pistol threat from the front—stage 2—diagonal step toward the attacker
(cf. inside defense) and direct counter.
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Stage 2: The other, free hand gives the first shock punch. As always, the targets are
vulnerable points—so the face, ears, and throat. While you punch, you have the chance
to turn the hand on the gun toward the attacker, and this will exert further pressure. An
important checkpoint here: look at the base of the magazine so that your forearm is on
top of the attacker’s forearm.
B096 (C2F2): Continuation: Pistol threat from the front—stage 2—only when both hands have secured
the gun hand do you deliver the kick.
After the shock punch, both hands immediately grasp for the gun, whereby the free hand
grabs below the barrel toward the hammer. Now you deliver more counters, as you have
both hands on the gun and are standing very close to the attacker. You have the chance
to deliver a headbutt or knee the attacker in the genitals.
After the attacker hopefully has other problems to deal with other than worrying about
their gun after you have countered multiple times (do not underestimate this; if the gun
was loaded then it’s a matter of life and death for both you and the attacker), you begin
disarming.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B097 (C3C2): Continuation of B096: Pistol threat from the front—disarming—the fun is disarmed in
the direction of the attacker.
There are a number of ways to do this. The easiest is to jerk the gun toward the attacker.
If the attacker has their finger on the trigger, this grip may break during the action and
a shot may fire toward the attacker. With the same jerking motion that you used to turn
the gun, you turn it back to its original position (no further!), so 90 degrees away from
you. Now you also snap both arms forward, like a punch.
As your arms are longer, you loosen the gun. Now you explosively turn around to face the
attacker, gun in your hand. If their head is still in the line of attack, shove the barrel into
their face. This is when the attacker’s will to fight should break, if it hasn’t already, but
remember that it’s a matter of survival for them as well.
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Stage 3: Now, as always, you loosen yourself from the attacker while considering tactical
checkpoints. Best-case scenario, you can move 180 degrees around the attacker and then
scan the area to look for other attackers and to recover from the tunnel vision that arose
from the adrenaline in your body.
The weapon must be in your possession after you have defended yourself. If you have no
idea how to handle guns, take it with you regardless. The barrel faces away from you the
entire time and not at passersby, so either up or down.
If you do have experience with guns, you must be ready to fire the gun you have commandeered as quickly as possible by hitting the base of the magazine (as the magazine
may not be sitting correctly in the gun at this point) and pulling back the slide while it
points downward, so that any jammed cartridges can fall out to remove the blockage.
This process is often called tap and recoil. Now you will know for certain if the gun was
even loaded at all, if it wasn’t apparent before.
Keep a sufficiently safe distance from the attacker. If possible you should be in the green
zone when you call the police. Note: If the police approach you make it clear that you
were not the aggressor, and do not point the gun at the police.
B098 (C3C2): Continuation of B096: Pistol threat from the front—resolving gun issues and distancing
yourself from the attacker.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
! REMEMBER
You must grab the gun, not the attacker’s hand holding the gun. You thus block
the slide if this is a semiautomatic pistol, and thus the expulsion of the cartridges.
At the same time, your body moves out of the line of attack. If the attacker had
their finger on the trigger during the threat and if the barrel was already loaded,
a shot may fire. After that, however, the gun is blocked from firing any more shots
by the cartridge that has jammed in the ejection (because your hand is there).
Not to worry, the cartridge is not excessively hot, and the slide will not clamp
down onto your hand. Even if it did, you would not notice it because of the rush
of ­adrenaline in this situation.
If you have grabbed onto the gun, do not let it go until the attacker is prevented from
further action because of your counters and you are able to loosen yourself from the
situation. A shock punch will cause the attacker to jerk or even fall to the ground. Be
prepared for this by continuing to exert forward pressure and following the attacker’s
movements. If you are not uncompromising in following their movements, the barrel of
the gun may point at you once again, and this must be prevented at all costs.
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4.2.8 Alleviating a Threat Situation—Gun Threat From Front,
Double-Handed
Of course, the defense techniques differ only marginally depending on whether someone
is threatening you with a gun with one or both hands. But because you can probably not
use one hand to hold both the attacker’s hands until your first shock punch, you should
also reach for the gun with both hands instead of just one if the attacker is using both
as well.
Stage 1: Just like when alleviating the threat of an attacker holding the gun with one
hand, you rapidly move your body by 90 degrees out of the line of attack—namely, away
from the barrel of the gun. At the same time, your opposite hand goes straight for the
gun in a C-grip. But then the other hand now comes to support it (shuttered). So as not to
cross the barrel (this is called sweeping in the world of sport shooting), your second hand
comes to the gun from below and grasps the barrel. Both your arms are outstretched.
Only once you have both hands on the gun do you move your front foot forward diag­
onally, toward the attacker. Your body stays slanted to the side.
B099 (C2F1): Pistol threat from the front with both hands—stage 1—turning your body away, first with
one hand followed immediately by the other to secure the gun.
Stage 2: Now you deliver a counter with a knee to the attacker’s genitals or a headbutt
at their head. After your counter you quickly turn the gun 90 degrees further, so 180
degrees, toward the attacker and then quickly back to the original 90-degree (3 o’clock)
position. Now you quickly pull the gun back, past your own body.
Note: The barrel of the gun is still pointing at the attacker. Of course, it comes down
to the dynamic situation whether it is still necessary to assault the attacker with the
so-called cold weapon—namely, the gun.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B100 (C3C2): Continuation of B099: Pistol threat from the front with both hands—stage 2—disarming
toward the attacker.
Stage 3: Here too the defense ends with tactically loosening yourself from the attacker,
heading to a safe distance, scanning the area, and potentially using the tap and recoil
technique to remove any jams from the firearm so that you are ready to use it if necessary
(or, of course, using your own weapon if you carry a firearm).
! REMEMBER
If the attacker is holding the gun with both hands, wait to counter until you have
obtained double-handed control as quickly as possible, as you cannot control the
attacker’s strong two-handed grip, and thus the gun itself, with just one hand. The
close hand goes toward the gun, and then the second one snaps after it, because
otherwise your body will not move enough out of the line of attack, and the attacker may also be able to react.
This technique is also suitable for threats from an attacker who is only holding the gun
with one hand, because if you grab it with both hands, you have the stronger grip. However, your movements will be much slower than theirs, and that is the difference between
these two threats.
It’s simply not necessary for a one-handed threat, thus allowing for a quicker (i.e., better)
body defense and a faster chance to counter. The counter can be a kick to the genitals
during the diagonal, forward movement. Other counters, as well as handling of the gun,
do not differ from the one-handed pistol threat.
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4.2.9 Alleviating a Threat Situation—Gun Threat
From Behind, Lifeside
The right distance also plays a role in this technique, as the pistol has to touch your back.
It generally will too, because the attacker probably does not want you to turn around
and would like for you to know that they have a gun. Because this is a threat situation,
the attacker wants something from you, and they have to get close enough to you to
achieve their goal.
Stage 1: You have to be certain that it is actually a gun touching your back. In our training the students generally lean back into a finger pointed at their back, one after another. In the interest of precaution, I must point out that the technique described below
may not be proportional if someone is just pressing a finger into your back.
Just like with the techniques described before, the hand and body defense are the top
priority. Your upper body turns rapidly out of the line of attack, in this case away from
the barrel. For this technique you will turn to the attacker’s lifeside: right into them! Your
hand pushes the pistol hand away so that you are even further from the barrel of the
gun. It’s important that you turn toward the attacker so that there is as little distance as
possible, if any, between you and them.
Now your legs turn diagonally into the attack, as far out of the line attack as they can.
Checkpoint: Your feet are parallel to the attacker—one foot next to one of the attacker’s
feet, and one between their feet, in preparation for stage 2.
Your arm does not simply push the weapon away, but rather “catches” or grasps the
attacker’s arm holding the weapon. Your own elbow is pointing downward, and you use
your arm to push theirs toward you as hard as you can. It’s a matter of survival for you.
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
B101 (C5D2): Pistol threat from behind—stage 1—first look, then act.
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Stage 2: During the rotation you lift your other arm up and deliver an extremely hard,
horizontal elbow strike to the attacker’s face—after you have a firm grip on the attacker’s
gun-wielding arm (so that it does not get loose and the barrel points at you once again)—
while you turn to the gun to grab it.
In training we always tell the students that they should not strike the punching cushion,
but rather should mentally punch through the padding in order to build up the greatest
possible punching force and to not stop during the punch. This is exactly the case here
too. You want to use your other hand to turn around as quickly as you can in order to
secure the gun. You grab the gun from above in a C-grip after you have swiftly turned
around. If the attacker’s head is in the way then this will strike them hard, and if not,
then that’s not bad because you have secured both the attacker’s arm and the gun for
the short term.
You do not rely on your grip, of course, and deliver more counters, such as a knee to the
attacker’s genitals. After all, your leg is between theirs anyway. Headbutts to their temple or even bites to the throat or ears are also possible. Remember that if they are able to
pull the gun back, you might lose your life. So use absolutely everything at your disposal,
especially combatives.
B102 (C5D2): Continuation: Pistol threat from behind—the elbow as a counter; first fasten, and then
counter.
Stage 3: After the attacker has not simply “put away” some of your counters, you will
be forced to disarm the attacker. The principle is the same as before: you snap the gun
away at a 90-degree angle, so from the 12 o’clock position to 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock, and
snap the gun back to 12 o’clock (just like the defense against a one-handed gun threat).
Medium-Range Attacks and Threats
Because your arm is longer than theirs because of the position you have taken, this also
works if you are much weaker or smaller than the attacker. If it is unsuccessful, I do not
need to mention that more counters will be helpful. After you obtain the weapon, we
leave it to the situation to determine whether it is necessary to turn back around and
strike the attacker’s head with the gun as a cold weapon. The top priority here is tactically loosening yourself from the attacker, obtaining distance, getting ready to fire, and
scanning for other dangers.
B103 (C3C1): Pistol threat from behind—disarming—strike the gun away from you and continue
locking the attacker’s arm.
! REMEMBER
With this technique it’s important not to turn on the spot, but rather to turn into
the attacker. You want to turn around and run into the attacker or even run them
down in order to close as much distance as possible so that the attacker cannot pull
the gun away. The primary aim of your elbow counter is not the attacker’s face, but
rather using the movement of it to place a C-grip on the gun. If the attacker’s head
is in the way, that’s even better for your first, quick counter.
