One of my favorite films of all time is The Princess Bride (hence the ‘as you wish title!’). There is a scene where Fezzik, played by Andre the Giant, is fighting the Man in Black.

The scene goes like this:

Fezzik: Well, I haven’t fought just one person for so long … [struggling] … I’ve been specializing in groups – fighting gangs for local charities, that kind of thing.

The Man in Black: Why should that make such a … difference?

Fezzik: You see, you use different moves when you’re fighting half a dozen people, than when you only have to worry about one.

— Remember Fezzik? Here is a picture!

Anyway, contrary to Fezzik’s issues with fighting only one man, the average person will likely have more trouble with multiple people. In this week’s video, I talk about the tactic of ‘Stacking’ an opponent to get into a better position when dealing with more than one person.

The goal is to get out from in between multiple attackers. It is very difficult to defend yourself when attackers can come at you from different angles, especially with your back turned. By using the stacking method, you can turn one attacker during the fight, so that your back is not exposed. The technique involves pivoting your feet and controlling the attackers neck and head.

Remember, stacking takes some strength and good control, so it is much easier to perform after the attacker has been ‘softened up’ by some combatives like a groin strike or a punch to the face.

Ok, that’s all for this week. Enjoy the Video, be safe… And GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!

-AJ @ajdraven on Twitter

First of all, Happy Holidays to all of my Krav Maga friends and family! I am so grateful to all of those out there who share our great self defense system and help to make this world a safer place!  Now let’s talk about the Front Kick:

Kicks are generally a longer range weapon, so you can make an effective strike with them from a relatively long distance.  One of the most useful kicks, is the ‘Front Kick to a Vertical Target’ (Our technique names are useful but aren’t very creative, see ‘Spinning tiger dragon palm budda fist’… haha).  In this kick, we are using the ball of our foot to strike aggressively at the stomach, solar plexus, or even the throat or face.  Think of this as a punch to the gut or higher of course depending on your target, and of course using your foot instead of your fist as the weapon.

My goal is to do damage to an oncoming attacker, not necessarily create distance between us. The striking surface of the ball of my foot is small, and thus it penetrates more than using my whole foot, which would likely do less damage, but would maybe stop an attacker or buy me some time before I make my next move.

If I chamber my knee up first and then fire my hips forward, I can throw a very effective kick, and then work my way in for closer range combatives, or even leave the situation if the kick did the job on its own.  Be sure to keep your shoulders relaxed, because if they crunch forward, you won’t be able to fire your hips as aggressively.

Ok, that’s all for now.  Hope you enjoy the video! Happy Holidays, Be safe, and of course… Go do some Krav Maga today!

-AJ @ajdraven

I consider elbows your ‘Best Friends’ in a fight.  It doesn’t matter how big or strong you are, you can use the extremely sharp bone in front of your elbow to do a ton of damage to an oncoming attacker.

Elbows are short range weapons, so you need to be in relatively close range to an attacker.  You can also use your elbows in any direction around your body, which makes them an extremely versatile combative.

Today’s video focuses on what we call Elbow #1, or forward elbow.  The key to executing this attack effectively is to use your entire body, starting with your feet, then legs, hips, and finally your shoulder.  Tuck your thumb to your chest as you rotate and drive through the target, thus ensuring a small, sharp striking surface that can easily penetrate and do maximum damage to an attacker.  Be sure to recoil and get back to a good stance so that you can assess what to do next.  And then, as always… go home safe!

Ok, hope you enjoy the video this week.  Now go do some Krav Maga today! -AJ

@AJDraven – Twitter

The danger is this:  An attacker wraps their hand or hands around your throat, cutting off the air supply to your body, causing you to suffocate.  This attack can of course be fatal, and must be defended against as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Chokes are very common in violent crimes of passion and cases of Domestic Violence.  The attacker does not need a weapon, just his hands to potentially kill someone.

Fortunately, we can defend against a choke without relying on our strength vs. that of the attacker, as it is important to assume an attacker will be bigger and stronger than you are.  In this video, I demonstrate a one-handed plucking defense against a choke.  The principle of the defense is that I am ‘ripping’ and the attackers thumb as quickly and explosively as possible, causing it to move away from my throat.  Simultaneously, I am striking the attacker in the face to catch him off guard and prevent oncoming attacks.  From there I continue to improve my position and throw counter attacks until the attacker is no longer a threat.

I hope you enjoy the video this week,  let me know your thoughts here, on Facebook, or Twitter.  Thanks!

—

AJ – @AJDraven – Twitter

Ever wonder what the best way was to defend against a punch in a street fight? Well if so, this is your lucky day!

In this weeks video, we go over one of the most common attacks, the straight punch.  The goal is to get your hands up in front of your face and redirect the punch offline, instead of trying to stop or block the incoming attack.  Once the punch has been redirected, proceed to throw counter strikes until the attacker is no longer a threat.  Then go home safe!

The scenario that I teach in the video assumes a very good state of readiness, thus allowing us to throw a simultaneous counter attack to the body while the punch is coming at you.  If you are a bit later, or less ‘ready’, you may have to forgo the initial strike, and just clear the hand and punch to the face after the redirection.  As usual, the more aware that you are, the more ready you will be to defend anything that comes at you.

Ok, that’s all for now.  Enjoy the video, and of course, do some Krav Maga today!

– AJ @ajdraven

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  In this week’s Thanksgiving themed video, I teach how to create a distraction using common objects in a fight.

If you are forced to defend yourself, it is necessary to gain any available advantage.  We must assume that the attacker will be bigger, stronger, and/or faster than us.  This means that any distraction that we can create will help us to level the playing field and to achieve our ultimate goal, which is to go home safe of course!

In this video, I demonstrate how to open up one of the most effective strikes in a street fight, the groin kick, by using a common object like a drink or a set of keys as a distraction.  Any object will work, just throw it at the attackers face in order to get him to flinch, or raise his hands, and then the groin should be wide open for a kick.

I hope you enjoy the video, let me know what you think!

Be safe, enjoy your Thanksgiving, and of course… Do some Krav Maga today!

-AJ @AJDraven

The new video is out!  In this week’s video I discuss how to defend against someone trying to kick you.  The kick of the day is a rising kick, likely to the groin area.  The context is that I am very late.  I would much prefer to defend with my legs against a low kick like this one, but because I am so late, it is necessary to defend with my hands.  We often call this the ‘Reflexive Defense’ against a front kick, as it is based on the reflexive/instinctual movement of trying to protect your groin with your hands.

Anyway, enjoy the video, and feel free to share or comment. Thanks, and go do some Krav Maga today!