We must learn to stand before we can walk…

Every now and then it is good to get back to the basics, and focus on the foundation of which we build upon.  When learning how to protect yourself, that foundation is our fighting stance.

We must get into a position that affords us the best balance, strength, and flexibility.  We must be able to defend any type of attack and counter to the best of our abilities from our fighting stance.  We should be able to move fluidly and adapt quickly to whatever danger is sent our way.

In my opinion, the best fighting stance is one that feels comfortable and is easy to get into.    By simply taking a natural step forward with your non-dominant leg, you are putting your feet in a good and comfortable position.  Your weight should be balanced and it is best to go onto the balls of your feet.  This will make you more explosive when it is time to move, and help you to go in any direction necessary.  Now bring your hands up to protect your face, and tuck your chin.  (see video for demo).

I like to call this your home base.  From here you can strike, defend, gain distance, assess the area and situation, and plan your escape.  It is important to understand that anything can happen and the context of any particular situation will dictate the best course of action.  From a proper fighting stance, we are giving ourselves the best chance to get out of a dangerous situation safely.

Ok, thats all for now. Enjoy the video, be safe… and GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!

-AJ @AJDraven – Twitter

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When dealing with a gun threat, we must always keep a few things in mind.  First and foremost, this is not an active shooter scenario, and the gunman is currently ‘threatening’ us as opposed to shooting at us.  The gunman likely wants something from us;  our wallet, car keys, or even to move us to another location.  Regardless of what he wants, we know that he hasn’t decided to pull the trigger to shoot us and that we have an opportunity to defend if we think that is our best option for survival.  It is important to understand that we are not necessarily racing against a pull of the trigger, but more the decision of the gunman to escalate his attack from a gun threat to that of an active shooter.  (He may decide at any second to become an active shooter so we must proceed with caution and extreme efficiency should we decide to defend against his threat.)

Second, we must take into account our own training and knowledge of the situation.  If you are new to training, and haven’t spent a lot of time dealing with weapons defenses, it may be best to comply with the attacker and give them what they want.  If the gunman is asking for an item such as your purse, wallet, keys, etc… then there is a good chance that he will just take it and leave you to go home safe.  These things can all be replaced.

However if the gunman is attempting to kidnap or assault you, it may be in your best interest to attempt a defense as the likelihood of survival in one of these situations is significantly decreased.

***This is in no way an exact science and every situation is different.  Your situational awareness and your gut instincts will help you decide if defending or complying is the better course of action.***

We also must realize that we likely have very little to zero knowledge of this attackers gun.  The weapon may be in perfect working order and it may not even be a real gun at all.  If our defense is successful and we disarm the attacker, we cannot assume that the gun will work and that we will be able to use the gun against continued attacks.  If I have knowledge of guns, I can attempt to clear the weapon and threaten my attacker to stay back as I assess the situation.  (This may or may not work, so we cannot rely on this to happen every time).  However it is more likely that we will be able to use the gun as a strong blunt object to attack with, as long as we stay out of the line of fire at all times.

This video discusses the specifics of a gun threat to the side of the body and in front of the arm.  Remember, watching a gun defense video online is a good supplement to your training but you must get some hands on experience.  Take these tools and practice them in a Krav Maga class near you, and hopefully in my class one day!

Ok, thats all for now.  Enjoy the video, be safe… and GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!

-AJ  @AJDraven – Twitter

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“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
– Mike Tyson

Iron Mike has said a lot of things over time, but in this case, I couldn’t agree more! If someone should ‘plan’ on attacking us, they had better be ready for the fight of their lives… and we just may send an uppercut their way!

Knowing how to punch is one of the most (if not the most) important aspects of self defense.  We instinctually use our hands for almost everything, and learning how to punch effectively can potentially save your life in even the most dangerous situations.

Today we are focusing on the uppercut punch.  This is a mid to close range combative that is meant to come from low to high, and likely up in between the targets hands.

As with all punches (and strikes in general), it is crucial to get your body working in conjunction with your hands when striking.  Using very similar mechanics to a straight punch, we want our body weight to drive forward into our attacker (assuming the attacker is in front of us of course).  The difference is that I also must drive my weight slightly up, or to the same angle that I am punching.  I must push with my feet, legs, hips, and torso.  I then drive my shoulder forward and snap my hand towards the target.  Finally recoil back to your fighting stance in a circular motion after striking through the target.  Be sure when punching to have a tight fist and use the top two bigger knuckles.  Your palm should be facing you when striking, and your wrist should be aligned properly to prevent hurting yourself.  (see video for details!)

It takes a little time and practice to get used to throwing an effective uppercut, but once you get the hang of it, it can be a very effective weapon.  I recommend wearing gloves to protect your hands and wrists until you feel comfortable with this strike.

Lastly, remember that we are not boxing here, so use the uppercut in conjunction with other weapons such as elbows, kicks, and knees if you should have to defend yourself.

Ok, thats all for now.  Enjoy the video, be safe… and GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!

-AJ  @AJDraven

Please leave it in the comments, or on Twitter or Facebook!

There are not a lot of things more dangerous than a knife attack or threat.  Knives are  unpredictable, and can be used in so many different ways that we have to be extremely careful when creating our defenses.

In this particular scenario, the attacker is threatening me with the knife against my throat.  There are only a few ways that I can move without getting cut, slashed, or stabbed.  My movement will change based on which part of my throat the knife is placed on.  In this video, we will focus on the knife to the left side of my throat.

The goal is to control the weapon while sending an effective strike to help maintain control, prevent oncoming attacks, and eventually take the weapon away.  If I rely on controlling the attackers hands without throwing a strike, I must be faster and/or stronger than my attacker, and that is not always the case.  As usual, we must prepare for the worst situation, and the only assumption that we should make is that we must strike as quickly as we can to an area that is likely to illicit a response from our attacker.

Ok that’s all for now, enjoy the video, be safe, and… GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!

-AJ  @AJDraven

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