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4.3
CLOSE-RANGE
Attacks and Threats
Close-Range Attacks and Threats
4.3
CLOSE-RANGE ATTACKS AND THREATS
Krav Maga is generally referred to as a close combat system. As you have already read,
this term does not necessarily apply exclusively to close-range fighting. But I would like
to provide a few explanations of possible attacks at this range.
You may encounter the types of attacks described in this chapter.
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4.3.1 Defense Against a Vertical Hammerfist
The general defense against this is, as described before, the inside defense—that is, a
deflective defense—as this is a direct attack. You deflect the hammerfist away from you
and move your body diagonally forward out of the line of attack. Because of the distance,
you will be able to turn your body out of the line of attack. This is the same defense you
use if, for example, the blow is a vertical elbow from below.
Yet in my experience this is exactly where many people have a problem, because they are
not very mobile with their hips or they react differently under stress, such as with a block.
Subsequent quick and hard counters are important at this range.
B104 (B2C2): Defense against a vertical hammerfist, with a blocking defense and simultaneous
counter.
Close-Range Attacks and Threats
4.3.2 Defense Against a Horizontal Elbow
A similar block is used for horizontal elbow attacks. Right after the block you pull the
elbow down in order to deliver a counter—for example, with a headbutt. You then perform
other counters while moving out of the line of attack.
B105 (C2B3): Defense against a horizontal elbow, with a block and subsequent counter with
headbutt.
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4.3.3 Defense Against a Knee Blow
Another attack that is frequently encountered at this distance is the so-called clinch and
subsequent knee. The attacker grabs your neck with both hands to deliver devastating
knee blows to your upper body or genitals. It’s important to prevent impact. To do this,
you go down with both arms to block these heavy blows. Once the attacker swings back,
you remove one hand from the block and scoop their genitals. You then pull your elbow
up and counter.
B106 (C2B7): Defense against a knee with the arms.
If the attack is coming from the side, with the attacker perhaps grabbing onto you from
the side or onto your clothing instead of a Thai clinch, you may be able to block this
attack with a quick movement of your shin against the attacker’s thigh. Then, as always
in Krav Maga, you perform additional counters while simultaneously moving out of the
line of attack.
Close-Range Attacks and Threats
B107 (A1A3): Defense against a knee with the legs.
4.3.4 Defense Against a Headbutt
This is a very common attack at this range. It is also hard to defend against, especially if
you are not prepared for it and the attacker has not made any movements beforehand
that indicate it. Here too you increase your chance of not being hit by blocking. Your
hands have to be in front of your face for protection. You can use elbows, for example, to
start delivering counters after successfully defending against this attack.
B108 (C2B5): Defense against a knee from the ready position.
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4.4
Attacks and Threats From
VERY CLOSE RANGE –
Contact Attacks
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
4.4
ATTACKS AND THREATS FROM VERY CLOSE
RANGE—CONTACT ATTACKS
The likelihood of being held in a lock, attacked further by a third party, or being knocked
to the ground during a real fight on the street, and being choked during a fight, is very
great. That is why Krav Maga places special emphasis on techniques for releasing yourself during so-called contact attacks.
These attacks include tight locks and chokes. These may start out as “harmless,” like
pulling on the wrist or hugging. Both can end badly, such as being pulled to the ground
or being choked in a headlock.
Prevention is the top priority here, of course, but often it is not possible.
The chokeholds are divided into air chokes and blood chokes. Air chokes involve pressure
being placed on the air pipes, and inhalation is severely limited. The consequences are
asphyxiation, coughing, pain, and fear. Because of the stiff, cartilage-like structure of
the larynx, lots of strength is required to completely block the air pipes. This can result
in injuries to this area that can still be fatal even after the choke has been loosened, as
broken parts of the air pipes can permanently constrict. The respiration frequency increases drastically because of the subjective fear of suffocation, which in turn amplifies the
sense of “being strangled.”
Blood chokes involve the exertion of pressure primarily on the carotid artery, resulting in a
lack of nourishment to the brain. This results in unconsciousness and, subsequent, shortterm disorientation. Longer application of this choke can be fatal. After a few minutes
of a shortage of nutrients in the brain, the brain will be damaged. Unconsciousness can
result in seizures, and manual pressure on the constricted arteries can even cause blood
clots or plaque buildup, triggering strokes.
In both cases the defender only has a few seconds to defend themselves. These few
seconds are the deciding factor between life and death. Such a choke attack need not
necessarily aim to kill the other party, and usually, it is a control technique. This means
that the subjective shortage of oxygen and fear of suffocation cause many people, especially children, to fall into a state of shock. The victims fight for air and completely lose
their nerves. This is also not uncommon during Krav Maga training on the mat.
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This aspect shows that regular stress drills during Krav Maga training are especially cru­
cial, as that is what counteracts this shock and will make the defender able to act.
Because the body follows the head, headlocks serve to hold the body via control of the
neck. Choking and suppressing the flow of blood to the brain, as well as the exertion of
pressure on the neck with leverage, are also ways to force someone to the ground. The
placement of the forearm beneath the chin plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the
attack, because only then can the head be prevented from slipping out from the attack.
That is why the position of the chin is critical to defending against headlocks and performing release techniques. With all techniques you should try to hold your chin against
your own body and your own shoulders.
A1B1: The principle of plucking
B109 (A1B1): Principle of plucking.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Pluck-in refers to the tearing open of the chokehold through scooping. Tearing open is also
the right phrase to use, because it’s not about power but explosiveness and technique.
Tearing open horizontally, the plucking motion in which the hands each form a scoop and
react to the thumbs of the attacker’s hands, ensures that even more delicate defenders
can breathe during an attack by a strong, physically superior assailant. And that’s the
primary objective during a choke attack: getting air! Your elbows strike backward, your
chest is out, and you enter a body defense (further details in the following techniques).
If possible, it helps to briefly hold down the attacker’s hands close to your own body to
stabilize yourself and perhaps to deflect another attack.
! REMEMBER
If a choke affects your air pipes and blood vessels at the same time, you defend
with both hands. If “only” one of the two is affected—that is, either the air pipes
or the blood vessels—it’s enough to defend with one hand while the other hand is
used for counters.
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4.4.1 Defense Against a Front Choke Close
Stage 1: It may be possible not to have identified the attack as such, because it all
started out harmless. The attacker may only hug you first, but this then turns into a
­life-threatening attack. You have to react immediately. Your hand instinctively reaches for
the attacker’s hand that is choking you. The attacker’s other hand can hardly be reached
because of their proximity to you and because of their head, which is between both your
arms.
So you jerk their head away by digging your fingers into their hair (if it’s long enough),
cheeks, ears, or whatever else you can reach, and pulling quickly. At the same time, you
pull the other hand from your throat with the pluck. Your hand forms a scoop and tears
the attacker’s hand away, in this case to the side, with your grip on their thumb as tight
as can be.
B110 (A1B2): Frontal attack, choke from the front—stage 1—tearing away.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 2: In a likewise simultaneous motion, you strike the attacker’s genitals with your
knee and ideally, simultaneously, pull yourself out of the line of attack. Some Krav Maga
training and practice will definitely simplify what sounds like a complicated execution of
four ideally simultaneous movements. Even if it doesn’t all work perfectly at first, that’s
okay. The important thing is that you know that the sequence has to occur in the quickest
succession possible. The two first steps of stage 1—that is, making sure that you quickly
get enough air to breathe and to stay capable of acting—are the most critical.
B111 (A1B2): Continuation: Frontal attack, choke from the front—leaving the line of attack and
simultaneous counters.
Stage 3: Your Krav Maga technique ends as always, by leaving the line of attack and
making a tactical retreat: scanning your surroundings and fleeing.
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4.4.2 Defense Against a Frontal or Rear Choke Attack
on the Throat With Shoving or Pulling
I believe that except for the aforementioned close choke, during which the attacker may
also want to push you against an obstacle, the attacker will rarely be satisfied with choking you statically without pushing or pulling you, at least not if you are standing up and
are not already lying on the ground. That is why I will describe the following Krav Maga
techniques from the dynamics of this attack. While you are being choked, the attacker
will either try to push you onto the ground, against a wall, lift you up, or pull you backward.
Stage 1: Because you are pushed during the choke, you instinctively stabilize yourself
with a step backward. Your opposite arm shoots upward to grasp the attacker’s hand
that is on your throat.
With a quick body defense, you turn 90 degrees away from the attacker. This movement
will loosen the grip on your throat, yet you will not lose control of the attacker’s hand.
Your primary objective is to get air. You can then use your other hand to simultaneously
perform a plug—that is, while you stick your arm up in the air, the other hand makes a
plug-in motion. We have not shown this in the images for visibility reasons, but it is a
good, additional option.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
B112 (A2A1): Frontal attack, choke from the front with pressure—stage 1—grasp the attacker’s hand
while you turn out of the line of attack.
B113 (A2A1): Continuation: Frontal attack, choke from the front with pressure—quickly turn back
around and deliver a counter.
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Stage 2: Just as quickly as you turned away, turn back into the attacker. Your arm is held
up to guard your face (see turning, p. 162), and your elbow strikes the attacker’s face
while you turn. Because their hand is still between your throat and bicep, you practically
pull the attacker into your elbow. The more aggressively the attacker pushes you forward,
the more forceful your elbow will be against their face. While they push past, you can
still support your counter by delivering a hammerfist to the back of their head, additional
kicks to their genitals, or punches to their kidneys.
B114 (A2A1): Continuation: Frontal attack, choke from the front with pressure—stage 1—grasp the
attacker’s hand while you turn out of the line of attack.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 3: During your counters you move back out of the line of attack. As always, you
end the process with a tactical scan of the surroundings for other attackers.
B115 (A2A1): Continuation: Frontal attack, choke from the front with pressure—leave the line of attack
and look around for other dangers.
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If you are choked from behind and someone tries to push you forward—for example,
to push you against or off something, there are no changes to the first part of this
technique! You stabilize yourself, but this time with a step forward, and you lift your arm
up so that your bicep is pressed as close to your ear as possible. The attacker’s hand is
right in between, and the pressure will cause it to open somewhat. By stepping forward
you pull the attacker with you. You then turn 90 degrees with a quick rotation of your
hips and out of the line of attack with the subsequent leg movement as a body defense.
B116 (A2A2): Rear attack, choke from behind—analogous to choke from the front.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 2: While you turn, you pull your elbow back up to guard your face and the attacker
thus lands against your elbow, followed by additional counters.
B117 (A2A2): Continuation: Rear attack, choke from behind—first stabilize, and then act.
