Many assaults end up on the ground.  You can fall, trip or slip.  An assailant might hit you, push or pull you to the ground. In real situations, you are not falling on a soft mat but rather on a sidewalk, hard floor, or other dangerous surfaces where you are then vulnerable to kicks, punches, chokes, being pinned down. It is a very dangerous place to be! Experts at the Krav Maga Academy Toronto have put together some useful tips to help you deal with this type of scenario.

Protect Your Vulnerable Parts: Chin into the chest, head off the ground, arms protecting head and ribs and legs between you and the attacker.

Keep Limbs Close: Don’t give someone an opportunity to grab your limbs and put you in a lock or expose your vulnerable parts. When striking, make sure you recoil as fast as possible.

Fight Dirty: Look for vulnerable targets. Bite, pinch, gouge, scream, scratch –whatever it takes to protect yourself! There are no rules, only your survival.

Keep Legs Between You and the Attacker:  Having your strongest muscles between you and the attacker give you the best chance of defending yourself.  If the attacker gets around your legs, he has easier access to vulnerable areas such as your head, ribs etc.

Get Up!:  Easier said than done but being on the ground leaves you more vulnerable to concealed weapons, secondary attackers, the primary attacker and the ground itself!

For more information and to sign up for a self-defense class, visit Toronto Krav Maga Academy’s website.