In this video, from the online course “Martial Studies: Defense Against Weapons”, learn the defense technique from Krav Maga to survive a knife attack from the bottom up.
Table of Contents
Go for contact!
Roughly speaking, he wants to disembowel you, that’s why it’s important to go for contact!
First of all, your partner will take some distance in order to analyze your movements. However, don’t attack straight as a ramrod, absolutely not convinced by your gesture, because you won’t do yourself any favors…
Bottom up attack
Put your arm at a 90 degree angle to counter the attack. Move your pelvis backwards to keep the threatened part away from the blade. Be careful not to miss or the knife could end up in your chest, or even your throat…
Use your forearm to block, but don’t go too far. Don’t aim for the crook of your arm or the blade could come back to your face. Be careful!
You can look on the Internet if you are interested, but in Krav-Maga, there are techniques where immediately after blocking, trainee are taught to make a counter-attack using an armlock. We can see this technique almost everywhere.
When I saw this, I thought “this is still risky”, but I tried to improve this very same practice thanks to my modest technical background in order to avoid as many risks as possible. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like when a blade “teases” me or points at me, so instead of doing what all the videos show, I suggest a little arrangement in 3 points:
- First, block with your forearm (ulnar edge) at 90° + strike the face simultaneously
- At the same time, move the threatened part away from the knife blade by moving your pelvis backwards, or you risk getting “sliced”,
- impact the face – not 20 strikes, 1, but a real one!
- Then put your hand on his elbow, and that’s when “everything” happens…
A “1second window”
I’ve broken it down in seconds so you don’t have to take any chances. But where is this one-second window, then?
If we “base ourselves” on the traditional Krav Maga technique that uses the armlock, and if, unfortunately, your attacker has minimum experience, there is a chance that he will have time to withdraw his arm before you have even blocked him. Of course, the attacker still has to have time to think about it, but you never know, your arm is still made of arteries!
Breaking it down.
So you’re going to try to do this:
- Your hand on his elbow, then you’re going to do this movement – this is a little trick I added.
If you do it sharply, chances are you’re going to break his arm and he’s going to let go, but let’s assume that he won’t.
- Then grab his arm, and by doing this pull/unwrap motion, you will move the blade away from your threatened part and at that point, yes, you can strike,
- Then grab his arm and strike!
You are supposed to take your attacker to the ground. However, this is risky since you are going to hit, you need to be able to control him strongly enough to drop a hand and hit. At that stage, it becomes much more complicated.
You also have to know that the second you unhook, you may get “sliced”. Make sure to analyze and find the “right moment”.
In this type of aggression, it is absolutely essential to have enough determination, energy and also enough courage! The more determined you are, the stronger your strikes will be, and it is quite possible that a natural disarmament will take place. Do you get it?
Once it’s done, try not to run into your attacker. Get the weapon without getting hurt and run away!
Assume that once the base is “ok” (blocking ulnar edge forearm at 90 ° + strike), the continuity of gestures is a BONUS!