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Stage 3: Whether you can run after that or if you have to keep fighting depends on
the situation. As always, it’s important that you first look around for other dangers and
escape routes.
B118 (A2A2): Continuation: Rear attack, choke from behind—release with additional counters.
If the attacker is pulling you backward or down instead of pushing you forward, the turn
will no longer work because you don’t have a stable stance. This sequence of movements
would not be your first, natural reaction. While the attacker pulls you, your hands go onto
his and stay as close to his wrists as possible. With the pluck defense—that is, scooping
hands—you tear the attacker’s hands away so that you can get air as quickly as possible.
You then turn into the attack. If you were already very low, then you may fall down, but
with the hard breakfall (p. 37), you already know how to break the impact. If you are
able to stabilize yourself, then you will not lose any time and begin with more counters.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
B119 (A2A3): Rear attack, choke from behind with pulling—stage 1—turn into the attack once again.
B120 (A2A3): Continuation: Rear attack, choke from behind with pulling—pluck to loosen the
attacker’s hands.
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Stage 2: You may already have been able to deliver the first counter with a headbutt to
the attacker’s head during your first turn. Depending on whether you are back down or
up now, you can deliver either slaps to the attacker’s genitals or, of course, other counters
to their solar plexus, throat, or face.
B121 (A2A3): Continuation: Rear attack, choke from behind with pulling—stage 2—turn into the
attack once again.
Stage 3: Your Krav Maga technique ends, as always, with a tactical scan of the surroundings for an escape.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
a) Choke Attack on the Throat From the Side
B122 (A1B3): Side choke—release with plucking motion.
For this attack the attacker is standing to the defender’s side while choking them. Only
the hand at the front is dangerous, as it is constricting blood vessels and the air pipes.
The hand in the back is merely providing stability in order to be able to build up the right
amount of pressure.
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Stage 1: Using the principle of plucking (p. 158), which means that in this case we only
need one hand to release ourselves because only one hand is dangerous to us here, we
tear away the choke with the front hand from below. Like all choke attacks, the most important thing is to get air. One hand is the plucking hand and tears the front hand away,
with a tight grip on the thumb, from your throat and fastens it in front of your chest.
B123 (A1B3): Continuation: Side choke—simultaneous counter to the genitals.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
B124 (A1B3): Continuation: Side choke—counter with vertical upward elbow.
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Stage 2: During the pluck you deliver a simultaneous counter to the attacker’s genitals,
with a body defense of your own rear. This gives you room to punch and you have a clear
view of the target.
In training I often see the defenders blindly striking the attacker’s thighs and then wondering why the attacker is still standing next to them unscathed. Properly striking the
vulnerable points of your opponent is key. After this counter directed toward the genitals,
the body will buckle backward from the pain so that the defender can land a vertical
elbow beneath the chin.
Now we’re back to one of our most basic principles: we leave the line of attack. The defender releases the fixed hand, takes a forward diagonal step and completes the motion with
a side kick to the attacker’s knee or genitals. If the attacker is standing farther away or if
you do not strike the genitals, your counter can also be directed at their throat—namely,
their larynx.
B125 (A1B3): Continuation: Side choke—release from the attacker with the side kick.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
At the same time, when you pluck with your hand to get air, make a quick movement
toward the attacker’s throat, and push it away from you. Strike the opponent’s genitals
with your knee at this moment. One of two—that is, the punch to the throat or the knee
to the genitals—should hit. We also need this same defense for the side choke on the
ground, but more on that later.
Stage 3: After you have acquired the necessary distance from the attacker, you have
the chance either to turn back toward the attacker in order to prepare for more attacks
or to flee immediately. You should not forget to check for a secure escape route without
anyone tailing you.
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4.4.3 Defense Against the Side Headlock
The side headlock, often simply called the headlock, is actually life-threatening to the
defender as it disrupts the flow of air and blood. This attack can also begin seemingly
harmlessly with a hug, making it hard to detect at times. In my experience it is one of the
most common attacks for gaining control or bringing the opponent to the ground.
Stage 1: Instead of fighting against the pull, you let yourself be pulled into the attack.
Your head follows the movement. For example, during training I would say, “You rub your
nose under their sweaty armpit.” If your head mistakenly moves in the other direction
it’s even easier for the attacker to choke you. So you turn toward them. Your upper body
follows your movement and your back stays straight. Your foot makes a sidestep for stabilization, also toward the attacker, just like your arm that is now free and in front of the
attacker.
B126 (A1C2): Side headlock—stage 1—turn toward the attacker during the attack.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 2: When countering you must pay attention to how much time you have left until
the attacker tightens the hold. If you are quick enough, simply pull out of the attack from
under the attacker’s armpit as quickly as you can. If you are too late and the attacker
presses you against their upper body with all their strength, bite them very hard in the
side or stomach. If biting is not an option—for example, because the attacker is wearing
a heavy jacket or you are still standing upright—punch the attacker’s face with your free,
front hand while you slap the back of their head with your other hand. Clap with both
hands as hard as you can, with the attacker’s head in between.
B127 (A1C2): Continuation: Side headlock—optional: release through direct attacks against the attacker’s face and back of head.
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If you do not have this option because your upper body is already bent and your head is
down, then use your free hand to attack the assailant’s genitals.
With your backhand you either strike the back of the attacker’s head or grab their face
from between their shoulder and their head. Of course, the vulnerable points such as
the ears, eyes, and the sensitive spot below the nose are the target here. Be careful not
to stick your fingers into the attacker’s mouth. Now you push their head back, thereby
clinching their neck muscles downward. This causes the attacker to lose stability, and the
grip will open. While you pull your head out by moving it toward them, you deliver more
counters, such as with a hammerfist to their throat or chest.
B128 (A1C2): Continuation: Side headlock—shock punch to the back of the head and the genitals.
B129 (A1C2): Continuation: Side headlock—attacking vulnerable points to obtain distance.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
B130 (A1C2): Continuation: Side headlock—release from the attacker.
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4.4.4 Defense Against the Headlock From Behind
This attack involves a simple choke from behind, but when performed correctly, it can
cause unconsciousness within seconds, followed by possible death. This headlock originally comes from judo or jiujitsu, but it has long since been an open secret, and in MMA
the professional attack is called a rear naked choke. Nearly every thug knows this attack,
but only very few can perform it properly.
Yet the headlock from behind can very quickly disrupt your air and blood flow, so that is
why we defend with both hands. The secret lies in recognizing which arm you are being
choked with, and how quickly you can pull your chin down against your body.
If you are not fast enough, the attacker may use their other arm for support, which drastically increases the pressure. The attack generally starts one-handed, with the attacker
wrapping their arm around your throat and tightening it.
They will immediately use the second hand for support to tighten further and, if they are
familiar with it, perhaps to apply the rear naked choke. For this the attacker supports
their hand by placing it in the crook of their other arm, using this arm to simultaneously
push your head forward, and tightening your shoulders by tensing their upper body.
If you find yourself in a successfully executed rear naked choke, it will be damn difficult
to defend against it, because usually you will pass out within seconds.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 1: Because you obviously did not foresee the attack, you react instinctively and
both your hands shoot upward. Instead of stopping the attacker’s arms, you continue
with this movement and turn into the attack as fast as you can. Your head and body
turn inward and thus follow the direction in which the attack is pulling. Your chin must
be pressed tightly against your upper body or shoulders. In other words, quickly ram your
shoulders into the attacker to get some space to turn around.
Your head turns to the (still) open side of the attacker’s arm, but never into it, analogous
to the side choke (p. 176). While you jerk into the direction of attack, you need room, and
your hip will move forward. At the same time, your hands shoot into the attacker’s face
to induce a reflexive, backward motion from them.
B131 (A1C3): Headlock attack from behind—stage 1—your head and body swing to the side.
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Stage 2: Here you may be able to direct the first counter at the attacker’s eyes, which
is why your hands are already clenched like claws during this quick, jerking movement.
It’s of secondary importance whether you actually strike the attacker’s face if the pain
causes them to immediately let go. What’s more important are the quick hip rotation
associated with the diagonal, backward thrusting of your hands and the rotation of your
shoulders. You thus create space between yourself and the attacker, but your rotation
must be explosive.
B132 (A1C3): Continuation: Headlock attack from behind—direct counter: your chin is low against
your chest.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
After you have turned to the attacker in this manner, the choke can no longer rob you of
air, at least in the short term. You ensure this stays that way by keeping their arms down—
namely, by holding them with both hands and pulling them down. As you hold their arms,
you turn back into the attacker. You rub your head closely against the opponent’s T-shirt
while you also turn your feet out.
You are then standing parallel to the attacker’s foot. You are still securing their arms with
a hook. Press their arms tightly against your own chest. You could apply an arm lever from
this position and thus bring the opponent to the ground. However, in civil Krav Maga the
first priority is escaping the situation as fast as you can. So you keep delivering counters,
in this case with a knee to the attacker’s genitals or head.
B133 (A1C3): Headlock attack from behind—stage 1—turning into the attack.
Stage 3: As always, you then release yourself from the attacker and are prepared for
more attacks, or you escape the situation with a controlled flight.
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4.4.5 Alleviating a Threat Situation—Knife From Behind on Throat
Because this attack is very similar to the aforementioned chokehold or headlock from
behind, and could absolutely be a common threat situation on the street, I would like to
describe the defense or alleviation of this threat situation as well.
First off, let’s take a look at the attack itself. The attacker threatens you and wants something from you, but you definitely do not want to give it up, and so you are forced to
defend yourself! The situation is not someone sneaking up on you from behind and slitting your throat. I do not know a single Krav Maga technique that could help you there.
There isn’t much that I wouldn’t give if someone has a knife to my throat.
Yet there are situations in which you must defend yourself, especially if it’s not about your
possessions like your smartphone, car, house, boat, cash, and so on, but rather about your
very life and that of your loved ones. Imagine such a situation, because only then is it
really important to defend yourself against a threat like that.
Stage 1: While the attacker is holding a knife to your throat from behind, you cooperate.
In my first book, I referred to this situation as the crying game. You assure the attacker
that you will do anything to come out of the situation unscathed. Perhaps you gesticulate
with your hands or look at the object that they want and are threatening you for to begin
with. But you are probably so afraid that you might even wet yourself.
Yes, you read correctly, because that could confuse the attacker. With the hand that the
attacker can see, you do not make any rash or hasty movements that may give away your
intent to free yourself from this situation as quickly as possible. Then you use the hand
that the attacker cannot see to perform a rapid movement.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
B134 (P2D2): The hand turned away from the attacker first holds the knife away, then the second
hand follows for support, and you elongate yourself.
