How to Defend Against Edge Weapon With Krav Maga

A form of martial arts developed in Israel, krav maga, or "close combat" in Hebrew, is a powerful form of hand-to-hand combat. Krav maga is quickly gaining popularity as a form of real life self-defense; however, it is not considered a sport, there are no competitions and students do not wear uniforms. One key krav maga technique is learning to protect yourself from an overhead attack with edge weapons.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Prepare yourself for the worst, one of the basic lessons in krav maga. Never assume that your attacker in unarmed just because you cannot visibly see an edge weapon. Knives are small and easily hidden in the palm of the hand, behind the back or in many other locations on the body.

2. Protect yourself from an overhead attack by forming your hand into a fist and lifting it up high as you step in slightly. Your upper arm should be even with the side of your head and your elbow bent while your forearm reaches forward. Strike your wrist against the attacker's forearm preventing the downward blow.

3. Keep your elbow at a 90-degree angle. If you do not bend your elbow enough, the attacker's blow will slide down your arm and the edge weapon will strike you in the side. If you bend your elbow too far, there will not be enough space between your arm and your head, and the blade may strike you in the face or scalp.

4. Counterattack the overhead blow by lifting your non-blocking hand and striking your attacker in the sensitive region between the head and shoulder of his striking arm. You can use this same technique to strike your attacker in the side of the face or in the nose.

5. Use the opening you have created to grab his wrist with your blocking arm and quickly pull it down to his side. At this point you can employ a variety of other krav maga techniques to drop his edge weapon and finish the fight.

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