How to Use Krav Maga Grappling Techniques

Krav maga is known for its quick takedowns and its ability to disarm opponents and use their weapons against them. However, as a real life-based fighting system, krav maga places heavy emphasis on grappling techniques so that you know how to handle yourself on the ground. Follow these steps to use krav maga's important grappling techniques.

Instructions

1. Know how to fall. Whether you're in a fighting or self-defense situation, knowing how to fall, especially when an opponent is trying to throw you, can be the difference between winning and losing. Rolling and break-falling are not only ways to save yourself from a fall but also to convert the fall into active energy that can get you a few valuable feet away from an attacker so you can get back into position.

2. Know how to choke. Krav maga teaches choking and, at least as importantly, defenses from choking. In cases where an opponent gets a dominant position on the ground, you need to be able to prevent a choke or, in worse cases, free yourself from the choke. Most often, aggressors will use their thumbs to apply choking pressure to your neck. Use a hooked grip to break the tension in their wrist, pull their hand off of your neck and use their imbalance to topple them.

3. Get the arm and leg locks straight. Krav maga uses devastating arm and leg locks to control and disable an opponent while on the ground. Krav maga teaches you to use your hips to control your opponent's body weight on the ground so that you set up for an arm or leg lock. Set up the leg lock by distracting the opponent with a series of strikes that requires the opponent to free his hands or legs to block. Then go in for the arm or leg lock to finish your opponent.

4. Be brutal. At the end of the day, krav maga grappling is less about impressive reversals and throws than it is about using sheer, effective brutality to stun or disable your opponent so that you can get back on your feet. One effective example is holding your opponent's head and then shouting into his ear as loudly as possible to stun him. The goal is to shock and stun your opponent so you can get back up to fight or get away.