B135 (P2D2): Continuation: You turn back into the attacker. The knife must stay secured.
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You either grab onto the attacker’s arm and pull it downward, or you go upward to block
them from pulling their arm away. The second arm immediately secures the knife, and
your head also moves away from it by stretching your body. Now the movement is just
like that of the chokehold from behind (p. 180). You turn back into the attack and hold
the attacker’s arm tightly, as this is a matter of survival for you. You turn out of the attack
below the attacker’s armpit.
The tactic you decide on, either directly pulling down or blocking the attacker’s arm,
depends on the position of the knife on your throat and your own arm position. It’s
­important that you block the attacker’s arm.
B136 (P2D2): Continuation: The attacker’s knife-wielding hand must be permanently secured.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 2: You could start here by disarming. You disarm the attacker with a cavalier
(p. 127). However, first you shock them with at least one kick to the genitals. If there are
no other potential attackers in sight, I would kick the attacker until they are lying on
the ground, and only then should you release the knife from their hands regardless of all
other disarming techniques. Perhaps one kick is all it will take.
B137 (P2D2): Turning out like with the headlock, but hold onto the knife the entire time. For this
­option the attacker’s knife-wielding arm is also blocked by your shoulder. Whether or not you select
this tactic depends on the position of the knife.
Stage 3: Only when the attacker is no longer holding the knife, no matter how he’s hold­
ing it, and you have scanned the area for escape routes and other attackers do you flee.
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4.4.6 Bear Hugs
The bear hug is a control technique that can also be used to bring or throw the attacker to
the ground for the so-called takedown. In most cases, unlike the chokehold, the defender
is not at risk of asphyxiation but can be attacked by other attackers while one attacker
holds the defender. The defender also cannot support themselves with their hands if they
are thrown, resulting in severe head, neck, and shoulder injuries as well as unconsciousness.
a) Bear Hug Front Arms Free
Stage 1: This bear hug can also seem annoying but rather harmless at first, like a simple
hug. What may at first appear unlikely can happen in an instant, and you may find yourself on the ground, sometimes with the attacker.
To ensure that this doesn’t happen, you take a lunging step backward. Now your hands
are in the ready position, which at this distance means they are in the attacker’s face to
prevent any potential headbutts (see page 155). Your head also moves back.
B138 (A1D2): Bear hug from front, the hands are free.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 2: With both your thumbs, you grasp into vulnerable points on the attacker’s head,
including the eyes, temples, or the painful pressure point beneath the nose, or into the
lower jaw. While the attacker’s head goes backward, you clinch the back of their neck not
by pushing it forward but downward, like a ball that you are spinning in your hand. This
will make the attacker’s upper body move further back, and their hip will move forward.
Because you are already stabilized by your back leg, and thus have enough room, you
deliver a powerful knee to the attacker’s genitals. Be careful here, however, as your simultaneous body defense is crucial. If the attacker’s upper body and head move forward
from this blow, you run the risk of a headbutt. So you should always be out of the line of
attack when you deliver the knee.
B139 (A1D2): Continuation: Bear hug from front, counter to vulnerable points.
Stage 3: You now escape the bear hug either by delivering more counters, or by withdrawing from the situation in a tactical flight.
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b) Bear Hug Front Arms In
The attacker will probably try to grasp your arms in order to get a better hold on you or
even be able to throw you to the ground.
Stage 1: Your body defense lies in making yourself heavier and moving your hips away
from the attacker. In doing so you pull your hands in front of your lower body.
B140 (A2B1): Bear hug from front, your own hands are enclosed. Body defense to make room for the
counter.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 2: Because you have moved your hip back, you now have room to scoop your hands
upward into the attacker’s genitals. After you have struck their genitals, you ensure that
the attacker does not increase the distance to be able to punch or kick you by securing
both their shoulders and clutching the attacker.
Now you deliver a powerful knee to the attacker’s genitals. Be careful; their head will
swing forward, and you must move your upper body to the side and out of the line of
attack. Even if the attacker is still hugging you, the kicks to the genitals should have truly
debilitated them. Moving as if you want to take off a jacket that is too tight, you now
tear your elbows from the hug. Perhaps you will strike the attacker’s chin as you do so.
B141 (A2B1): Continuation: Bear hug from front, more counters and release from the attacker.
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Stage 2.1: Because you are still grasping the attacker’s arm, you can also use the attacker
as a shield against other attackers. You stretch out your arm that is around the attacker’s
neck and use the other hand to hold their arm tightly against your upper body. Your
elbow is pointing downward.
B142 (A2B1): Continuation: Counters to the back of the head and subsequently leaving the line of
attack.
! REMEMBER
If your arms are enclosed by the attacker, you can also scream loudly into their
ear or bite them in order to loosen yourself from the hold. If you have decided to
attack the assailant with punches to the genitals, it’s important that you secure
the attacker afterward so that they cannot quickly reposition themselves and attack again. The example of taking a jacket off refers to an elbow counter against
the attacker’s chin. However, this must be a quick and explosive blow, because it’s
mainly about freeing your arms.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
After you have freed at least one arm, you deliver more counters, such as hammerfists to
the back of the attacker’s head (soft spot above the neck muscles) or knees to their face.
B143 (A2B1): Bear hug from the side—kicks to create distance.
Stage 3: If there are no other attackers, and thus no need to use the first attacker as a
shield, then release yourself by pushing them away from you with both arms. Both your
hands are pointing downward, and you push the attacker away with your forearms. You
can then kick the attacker in order to create more distance. As always, scan your surround­
ings for other attackers or escape routes before you run away.
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c) Bear Hug Side Arms Free (Only Quickly) and Arms In
If the bear hug is coming from the side, it’s also important to plant your weight and angle
your knee. Otherwise the attacker could knock you to the ground.
Stage 1: With both hands you immediately secure the attacker’s front arm that is grasping you so that it does not slide up to your throat. While doing so, move your body as far
away from the attacker as possible.
Stage 2: While your one hand is still securing the attacker’s arm, use the other to punch
their genitals. Your hip moves back so that you can hit your target, and not mistakenly
punch their thigh. Now you have room for the punch. Then you quickly pull your elbow
up, perhaps hitting the attacker’s chin in the process. No matter if you hit the attacker
or not, you deliver more counters to their vulnerable points, such as hammerfists to their
face or back of their head.
B144 (A2B1): Continuation: Bear hug from the side, your own hands are enclosed.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 3: After your counters the attacker should not be able to hold you so tightly anymore. Now you release yourself sideways from the attacker so that you can reach kicking
range. Because you are still standing to the attacker’s side, you can deliver a side kick.
This could be directed toward their genitals or knee. After all, you don’t want them to
run after you so that they can attack again. As always, scan your surroundings before
running away.
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d) Bear Hug From Behind Arms Free
The danger is greatest when the assailant is attacking directly from behind. They either
want to lift you up or knock you down, or just get a tight hold on you so that others can
attack you as well. As always, you must react instantly.
Stage 1: If your arms are free the attacker will hug your stomach from behind. If they do
not pull too hard, you turn around with a horizontal elbow. But if the attacker is exerting
a lot of pressure, this might not be so easy, especially if the attacker is physically superior. Plant your weight by crouching as well as you can. Now bend your upper body as
far forward as possible without falling down. You are standing nearly 90 degrees to the
attacker. Your elbows now snap outward and you rotate like the pendulum of a clock with
your entire upper body, and of course with your elbows, up and down. Your elbows go 90
degrees upward toward the ceiling so that you hit the attacker’s head.
The elbow strikes must be unpredictable, and should be delivered at least three times.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
B145 (A1D4): Bear hug from behind, arms free—pendulum motions.
! REMEMBER
The elbow strikes must be arrhythmic so that the attacker cannot prepare for them.
The movement is not rhythmic, but rather explosive and unpredictable, because
otherwise in the worst-case scenario the attacker can respond to them accordingly.
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Stage 2: With the third elbow you turn around forcefully and hammer your elbow into
the attacker’s face. You are now standing directly in the line of attack and must leave it
as quickly as you can. Before, however, you deliver more counters, such as hammerfists
to the back of the attacker’s head, or other elbows to their neck muscles or spine. This
should loosen the attacker’s bearhug. You end your counters with a kick to the genitals
while you leave the line of attack.
B146 (A1D4): Continuation: Bear hug from behind, arms free—arrhythmic movements of the elbows,
more counters after loosening.
Stage 3: If you have left the line of attack, you are ideally behind the attacker. Scan the
surroundings for other attackers and escape routes.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
e) Bear Hug From Behind
If the attack is coming directly from behind, the attacker will also intend to lock your
hands.
Stage 1: Make yourself heavier by angling your knee. You secure the attacker’s front forearm with both your hands to prevent it from sliding up toward your neck for a chokehold
instead of “just” a bear hug.
B147 (A2B2): Bear hug from behind, arms locked—secure the attacker’s arms so that they cannot slide
up to your throat.
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Stage 2: You immediately shove your hip to the side and deliver at least one forceful
punch to the attacker’s genitals while you secure the attacker’s arm with the other hand.
It’s important that you are turned to face them. Your head is also turned to the side and
your hip now turns on the spot into the attacker. After you have struck the attacker in the
genitals, you return both hands to the attacker’s arms and turn into the attack. You take
the enclosed, outer arm up as high as you can or pull your elbow up to make room. If you
are not able to pull your hands out, it helps to stomp on the attacker’s feet or to kick their
shin with your heel to make room for your hips.
While you turn, your head rubs against the attacker’s upper body. After you have completed your rotation, you are standing parallel to the line of attack. Ideally your foot is
outside, parallel to the attacker’s foot. You immediately deliver a knee to their genitals
while your hands continue to hold their arms.
B148 (A2B2): Continuation: Bear hug from behind—secure the attacker’s arms during the counter.
Attacks and Threats From Very Close Range—Contact Attacks
Stage 3: Release yourself from the attacker tactically and quickly, after you have turned
toward them.
! REMEMBER
The further the attacker holds you down, the harder it will be to rotate. You may
have to move your hips side to side so that you can simultaneously strike the
­attacker’s genitals alternately.
B149 (A2B2): Continuation: Elbow—analogous to “taking off a tight jacket.”
! REMEMBER
For this technique it’s important that you have a permanent grip on the attacker’s
arm. If the attack is high then you may be able to immediately turn away from it
without countering. If the attack is low and the attacker hugs your forearms and
hands, you will have to deliver multiple counters to their genitals. You snap your
hips back and forth while you hammer into the attacker’s lower body with the
edge of your hands.
