Section · 17 articles
Techniques
Strikes, defenses against punches and kicks, knife and gun disarms, ground survival.
Palm Heel Strike
Krav Maga's default closed-distance hand strike. Trades a little power for a lot of structural safety in the wrist.
Hammer Fist Strike
The closed-fist option for when a palm heel won't reach the angle you need — particularly to the side, behind, and downward.
Front Kick to the Groin
The most-trained Krav Maga kick. Universally effective, telegraph-resistant, and works from almost any stance.
Knee Strikes — The Clinch Workhorse
When you're inside punching range and have something to grab, knees end fights faster than fists.
Elbow Strikes — Eight Angles
At touching range, the elbow is the hardest, bluntest weapon on the body. Krav Maga teaches eight numbered angles.
Defense Against a Straight Punch
The 360-degree outside defense. The most-drilled defense in the entire Krav Maga civilian curriculum.
Defense Against a Front Choke (Two-Handed, Standing)
Pluck and pluck-with-counter — the textbook response to one of the most common assault patterns.
Defense Against a Knife — The Three Lines
Stab from above, stab from below, slash across. Three lines of attack, three families of defense, one underlying principle.
Defense Against a Handgun at Contact Distance
When the muzzle is pressed to your chest, you are inside the gun's reaction window. Krav Maga's gun-defense doctrine starts here.
Ground Survival — Get Up, Don't Stay There
Krav Maga's ground doctrine is the opposite of BJJ's. The mat is a transition, not a destination.
Defense Against a Side Headlock
The classic schoolyard hold, the bar-fight grab, and the wrestling clinch all converge here. One position, three serious risks, one reliable escape.
Defense Against a Rear Bear Hug
Arms-free and arms-trapped bear hugs need different defenses. Both are textbook material from your first month.
Defense Against a Choke From Behind
Two hands on your throat from behind — the most dangerous standing choke. Seconds matter; the defense is short and explosive.
Defense Against a Hair Grab
A pull by the hair is a control-and-drag attack. The defense is fast, dirty, and ends with the attacker on the ground.
Defense Against a Stick or Club
Baseball bat, tire iron, broom handle — the same defense family handles all of them, with different counter-target priorities by weapon length.
Defense Against Being Pulled Into a Vehicle
A drag toward a car door is one of the highest-priority abduction scenarios women's curricula address. The defense is short, brutal, and committed.
Defense Against a Wall Choke
When the back is against a wall, the standard front-choke defense changes — the wall takes away the drop, opens different counters, and constrains disengagement.