Ground Survival

Ground Survival (Yellow-Black Belts)

This course teaches how to survive an assault while you are on the ground.  The focus is on the most common types of attacks when confronted on the ground. 

Krav maga ground survival techniques incorporate both defensive and offensive tactics and can generally be summarized as: “What we do up, we do down.” In other words, in krav maga, whatever is done from an upright position, is done (with modification) from a ground position. As there are no rules in an “up” fight, there are no rules in a “down” fight.  Krav maga employs many of its standing combatives on the ground including groin, eye, and throat strikes in combination with joint breaks and dislocations designed to maim your attacker.

Movement on the ground is different from standing movement. The nature of ground fighting can allow one attacker superior control and positioning, the other attacker cannot run or evade as he might while standing. Krav maga ground survival is best defined as “what we do up, we do down” with additional specific ground-fighting capabilities.

Ground Survival Summary

• With proper body positioning, an adversary on the ground can be pummeled severely while giving him little defensive recourse.
• Logically, in both standing and ground fights, it becomes difficult for an adversary to fight effectively if his hands or limbs are broken, and rendering an adversary unconscious quickly ends a fight.
• Every type of lock requires moving the joint against its natural articulation with breaking pressure.
• While we teach certain core arm dislocation positions, once you have an understanding of the biomechanics, you can apply the principles to many situations. This is especially important in the fluidity of a fight.
• Optimally, you will use the entire force and weight of your body to apply pressure against an adversary’s joint. This is the key principle to joint locks.
• Remember that a joint lock, however decisive and quick, still ties you up momentarily, exposing you to a second adversary—or multiple adversaries—attacking you.

Keep in mind that while either standing, clinched, or on the ground, krav maga is designed for everyone. A smaller opponent can defeat a larger, stronger, and perhaps more athletic opponent. A well-trained kravist will possess core training in all three combat phases. In a rapidly unfolding fighting chess match, the best way to defend against an offensive technique is to know the offensive technique. Knowing an array of techniques solidifies your ability at an advanced level.