When training this can look funny, despite the serious subject matter. I would tell the
student to imagine quickly and efficiently knocking something to pieces. In doing so you
arrhythmically move your hips back and forth to mince “the sausage.” Now it may not
even be necessary to turn toward the attacker and dip beneath their arms. The attack
was very low to begin with, so release yourself by moving forward and taking one more
step back, then quickly running away, or turning toward the attacker and starting with
more counters.
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4.5
Defense Against Attacks
ON THE GROUND
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
4.5
DEFENSE AGAINST ATTACKS ON THE GROUND
You could easily write an entire book about how to defend yourself against one or more
attackers from the ground.
For that reason I do not want to delve too deeply into self-defense from the ground, as
one of the top priorities in Krav Maga is to never find yourself on the ground and to get
up as quickly as possible if you do.
On the ground you will be applying a self-defense strategy from the aforementioned zero
distance! As you know, you should avoid getting into this ground position. But what do
you do if it has happened anyway and you are on the ground with the attacker? Then you
should get up as quickly as you can. Even if you are a good fighter on the ground, your
chances are slim if the attacker is armed or if you have more than one attacker to deal
with. However, in this chapter, I describe a few techniques that may help you and that are
also highly analogous to the techniques described previously.
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4.5.1 Side Choke on Ground
Stage 1: After the attacker has brought you to the ground with a choke, they kneel down
next to you and press down onto your throat while they shift their weight downward. The
force they are able to exert here is far greater than that during a standing chokehold.
They quickly rob you of air.
B150 (A5A3): Choke on the ground, the attacker kneels next to you.
Stage 2: You immediately pluck or use your hand turned away from the attack to scoop
both the choking hands away from your throat. At the same time, you counter with
a punch to the attacker’s throat to briefly keep them from pushing their weight even
further. Your arm must be outstretched, which in ground combat is referred to as keeping
your elbow locked!
You use the gap that this creates for your body defense by bringing your knee between
yourself and the attacker and pushing them away. Ideally, you do all these movements
at the same time.
Remember the defense for the side chokehold in the standing position (page 176). This is
exactly the same, except you should train your hip mobility for this instance.
In ground combat this lateral pushing of the hips is called shrimping. You push your rear
out and push your knee in to the side. Of course, the attacker’s genitals are not the target
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
here, but rather to keep the attacker from putting more of their weight on you. You push
them away with your knee while your other leg kicks.
So that the attacker cannot escape, or reposition themselves for more attacks and stand
up while you are still on the ground, you continue to frantically hold their arm with the
hand that you just tore away from your throat and even pull on it while you push the attacker away with your knee. You can then use the tension you create within the attacker
to deliver a kick to their head, if you are mobile. If it is more difficult to move, then simply
kick at the attacker until you are able to stand.
B151 (A5A3): Continuation: Choke on the ground—holding the choking hand and simultaneously
pushing away the attacker with your knee.
Stage 3: You are then better off not kicking the attacker who is still on the ground so
that they cannot pull you back down. Rather, you should run or reposition yourself in a
standing combat position.
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4.5.2 Defense Against Choke on Ground in Mount Position
Stage 1: In ground combat, the position in which the attacker is on top of you to attack
you is called the mount position. This is a highly dominant position from which it is difficult to escape. Yet as it’s happening, you will not care about what the variant the attacker
is using against you is called. This is because you only have a little air left, and your top
priority is to breathe so that you can be fully capable of acting again. As described in the
previous position, you pluck/scoop the attacker’s arms apart. Because they can exert a
lot of pressure by shifting their weight, you can use both hands or just one while using
the other to deliver a counter punch.
Stage 2: The counter is delivered to the attacker’s ribs, kidneys, and liver. With an explosive movement of your hips, you catapult your body upward, thereby moving the attacker
to the side. It’s important that your feet are angled against your rear. The closer your feet
are to your rear, the more force you can build up with the high, diagonal bridge to lift
the attacker up and turn them over. Block the attacker’s foot on the side that you want
to turn toward. Secure their arm so that they cannot support themselves by pressing it
tightly against them.
B152 (A5A4): The attacker sits on top of you and chokes you.
While doing so you do not shove or throw the attacker away, but rather try to turn yourself onto them so that they cannot stand up against the pressure you exert upon them.
To keep them from doing so, you immediately perform more counters after you have
achieved the dominant position and are thus in the attacker’s guard.
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
B153 (A5A4): Continuation: The swing comes from the hip, so your feet must be up close against your
rear.
If possible, use your other hand to control the attacker’s arm or deliver more counters—for
example, to their genitals. Afterward you swing backward and pull the attacker’s leg
without turning your gaze away, so you can throw it over your head. The attacker will roll
into a stable sideways position, which after your counters, you may be able to take advantage of. In order to further stabilize the attacker so that they cannot turn toward you
and kick you, you place all your weight on top of them and perform more counters—for
example, with your knees or elbows.
B154 (A5A4): Continuation: The attacker sits on top of you and chokes you.
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4.5.3 Defense Against Choke From the Guard Position:
Assailant Between Your Legs and Choking
Stage 1: If the attacker is between your legs and choking you, your top priority is to get
air. Plucking will help you here as well. You use one hand to scoop the attacker’s hand,
with a tight grip on their thumb, away from your throat.
B155 (A5A2): The attacker is between your legs and is choking your throat. After you have gotten air,
you must get your knee between yourself and the attacker.
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
Stage 2: At the same time, you deliver a counter—for example, to their face. This punch
serves as a “shock punch” so that you can create a gap to get your knee between yourself
and the attacker.
Shrimping will help you here as well. Your hip goes out and your knee in. This way you
can push the attacker away somewhat and prevent them from choking you again. Now
you have enough room for your second foot, which immediately begins countering. Now
you kick multiple times as quickly as you can in order to get the necessary distance to be
able to stand up.
B156 (A5A2): Loosening yourself from the attacker with more kicks to get enough space to stand up.
Stage 3: Once you have room, stand up. You can also roll backward. It’s important that
you do not stand up with your face facing the attacker’s feet.
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4.5.4 Defense Against Side Headlock on the Ground
Your first question should be how this could happen to you. The answer is simple: the
same way it can happen to you while standing, as it is one of the most common forms of
attack. Perhaps you were not able to stabilize yourself while standing and the attacker
pulls you to the ground and into a headlock. In Judo this technique is called Kesa gatame,
and it is one of the most important holds.
The lower the attacker holds their head and the more they extend their angled leg toward
you, the more difficult it will be for you, so you must react immediately. If the attacker’s
head is not yet down, stick the fingers of your free hand (or even both hands) into their
eyes if possible, and if your other arm was not blocked, pull their hair or ears, stab into
their lower jaw joint—anything that will prevent the attacker from lowering their head.
B157 (C1E3): The attacker is lying next to you and has you in a headlock.
You bend their head as far back as you can, and it should rest against your chest. To
achieve this you move your legs away from the attacker and also move your hips off to
the side. Open yourself up, and lie parallel to the attacker. Now their head is also on your
stomach. You then turn to form a high, diagonal bridge to the attacker while you continue strongly pressing the attacker’s head to your chest.
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
B158 (C1E3): Continuation: The attacker is lying next to you and has you in a headlock—
vulnerable point.
B159 (C1E3): Continuation: The attacker is lying next to you and has you in a headlock—standing up
with lots of pressure.
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While you stand up, push the attacker onto the ground with all your weight, doing pushups on them in a way. While doing so, deliver more quick counters against their head
with your knee.
B160 (C1E3): Continuation: The attacker is lying next to you and has you in a headlock—counter with
the knee when standing up.
If the attacker’s head is already down, the sequence of movements is similar to that of
the headlock while standing, because the only target you can reach is the back of the
attacker’s head. But to do this, you must be somewhat mobile in the hips. If you are not,
then it will help to bite the attacker’s arms or even their face, depending on which you
are able to reach.
Stage 1: If you cannot reach the attacker’s face, you must immediately attack the back of
their head with your outer arm. With the shrimp movement, you position your hip to the
attacker’s side and hook your heel over the attacker’s hip.
.
B161 (C1E3): Loosening the side headlock on the ground—the attacker’s head is low.
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
B162 (C1E3) Continuation: Loosening the side headlock on the ground—direct counter to the back of
the head.
Stage 2: You clamber around them and push them back down. While you scramble, you
keep punching the back of the attacker’s head with the balls of your hands until you have
reached the mount position—that is, you are on top of them. Additional counters may
then still be required.
B163 (C1E3): Continuation: Loosening the side headlock on the ground—standing up with lots of
pressure on the attacker.
Stage 3: After effective counters, which have ensured that the attacker cannot attack
you further, you must immediately stand up. Control the attacker’s arms as well as poss­
ible and push yourself up off the attacker’s body so hard that you are standing over them
on both feet. You can also deliver more counterattacks with kicks or your knee when
loosening yourself from the attacker.
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4.5.5 Defense Against Choke From Behind on Ground
Here too the attack can begin while you are standing, as with the headlock from behind
(page 180). However, here the attacker intentionally or unintentionally pulls you to the
ground. The technique on the ground is the same as when standing, but this involves
greater effort coupled with a backward roll. If you are able to bite the attacker’s forearm,
this is definitely the best way to release yourself from the attacker. If you are not able, you
must prevent the attacker’s legs from wrapping around you on the ground by, as always,
reacting quickly.
You must apply the aforementioned plucking movement in combination with an upward
and backward push of the legs in order to put pressure on the attacker. In doing so your
body turns inward toward the attacker. If the attacker prevents your rotation—for exam­
ple, by hooking their heel into your groin, you can loosen their legs by kicking your blocked
leg forward.
You now make a high bridge on top of the attacker. Your goal is a diagonal backward roll,
with your inner shoulder diagonal over the attacker. As before, you ram your shoulder into
the attacker. You thus push the attacker onto the ground with your shoulder, because
all your weight is on your shoulder, and this pushes against the attacker’s chest. Your
backward roll is always in the direction in which your head is turned—namely, facing the
attack. Turn your head away from the attacker’s arm.
Contrary to the Krav Maga technique that you use when standing, you will not be able to
turn into the attack when on the ground. Just like before, you keep a permanent and tight
hold on the attacker’s arms until you are kneeling next to them after your backward roll.
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
B164 (C1E4): Defense against choke from behind on the ground, a sitting backward roll onto the
attacker with lots of pressure from your shoulder.
You then do not instantly loosen yourself, but deliver counters. A headbutt to the attacker’s face or punches to their throat with the side of your hand are possible here.
