Each week MASTERCLASS gives you brief but key information on how to optimise a simple Krav Maga strike or technique.
This week we’ll cover KNIFE SURVIVAL AGAINST ATTACKS 180° BELOW SOLAR PLEXUS, effectively responses against a very close stabbing attack to the abdomen or ribs, from below or the side.
ABOUT KNIFE SURVIVAL AGAINST ATTACKS 180° BELOW SOLAR PLEXUS
The first thing to realise with any hand defence responses to edged weapons attacks - by definition conducted at close range - is that earlier potential defence action such as avoidance, distance, conflict management, danger detection and exiting the situation has either failed or hasn’t been possible (e.g. remaining to protect third parties or because no exit is available).
If the attack is sudden and unexpected or the weapon is previously undetected, it’s highly likely you’ll get stabbed. The defence is then more about survival and preventing multiple strikes. As action beats reaction, even an expected attack at close range will be hard to defend.
Always disengage from any visible or suspected weapons attack scenario, wherever possible.
This defence is aimed at stopping the initial attack, controlling repeated stabs and fighting back through destabilising the attacker with striking back with blows to vulnerable areas (the head).
HOW TO DO THE KNIFE SURVIVAL AGAINST ATTACKS 180° BELOW SOLAR PLEXUS
If the knife is suspected or visible, try to keep distance and protect vital organs by; dropping head down between raised shoulders and place forearms and palms together in a ‘praying position’ in front of your upper body to cover heart and frontal organs. Move away with smaller sideways steps to ready yourself for explosive forward action if the attack occurs.
Once a stab below the solar plexus happens, there’s no way to detect the exact upward trajectory (below and up towards the abdomen or more angled towards the ribs) until the motion has happened - at which point any reaction will be too late.
The defence must therefore take into account any angle of attack.
Follow the below action, from the ‘praying position’ described above:
Send the arm matching the knife attack arm fast forward in a stabbing motion with palm open still facing inwards and fingers extended and connected, aiming to place your open palm on the attacker’s hip. Put the elbow slightly out to create an outward sliding barrier running all the way to protect all angles from central abdomen to chest height, effectively making sure the attacking knife will slide away from the body if sent low or just block if coming more from the side.
With the other hand, simultaneously send it forward in an appropriate 90° locked angle at the elbow with the hand unchanged from the ‘praying position’, to connect with the outside bony part near the wrist against the attacker’s lower bicep.
The explosive forward motion whilst keeping your lower body stationary will create a protective gap between your abdomen and chest and the knife hand.
If you lose balance forward, aim to step forward with the foot matching the knife hand.
Once connected with both your arms, drop the bicep-connected hand below the attacker’s elbow to prevent a recoil, as you move the block arm sharply forward turning your palm upwards to collect the knife-holding wrist into your elbow crook as you move past the shoulder line of the attacker in a continuous motion.
Once past, with the attacker now unbalanced and the knife arm pressed towards your straight-forward pointing chest (to create maximum friction and control) with the collecting arm pressed towards your ribs, move the close arm upwards and between your head and the attacker’s head as you commence to move in a wider spiral direction behind the attacker.
Commence striking diagonally downwards or sideways (attacker height dependant) the attacker’s neck or at the very top of the spinal cord with a slightly angled but locked at the elbow arm, connecting anywhere on the forearm or hand.
Drop the striking more vertically as the attacker bends down in response. Continue to strike ferociously. Switch to knee strikes to the head if appropriate if the head drops low.
The strikes are conducted in a continuous spiral movement motion to always keep the attacker off balance.
Practice the defence slowly and methodically until it becomes instinctive.
Picture: Krav Maga Master Gheorghe Husar demonstrating the defence with The Krav Maga Educator Orjan Pettersen for online tutorials.