Darren Levine - Krav Maga for Beginners

This elbow strike targets an attacker coming from the front.

Starting Position:Modified neutral stance with both hands up.

1Bring your right hand in to your shoulder, creating a firm bend in your elbow.

2-3Swing your elbow up, pivoting your hip and shoulder in and up to generate more power. Strike your target’s chin with the point just below the tip of your elbow.

Recoil and return to starting position.

Training Tips:A great analogy for this movement is to think of brushing your hair back from your ear. This helps you to drive your elbow straight upward. Some students have limited range of motion and may not be able to rotate their arm and shoulder upward fully. You can vary this movement by raising your arm diagonally across your body so that your elbow travels up and across to the other side. This variation may not help you strike at all openings, but it’s better than not striking at all.

This elbow strike is similar to a downward hammerfist (page 91). The attacker is poised to attack you from a low angle, or is doubled over (following a groin kick, for example).

Starting Position:Modified neutral stance with both hands up.

1Bring your right hand in to your shoulder, creating a firm bend in your elbow.

2Bend your knees and drop your weight down as you swing your elbow down. Strike the back of your opponent’s head or neck with the point just above (i.e., toward your shoulder) the tip of your elbow.

Recoil and return to starting position.

Training Tips:If you’re going to use this elbow in a real violent encounter, be sure you target sensitive areas. Don’t try giving this elbow to your opponent’s back. He won’t feel it during an adrenaline rush. Target areas that will hurt him immediately so that you can be safe.

A hook punch is suitable when your opponent is close. Rather than punching straight ahead, you bend your elbow and punch around your opponent’s defense, aiming at the side of his face or body. Body movement is extremely important. Here we demonstrate a left hook punch, but you can execute a right hook punch as well. In some ways, a right hook punch is easier because it’s easier to engage the rear hip.

Starting Position:Left-leg-forward fighting stance.

1Send your left fist forward, bring ing your elbow up so that your forearm is parallel to the floor. Your elbow should remain bent. As your hand travels to the target, the meaty part (the pinky end of the fist) should remain down. Rotate your left shoulder and hip forward and inward, adding power in the direction of the punch. Make contact with your first two knuckles against the side of your opponent’s jaw or body. Pivot the front (left) foot to add power.

2Recoil. The fastest way to recover from the hook punch is to simply drop your elbow down (this brings your hand up into a guard position) then rotate your body back into starting position.

Training Tips:A hook punch is very similar to Elbow #1. As you train more, you’ll notice that you can deliver hook punches from many angles and distances. When your opponent is very close, throw a hook punch with a very bent elbow. When he is farther away, open your elbow up so the hook punch reaches farther in front of you.

Be sure your elbow and forearm are supporting your fist. If your punch is traveling exactly parallel to the floor, then your forearm should be exactly parallel to the floor. This allows your forearm to brace your hand when your fist strikes the target, adding power and protecting your hand.

One trick to learning a good hook punch is to relax your shoulder as much as possible. Some beginners make their shoulder very rigid so that the arm moves only in association with the body rotation. Relax your shoulder so that the arm can move independently of the body. Then, when the body turns and the arm swings, the two motions act to create even more power.

An uppercut can be thought of as a hook punch from a different angle. Whereas the body rotates inward in the direction of the hook punch, the uppercut punch rotates the body upward.

Starting Position:Left-leg-forward fighting stance.

1Bend slightly at the waist (con tracting your abs) and knees. This will drop your center a bit below the target. The amount of bend can be very slight, depending on the height of your opponent—your only goal is to get your punching hand below the target without lowering your hands too far from your face.

2Punch out and upward with your left hand so that the meaty part of your fist faces your opponent’s body. Rotate your left shoulder inward and upward. Keep your elbow close to your body at all times. Do not drop your hand down to your waist—this exposes you to a counter punch. As your punch rises toward the target, drive your legs upward as well, adding power. Just before contact, rotate your fist so that your palm faces back toward you, adding torque to the punch.

Once you’ve punched through the target, pull your arm back down in a piston-like motion to recoil and return to starting position.

Training Tips:When you make an uppercut punch, think about your elbow sliding along your ribs. This encourages you to strike straight upward, rather than on an awkward diagonal, which is a common mistake. If you rip straight up the middle, your punch will be stronger and harder for the opponent to see.

A headbutt can be a devastating weapon; it’s performed at extremely close range, either while standing or on the ground. Be sure to keep your chin down and strike with the crown of your forehead against the soft tissue of his face. In this book, we only cover the headbutt forward. There are more angles at which you can use a headbutt, but this is by far the most common.

Starting Position:Stand nearly toe to toe with your opponent. You can grab your opponent’s head, either by the ears or sides of the hair, for extra control and power.