B165 (C1E4): Continuation: Defense against choke from behind on ground, more counters after the
backward roll—headbutt.
When standing up you exert lots of pressure once more and release yourself from the
attacker with more kicks, until you are a distance away and can make a tactical escape.
As always, look around for other potential attackers first.
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4.5.6 Ground Combatives
Biting, scratching, headbutts, and knees are the counters available to you on the ground,
also known as ground combatives. If you are not on top of the attacker, you will rarely be
able to get a good swing. It’s important to quickly gain control of the attacker’s hands so
that they cannot punch you or defend against your counters.
B166: Combatives on the ground—biting.
B167: Combatives on the ground—headbutt.
Defense Against Attacks on the Ground
B168: Combatives on the ground—knee to the head.
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Training Tips
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats from Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
5
TRAINING TIPS
I’m happy that you have been working with my selection of Krav Maga techniques up to
this point. Don’t forget that the situation determines the solution, and there cannot be
one cohesive solution because violent attack scenarios are extremely dynamic. This book
is about your own growth as well as that of your Krav Maga training. I would like to help
you understand the system the way I have and how it was taught to me. I do not claim
to have a general solution for self-defense situations nor to have described the ultimate
technique, because this book is not supposed to limit you and your personal skills. My
claim lies in showing you the principles and simplicity of this system. There is no limit and
no rules that you should blindly follow, but rather recommendations for action. Be open,
and continue to develop yourself. Absorb everything that you can learn, including from
this book. Combine the knowledge with what you can use, and integrate that into your
personal training.
Since its conception by Imi in the 1940s, Krav Maga has been a more practical than
theoretical system. So you have to practice it as often as you can. Of course, this doesn’t
mean that you should deliberately expose yourself to real dangers, but rather always try
to make your training as realistic as possible. I already thoroughly described the training
in my book Krav Maga—Effective Self-Defense—the Big Training Book, but I insist on giving you a few brief training tips regardless.
Personally, I do not offer private instruction, and if I ever do, then it’s only to prepare for
a level exam—that is, explicitly and solely training one technique. I feel that Krav Maga
training one-on-one is not dynamic enough. You can hardly generate the necessary stress
Training Tips
and cannot simulate the most realistic attack situation. So I think that training Krav
Maga alone makes little sense. Of course, you can optimize your combatives with a punching bag. You can practice rolling and falling alone on a mat, and you can also perfect
your movements in front of a mirror, but all this can only supplement your Krav Maga
training with at least two partners. It’s not just about defending against an attack, but
overcoming the entire situation.
I often speak with martial artists from other styles, and they frequently ask about
techniques in an attempt to compare them with their own. But like I said earlier, Krav
Maga cannot be reduced to defense techniques. For example, if the question is how to
defend against a straight punch in Krav Maga, the answer is not instantaneous, but
rather depends on many factors—for example, the angle to the attacker, the intensity
of the punch, the number and position of other potential aggressors. It’s about cohesive
observation of the entire situation.
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Combat experience in controlled sparring—fight club
B169: Combat experience in controlled sparring.
I actually wanted to avoid the word sparring in a book about Krav Maga, because to me
it sounds like competitive fighting and combat sports. But because it’s in a controlled setting on the mat and we don’t intend to seriously injure our training partner, sparring is the
right term. It’s a controlled fight, but also a fight with multiple opponents or alternating,
fresh opponents, and also about testing yourself, your own abilities, and your technique
in order to constantly improve. Mixed martial artist and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) pro Nick Hein hit the nail on the head in his foreword to my first book: “In
Carsten’s Krav Maga Institute techniques are trained under high stress during sparring . . .
in regards to waken a proper consciousness in his students for the right simulations of the
right situations in order to impart doing the right things under stress.”
Applying what you have learned under stress is important and should be on the training
plan for all advanced Kravists as often as possible. If you do not test your skills in controlled combat, you don’t know what you can actually do, how you react, and what ideas
your opponents could get. Sparring against one or more opponents in one large (or, as
shown in the picture, small) room and with punching cushions should be an essential part
of your training. This combat experience must be injury-free, and never excessively rough,
while still challenging you mentally and physically. A soldier recently said to me, “Mainly
it’s about not deceiving yourself.”
Training Tips
Zombie game
B170: The zombie game—not through the middle, otherwise controlled.
This game, which I often use as a warm-up for participants before the actual training of
techniques, trains your eyes and reactions with regard to your tactical positioning toward
other attackers. The attackers move slowly like zombies and try to touch the defender
every two seconds or so. They also do this slowly, with no sudden movements.
The defender, for their part, does not let themselves be touched. This movement can be
built up; for example, the defender cannot use their hands, only their body. Then they
can defend with their hands. Then they can act preventive and kick and punch. But the
zombies can get faster. The goal here is not to run through the middle—not between
the zombies—but rather to bring them into a line with one behind the other so that you
only have one opponent to deal with for the moment. You must absolutely prevent the
zombies from encircling you. It sounds easy, but under stress, this game is physically and
mentally demanding because the stress can increase through direct or indirect attacks
from the zombies, loud music, barricades, and much more. The middle cannot always be
avoided, and advanced students also go through the middle. But they do so in a deliber­
ate and controlled manner, not unintentionally.
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Competition drill
B171: Introductory competition drill—for example, for weapon defense.
Games of this type are a good introduction for defending against weapons. If you get
to the weapon then you use it, and if you are not quick enough, then you run away. The
resulting competition between the participants, coupled with physical strain, is also very
good for team building and promotes the “switch-on/switch-off” principle. Of course,
this can also be combined with spatial orientation. Instead of just running away, run to
a certain spot. If your fellow player is the first one to get to the weapon, how do you
instinctively react in the resulting defense situation when escape is no longer possible?
Training Tips
Circle of death
B172: The satellites encircle the defender standing in the middle. One of them could attack at any
time.
In this game, the defender is standing in the middle of a circle consisting of the attackers.
Like satellites, they walk around the attacker who is either exposed to physical strain or,
like in the picture, has their eyes closed. On command or by their own volition the satellites attack the defender with the techniques they have been practicing. The defender
defends themselves against the attack and, of course, leaves the center.
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Line drill
B173: Training in a team in one line.
In this drill all participants form a line. There is either one attacker and two defenders
and the technique is practiced with continuous attacks and defenses in an endless drill
or there is a team that must jointly overcome physical strain. In the drill shown here, the
participant in the middle is running back and forth between the other two and alternating punches to the pads in certain predefined time frame. Once the party in the middle
is on one end, the other does sit-ups.
The attackers and defender are in one line, with the latter usually in the middle. The
defender runs from an attacker or team partner.
Training Tips
Touching game—Balagan
B174: Contact and orientation in a chaotic environment.
The Hebrew word balagan approximately translates to “confusion” or “chaos,” and that
applies to this game as well! Everyone in the room runs wildly around, punching the
others on the body parts previously described, such as the head, stomach, or legs. Along
with a fun warm-up for all body parts, the objective of the game is to immediately activate your defense movement. This exercise can be combined with spatial orientation
or quickly locating other people. It’s important to maintain your perspective despite the
chaos and to not get hit when possible. In practice, Kravists who have never done so
before, deflect the attacks in the same manner as they are taught later on in their Krav
Maga training—namely, very intuitively and based on their own reflexes.
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Appendix
Foreword
1
The Principles of Krav Maga
2
Fundamentals of Defensive Techniques
3
Fundamentals of Offensive Techniques
4
Attacks and Threats from Various Distances
5
Training Tips
Appendix
Appendix
1
LIST OF ALL KRAV MAGA TECHNIQUES
DESCRIBED—DESCRIPTION IN KRAVOLUTION
CURRICULUM
Below is a little list of the techniques we use in our curriculum. The English terms are
generally international. In our association we categorize the level of advancement as
“B” for basic techniques that beginners should learn first; “A” for advanced techniques
for intermediate students; and “C” for certified Kravists, such as instructors and trainers.
The “P” stands for professional. In some organizations this level is also called the Expert
level. We have deliberately opted not to do so, because we feel that there can be no
experts in a self-defense situation, as these are highly dynamic. We only have experts in
the respective fields—for example, military or police. These are then recognized as trainers with corresponding expertise among their employers. Experts are highly experienced
trainers who have multiple trainer programs under their belt and who continues to train
themselves, or who is considered an expert in a certain martial art. But there is no longer
a separate technique description for it in the form of a curriculum. The test spans across
two days and presents the Kravist with tasks that they must independently solve with
these Krav Maga principles herein. These include development of their own techniques
and solutions for a certain attack or self-defense situation. The Kravist is also brought to
their physical and mental limit and must defend against attacks under high stress and
must also be able to explain why they selected the solution that they did.
