Knives, Sticks, Ninja Rolls and Breaky-Breakfalls

Firstly OMG! GTA4 is out today and looks amazing. Seriously can’t wait to get my hands on a copy…

Secondly, training has been really great recently and tonight Tamir Gilad (the instructor who graded us) is taking the class, which should be interesting. Yesterday we covered escapes from wrist grabs, defences against knives and sticks as well as a stress drill against two attackers. We finished off with some light sparring and a recap of how each of us did in the grading.

Escapes from wrist grabs

If someone grabs you’re wrist, why don’t you just punch them? Well this is all well and good if you don’t mind getting straight into a fight and perhaps even getting arrested for assault even though its self defence. This technique is less aggressive and is for those situations when you know your not in real danger but don’t want to make the whole situation worse by rearranging someones face just coz they are grabbing your wrist.

Single hand grab: Someone grabs your forearm, turn your arm so that your thumb is facing out of the grip (between the opponents thumb and fingers this is the weakest part of the grip) now drive your elbow forward towards their elbow and pull your hand towards your body and out of the grip.

Double hand grab: So in this scenario someone has grabbed your arm with two hands. Use your free hand to grab your other hand coming over the top of the grip. Drive the elbow of the arm being held straight up using your other hand to pull it up as if you are trying to elbow your opponent in the chin.

Alternative Double hand grab release: This is essentially the same as the first one because your free hand releases one of the hands holding your arm by hooking it off. Then perform the same escape for the single hand grab (elbow to opponents elbow).

Two hands being held: Now both of our hands are being held low by both of our opponents hands. Keeping your elbows where they are, bring your thumbs towards each other allowing your hands to cross over then continue bringing your hands up in an ark ending with your hands (palms towards you) up at shoulder level.
This technique is the same but performed in reverse if your opponent is holding your hands high or above your head.

Two hands being held behind you: This can be performed on with either foot coming forward, but for the sake of clarity I”ll describe it starting with the right foot. So take one step forward with your right foot, turn your right arm so that your wrist is between the fingers and thumb of the grip. Break the grip by sending your arm forward fast as you are stepping forward. Raise your left hand, dropping the elbow and spin yourself around to your left, to face your opponent. This movement should break the grip pretty easily.

The above techniques mainly rely on the weakness of the thumbs and leverage to break the grip.

Techs against a knife.

If its an ice pick or oriental stab, use 360 defence and counter attack, grab the attackers wrist (of the arm holding the knife) if you have blocked on the inside of the attack, kick to the groin then escape and scan. If its a straight stab you block to the outside of the attack using the palm of your hand to deflect the knife. Step to the side of the attacker punching to the face, Grab the wrist with the hand that blocked. Envelope the hand holding the knife with your other hand and collapse opponents wrist in towards his body twisting the wrist to force him to drop the knife.

Tech against an baton or baseball bat

We only had time to cover one technique against a baton or baseball bat, but it basically goes like this: If an attacker comes at us with the weapon held in one hand, raised above their head and swings for us using a vertical attack we have to dive straight forward to the gap between his head and his raised arm, with one arm raised up straight with our head tucked into our shoulder as if we are actually performing a dive, this deflects the attack down one side of our body. At the same time grabbing the opponents shoulder deliver a knee or kick to the groin. Using the arm thats closest to the one holding the weapon, slide down the arm to grab the weapon just below the attackers hand. With a firm grip on the weapon, break the attackers hold on it by twisting it towards their groin then pulling and stepping back sharply. Use the weapon against them or escape and scan.

We covered Breakfalls and ninja rolls the other too which was great fun but I’ll leave that for another post.

It’s also probably worth mentioning that I’ve written these techniques purely to help me remember them and to document what I have been learning in Krav Maga I take no responsibility for any injury incurred whilst trying to perform these techniques or that there may be bits that I have missed. Reading or watching videos about martial arts are clearly no substitute for a qualified teacher. But you’re smart enough to know that right?