Breakfall sideways
Ready position ground
B1A2
B1A3
B1J1
A3A1
A1A3
B1B3
B5A2
B5A3
B5A4
B5A1
B5B2
B002
B003
B005
B006
G03
B007
B008
B009
B010
B011/
B012
B5B3
B5B4
B5C1
B013
B014
B015
Deflecting inside defense vs. direct attack
Forward roll
Getting up to escape—sprint position
Getting up in place—tactical
Getting up forward from the ground—offensive
Breakfall backward
Hard breakfall forward
Tactical movements
Deflecting inside defense vs. regular front kick
Deflecting outside defense vs. direct attack
30
Level of attacks
G02
B004
43
42
41
40
39
38
37
36
34
33
32
31
28
27
26
25
Page
Combat position/fighting stance
Ready position/semipassive stance
Reflexive position/passive stance
B1A1
B001
Time line—explanation of time line and “inner alarm”
B1A4
Description
G01
Picture no. Abbreviation
B015 (B5C1): Forward roll over an obstacle
B014 (B5B4): With sufficient distance, turn to sprint position
and escape
B013 (B5B3): Tactical stand-up in place
B011 (B5B2): Getting up forward and attacking
B010 (B5A1): Ready position on ground
B009 (B5A4): Breakfall sideways
B008 (B5A3): Breaking a backward fall—hard breakfall
backward
B007 (B5A2): Breaking a forward fall—hard breakfall
forward
G03: Tactical movements of the defender to the attacker
B006 (A1A3): Attack on the lower section—deflective defense
against a straight kick
B005 (B1J1): Attack on the middle section—deviating defense
against a straight outward attack
B004 (B1J1): Attack on the upper section—deviating defense
against a straight inward attack
G02: Ranges of attacks by section
B003 (B1A2): Combat position—fighting stance
B002 (B1A2): Ready position—semipassive stance—increased
alertness
B001 (B1A1): Reflexive position—passive-natural stance—low
alertness
G01: Distances of a potential attack in relation to alertness
Caption
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231
Angle of attacks—blocking and deflecting defenses
Tactical movement and striking—deadside
B3C2
B2B2
A3A1
B3D1
B1C1
B1E2
B017
B018
B019/
B020
B021
G06
B022
Defensive backkick
Roundhouse kick
B4A2
B3A3
B1D1
B1D2
B025
B026
B027
B028
Hook punch
Straight palm strike
Sidekick
B024
Regular front kick
B1E1
B1E3
B023
Defensive front kick
Vulnerable points
Use of common objects—shield type
Deflecting outside defense vs. kick/punch to under
belly/groin
Tactical movement and striking—basic finishing
­movement
Inside/outside zone
Backward roll
G05
B5C3
Description
G04
B016
Picture no. Abbreviation
66
65
64
63
62
61
60
59
55
53–54
52
51
50
49
44
Page
B028 (B1D2): Hook punch practiced with a broom handle
B027 (B1D1): Straight palm strike
B026 (B3A3): Indirect kick to the knee—roundhouse leg kick
B025 (B4A2): Defensive backkick to groin/knee
B024 (B1E3): Sidekick to the knee
B023 (B1E1): “Snapping” straight kick to the genitals
B022 (B1E2): Straight kick forward: front kick or defensive
front stopkick
G06: Vulnerable points on the human body
B021 (B3D1): Usage of the shield-type object, a common
object used as a shield
B019 (A3A1): Deflecting outside defense vs. kick/punch to
underbelly/groin
B018 (B2B2): Tactical movement and countering out of the
line with the 360-degree outside defense
B017 (B3C2): Tactical movement and countering out of the
line of attack with the inside defense
G05: Angle of attack—blocking and deflecting defense
G04: Inside and outside
B016 (B5C3): Backward roll
Caption
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
B2A1
B1D3
B032
B033
Uppercut
Knee kick forward
Horizontal hammer punch backward
Turning motion
Description
Defense vs. stone attack—overhead swing
Basic prevention—long distance—bailout kick vs.
moving attacker
B2D2
B2D1
C5E1
B3B1
A1A1
A4A2
A4A3
B037/
B038
B039
B040
B041/
B042/
B043
B044
B045
B046/
B047
Reflexive forearm defenses vs. punch/kick
Reflexive hand defenses vs. direct attack
General leg defense—stopkick to the leg
Deflecting inside defense
Deflecting outside defense
Combination of attacks—adapting distances
B2B3
B036
Headbutt forward/sideways
B3A9
B035
B2A4/B2A3 Elbow strike vertical upward and horizontal sideways
B4A3
B031
B034
B1B2
B029/
B030
Picture no. Abbreviation
92
91
90
86–87
77
76
75
73
72
71
70
69
68
67–68
Page
B046 (A4A3): Defending against a straight kick also from
the “reflexive” position with the forearm defense
B045 (A4A2): Defending against a straight kick from the
“reflexive” position—your hands were down
B044 (A1A1): Stop kick with simultaneous counterstrike
B041 (B3B1): Bailout kick—the attacker rushes up to you
B040 (C5E1): Stabbing defense against a bottle/rock from
outside
B039 (B2D1): Deflecting inside defense against a straight
punch
B037 (B2D2): Deflecting outside defense
B036 (B2B3): Combination of attacks
B035 (B3A9): Headbutt forward
B034 (B2A4): Elbow strike upward and (B2A3) sideways
B033 (B1D3): Uppercut
B032 (B2A1): Knee strike
B031 (B4A3): Continued: Tactical turning with backward
hammerfist
B029 (B1B2): Tactical turning motion
Caption
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233
Stabbing outside defense vs. kicks to under belly/groin
Defenses vs. stick attack from overhead swing
(one-handed)
Use of common objects—stick type
Defenses vs. stick attack horizontal swing (baseball
swing)
Use of common objects—stick type
Blocking defense vs. stick attack—horizontal push
A3A3
A3D1
C3C3
A3C1
A4B1
C3C1
A3C1
P2B1
A3C1
B051
B052/
B053/
B054
B055/
B056
B057
B058/
B059/
B060/
B061
B062
B063
B064/
B065/
B066
B067
Use of common objects—stick type
Disarming from three-point control
Disarming from C-grip control
Deflecting outside defense vs. kick/punch to under
belly/groin
A3A1
B050
Deflecting inside shin defense vs. regular front kick
A1A3
Description
B048/
B049
Picture no. Abbreviation
B052 (A3D1): From threat to attack with a stick
B051 (A3A3): Defending against a straight kick—stabbing
defense
B050 (A3A1): Standing across from the attacker in the security stance and defending against the kick with “scooping”
B048 (A1A3): Defense against a straight kick
Caption
B057 (A3C1): Continued from B055: Keep the attacker at
bay after disarming
B063 (A3C1): After the threat you keep the attacker at bay
with their stick through small figure-8 movements
B062 (C3C1): Continued from B061: Disarming with stick
blow to the attacker’s head
113
B067 (A3C1): The stick as a weapon for self-defense
110–112 B064 (P2B1): Strike with a stick from the horizontal position—
blocking
107
106
103–105 B058 (A4B1): From threat to attack with a stick—baseball
swing
102
100–101 B055 (C3C3): Continued from B054: Disarming the stick
from the attacker—disarming
98–99
96
95
89/94
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
A4D3
A4D1
A4D3
A1A2
A4A1
A4A2
A4A2
B2D1
B2D1
B2B2
B1A3
C3A2
B068
B069
B070
B071
B072
B073
B074
B075
B076
B077
B078
B079
Picture no. Abbreviation
Slap kick vs. knife threat
Combat position/fighting stance
Combination of attacks—finishing motion
Deflecting outside/inside defense vs. direct punches,
grabs, or push
Deflecting outside/inside defense vs. direct punches,
grabs, or push
Reflexive hand defenses vs. direct attack—lean back
and kick
Reflexive hand defenses vs. direct attack—lean back
and kick
Body reflexes—leg switch
Blocking outside/inside defense vs. indirect kicks to leg
Double blocking defense vs. high roundhouse kick with
shin and forearm
Defense vs. high roundhouse slap kick
Double forearm blocking defense vs. high roundhouse
kick
Description
124
124
122
121
121
120
119
118
117
116
115
114
Page
B079 (C3A2): Continuation of B078: special knife combat
position for protecting your own lethal points, combined with
kicks for defense
B078 (B1A3): Special knife combat position for protecting
your own lethal points
B077 (B2B2): Combination of attacks after successful defense: elbow, knee, hammerfist, and side kick
B076 (B2D1): Defending against a straight right punch
from the combat position with the deflecting defense—inside
defense
B075 (B2D1): Defending against a straight right punch from
the ready position
B074 (A4A2): Defending against a straight right punch from
the reflexive position—hand position 02
B073 (A4A2): Defending against a straight right punch from
the reflexive position
B072 (A4A1): Continuation of B071: Defense after you have
changed position through counters. Note the change in leg
position in the picture
B071 (A1A2): Defense against roundhouse kick to the outer
or inner side of the knee of your front leg
B070 (A4D3): Defense against roundhouse kick—your shin
and forearm form the cohesive block
B069 (A4D1): Defense against a roundhouse kick with nearly
simultaneous counterkick
B068 (A4D3): Defense against a roundhouse kick by blocking
with one or both hands, depending on reaction speed
Caption
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235
Defense vs. knife stab to midsection front
Defense vs. oriental knife stab
Defense vs. icepick knife stab
Defensive front kick vs. attacker with knife
Defense vs. handgun threat front—to deadside
A3B1
A3B1
A3B1
A3B1
B1E2
C2F2
C3C2
C2F1
B084
B085
B086/
B087/
B088
B089/
B090/
B091/
B092
B093
B094/
B095/
B096
B097/
B098
B099
General defense vs. handgun threat front
Disarming from double hand control—pistol
Defense vs. straight knife stab to midsection
Disarming from double hand control—using cavalier
leverage
C3C2
B083
Defense vs. straight knife stab to high section
A3B1
Description
B080/
B081/
B082
Picture no. Abbreviation
Caption
B085 (A3B1): Stabbing defense against a straight knife
attack to the lower section
B084 (A3B1): Outside scooping defense to defend against a
straight knife attack to the lower stomach
B083 (C3C2): Disarming with wrist lever “cavalier”
B093 (B1E2): Icepick knife attack—defensive kick to the
upper body so that the attacker moves back instead of falling
forward—the KRAVolution logo
144
B099 (C2F1): Pistol threat from the front with both hands—
stage 1—turning your body away, first with one hand followed immediately by the other to secure the gun
141–142 B097 (C3C2): Continuation of B096: Pistol threat from the
front—disarming—the gun is disarmed in the direction of the
attacker
138–140 B094 (C2F2): Pistol threat from the front—stage 1—hand and
body defense with C-grip on the weapon
135
133–135 B089 (A3B1): Icepick knife attack—defense with simultaneous block and counter
130–132 B086 (A3B1): Oriental knife attack—one hand blocks at 90
degrees; the other performs a counter
129
129
127
125–127 B080 (A3B1): The defense against a straight knife stab does
not differ from that against a straight punch
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
Defense vs. headbutt
Principle of plucking
C2B5
Release from choke attack from front
Release from chokes while being pushed from front
Release from chokes while being pushed from rear
A1B1
A1B2
A2A1
A2A2
B109
B110/
B111
B112/
B113/
B114/
B115
B116/
B117/
B118
Deflecting inside defense vs. straight knee kick
Blocking defense vs. knee kick
Blocking defenses vs. indirect horizontal elbow strike
B108
C2B3
B105
Blocking outside defense vs. hammer punch vertical
forward
C2B7
B2C2
B104
Disarming from three-point control—pistol
A1A3
C3C1
B103
Defense vs. weapon threat from rear—pistol is touching
lifeside
B107
C5D2
B101/
B102
Description
Disarming from double hand control—pistol
B106
C3C2
B100
Picture no. Abbreviation
B100 (C3C2): Continuation of B099: Pistol threat from
the front with both hands—stage 2—disarming toward the
attacker
Caption
B109 (A1B1): Principle of plucking
B108 (C2B5): Defense against a knee from the ready position
B107 (A1A3): Defense against a knee with the legs
B106 (C2B7): Defense against a knee with the arms
B105 (C2B3): Defense against a horizontal elbow, with a
block and subsequent counter with headbutt
B104 (B2C2): Defense against a vertical hammerfist, with a
blocking defense and simultaneous counter
B103 (C3C1): Pistol threat from behind—disarming—strike the
gun away from you and continue locking the attacker’s arm
166–168 B116 (A2A2): Rear attack, choke from behind—analogous to
choke from the front
163–165 B112 (A2A1): Frontal attack, choke from the front with pressure—stage 1—grasp the attacker’s hand while you turn out of
the line of attack
160–161 B110 (A1B2): Frontal attack, choke from the front—stage 1—
tearing away
158
155
155
154
153
152
149
147–148 B101 (C5D2): Pistol threat from behind—stage 1—first look,
and then act
145
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237
Release from choke attack from side
Release from headlock from the side
Release from headlock from the rear
Defense vs. knife threat from rear, blade under the chin
Release from bearhug arms, free from front (elbows in)
Release from bearhug arms caught from front
A1B3
A1C2
A1C3
P2D2
P2D2
A1D2
A2B1
A2B1
B122/
B123/
B124/
B125
B126/
B127/
B128/
B129/
B130
B131/
B132/
B133
B134/
B135/
B136
B137
B138/
B139
B140/
B141/
B142
B143/
B144
Release from bearhug arms caught from the side
Defense vs. knife threat from rear, blade under the chin
Release from choke (rear) while being pulled
A2A3
Description
B119/
B120/
B121
Picture no. Abbreviation
Caption
B137 (P2D2): Turning out like with the headlock, but hold onto
the knife the entire time. For this option the attacker’s knife-wielding arm is also blocked by your shoulder. Whether or
not you select this tactic depends on the position of the knife
193–194 B143 (A2B1): Bearhug from the side—kicks to create distance
190–192 B140 (A2B1): Bearhug from front, your own hands are enclosed. Body defense to make room for the counter
188–189 B138 (A1D2): Bearhug from front, the hands are free
187
185–186 B134 (P2D2): The hand turned away from the attacker first
holds the knife away, and then the second hand follows for
support, and you elongate yourself
181–183 B131 (A1C3): Headlock attack from behind—stage 1—your
head and body swing to the side
176–179 B126 (A1C2): Side headlock—stage 1—turn toward the attacker during the attack
171–174 B122 (A1B3): Side choke—release with plucking motion
169–170 B119 (A2A3): Rear attack, choke from behind with pulling—
stage 1—turn into the attack once again
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
Release from bearhug arms caught from rear
Release from side position on the ground
Release from mount position on the ground
Release from guard position on the ground
Release from side headlock on the ground
Release from side headlock on the ground—attacker’s
head is very low
A2B2
A5A3
A5A4
A5A2
C1E3
C1E3
C1E4
B147/
B148/
B149
B150/
B151
B152/
B153/
B154
B155/
B156
B157/
B158/
B159/
B160
B161/
B162/
B163
B164/
B165
Biting as ground combative
Headbutt as ground combative
Knee strike as ground combative
B166
B167
B168
Release from headlock from the rear from sitting
position
Release from bearhug arms caught from side/rear
A1D4
Description
B145/
B146
Picture no. Abbreviation
Caption
217
216
216
215
B168: Combatives on the ground—knee to the head
B167: Combatives on the ground—headbutt
B166: Combatives on the ground—biting
B164 (C1E4): Defense against choke from behind on the
ground, a sitting backward roll onto the attacker with lots of
pressure from your shoulder
212–213 B161 (C1E3): Loosening the side headlock on the ground—the
attacker’s head is low
210–212 B157 (C1E3): The attacker is lying next to you and has you in
a headlock
208–209 B155 (A5A2): The attacker is between your legs and is choking your throat. After you have gotten air, you must get your
knee between yourself and the attacker
206–207 B152 (A5A4): The attacker sits on top of you and chokes you
204–205 B150 (A5A3): Choke on the ground, the attacker kneels next
to you
199–201 B147 (A2B2): Bearhug from behind, arms locked—secure the
attacker’s arms so that they cannot slide up to your throat
197–198 B145 (A1D4): Bearhug from behind, arms free—pendulum
motions
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239
2
GLOSSARY
A
attacker
I always depict the attacker as a male. Of course, they could also be a
woman. Or a threatening person, in a threat situation.
B
body defense
My own body moves out of the line of attack, ideally at the same time
as the hand defense.
B
broken
See rhythm: punches in a “broken rhythm,” the fists meet in the middle on the way to the target.
B
bursting in
In order to bridge the distance to the attacker, you rush forward. Either with one large quick step or even a jump. Your goal is to literally
knock the attacker down or to “smash” into them with your body.
C
cold weapon
A firearm that cannot be used to shoot but rather is used as a stabbing and striking instrument—e.g., because of a defect.
C
combatives
Umbrella term for all attack techniques in Krav Maga.
C
combat
position
See stances: Also referred to as the fighting stance. You are prepared
for the fight that seems unavoidable.
C
common object
See p. 55. These are everyday items that can be used for defense.
Many items are better for defending or deflecting than your own
body. You will find an exact definition in Carsten’s book Krav Maga—­
Effective Self-Defense.
C
counter
See counterstrike.
C
counterstrike
This may be a punch, kick, or headbutt, depending on the distance
from the attacker. Multiple counters may also be necessary, but this
comes down to the dynamics of the respective self-defense scenario
and the attacker’s willingness to fight. I do not explicitly go into it in
my description of the techniques.
G
groin
The area between the attacker’s legs. One saying goes, “No groin, no
Krav Maga.”
H
hand defense
My hands make a defensive motion, ideally at the same time as the
body defense.
H
hook
The hand is shaped like a hook, thumb on the side, contrary to the
C-grip.
Glossary
I
icepick knife
attack
The stab comes down from above. The attacker holds the knife like an
icepick.
I
Imi “Sde-Or”
Lichtenfeld
Founder of Krav Maga, born on May 26, 1910, in Budapest. Died on
January 9, 1998, in Netanya, Israel.
L
LC-punch or
C-grip
This refers to a movement of the hand in which it first makes an
L-shape, so the thumb is down while the other four fingers are up. This
then becomes a C, so a grip with the thumb at the bottom. This movement turns into a punch with the item in the hand (e.g., the attacker’s
arm or the weapon that was grabbed). Simply put, I grab something
tightly (the thumb must be at the bottom) and throw it away from me.
This grip also delays the attacker from pulling their arm or an item
downward. Also referred to as the C-grip, because the thumb is on the
bottom (unlike the Hook), thereby forming a C.
M
multiple
attacks
The attack is performed numerous times with quick movements (e.g.,
a knife attack). I believe there isn’t much sense in observing this statically and in isolation in Krav Maga training, because an attacker will
also most likely deliver an attack quickly and multiple times, sometimes even from different angles.
N
not connected/ See rhythm. The punches are unpredictable, not connected. Unconnatural
trolled attacks—e.g., from a drunk.
O
oriental knife
attack
The stab comes up from below, and the knife is held like a scimitar for
slicing.
P
pluck
Refers to the explosive tearing away of the attacker’s hands/arms,
usually with a hook.
R
ready position
See stances. Also referred to as the semipassive stance. The goal is
to use this position in a preventive and de-escalating manner, while
still demonstrating the ability to defend yourself. In this situation an
attack will primarily be based on a deliberate, trained physical reaction due to the prepared defense position and subsequently increased
alertness.
R
reflexive
position
See stances. Also referred to as the passive or natural stance. Should
an attack occur because of a lack of alertness by the defender’s part,
the defense strategy in this position is primarily based on an unconscious physical reaction and defense motion—i.e., the reflexes.
R
rhythm
In Krav Maga we need terms that refer to the speed at which we perform a movement. This refers to the rhythm and speed of punches or
kicks.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
S
scanning
This refers to the 360-degree view of the situation after an attack,
and thus looking around for other attackers, escape routes, etc. Scanning also resolves the tunnel vision that forms in a stressful situation
and is an essential ending to every Krav Maga technique. It is also
trained as a drill.
S
shock punch
The shock punch is not excessively hard or lethal but should quickly
prevent the attacker from continuing their action.
S
shuttered
See rhythm. Slightly staggered, quick punches. Example: chain punch.
S
simultaneous
See rhythm. Simultaneous punch (e.g., two punches or one kick and
one punch at the same time).
S
stances
Proper standing/posture as a combat position—e.g., reflexive stance:
I stand in an inconspicuous, passive defense stance (hands down),
but I am alert and can definitely defend myself. Semipassive stance:
Increased alertness, my hands are up in a defensive position, but I do
not want to provoke with combat signals. Combat or fighting stance:
The hands are up.
S
sweeping
A term from shooting, my hands do not cross the barrel.
T
tap and recoil
Removing weapon jams by tapping the base of the magazine (not for
some—e.g., AK-47) and recoiling the slide of a semiautomatic pistol or
rifle.
T
threat
A threat situation, usually with a weapon such as a knife, rod, pistol,
or rifle, refers to a static threat at close range. Contrary to an attack,
the attacker usually wants something from you.
Bibliography
3
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Q1: Cooper, Jeff. Principles of Personal Defense (Paladin Press).
Q2: www.huffingtonpost.com.de/2017/03/13/frankenthal-messer-angriff_n_15325964.html.
Q3: www.welt.de/regionales/hamburg/article167152865/Mann-sticht-mit-Messer-aufPassanten-ein-Verletzte-ein-Tochter.html.
Q4: www.focus.de/panorama/welt/einsatz-in-muenchen-mann-verletzt-mehrere-menschen-mit-messer_id_7746242.html.
Cover and images in the text courtesy of www.enitiative.de.
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KRAV MAGA Effective Techniques for Self-Defense
4
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Any one of us could suddenly find ourselves in
a dangerous situation. Thanks to techniques
that are easy to implement, Krav Maga helps to protect and defend yourself and others
against attackers.
Carsten Draheim is the author of the best seller Krav Maga—the Big Training Book and owner of the Krav Maga Institute. He is also CEO
of the international KRAVolution Krav Maga Association, which includes more than 150
trainers and schools worldwide, with 14 schools and over 2,200 students (also known as
Kravists) in Germany alone. The 42-year-old has been appointed as a close combat trainer
for soldiers in the German Armed Forces by the German Ministry of Defense and also
provides his services to the police. He and his colleagues are also teaching more civilians
how to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
With his second book, Carsten aims not to simply describe a sequence of techniques, but
rather to connect them to the principles that make this system so successful. He believes
that there is not just one technique for an attack, because just like a real self-defense
situation, both are highly dynamic.