Here’s a useful one from krav maga expert and former police officer, Branimir Tudjan. The drill works best in a group of three or more, and is an exercise in continuous body movement. It’s a good idea to watch the clip all the way through first to get the reasoning behind the drill, and also to hear the context and safety precautions for the strikes if you’re a newbie.
The first 6 minutes covers 7 basic strikes that work well in a sudden or melee type of situation. I like to call these types of moves, one-hit-wonders because they’re straight forward fight-stoppers. Also, you don’t need years of advanced training to use them, though they can still be used with softer “more advanced” skills if you’ve got ‘em.
For another angle on sudden use situations, check out the video on The Fence in my previous article on Geoff Thompson.
A Repertoire of Strikes
You’ll notice that I’ve added two photos from Bruce Lee’s book, for a total of nine strikes. These last ones require more training and aim, but they still fit the theme.
| Strike | Target Areas | |
| #1 [0min 23sec] | GROIN SLAP | groin, use non-telegraphed pendulum motion |
| #2 [2min 26sec] | CLOTHESLINE | throat, or to capture the head |
| #3 [2min 51sec] | HAMMER STRIKE | occiput, jawline, temples |
| #4 [3min 18sec] | KNEE STRIKE | groin, spine, thighs |
| #5 [4min 21sec] | ELBOW STRIKE | throat, breastbone |
| #6 [4min 04sec] | GROIN KICK | groin, shins |
| #7 [5min 18sec] | HEAD BUTT | chin, jaw, jawline |
| #8 | HEEL STOMP | knees (sides or back), shins, or top of feet |
| #9 | FINGER JAB | eyes or throat (can be performed from farther away than the example in the photo) |
Next, the fun part…!
For the second half of the clip, the role of the attackers is to grab and restrain the defender.
The defender’s role is to simply not get caught, while maintaining minimum distance. I’ve taught this kind of drill many times over the years (randori versions of “en no undo” & “sen no undo” in the Bujinkan), and it’s a great way to practice mindful non-attachment and being the observer. Eventually, you’ll become familiar and even comfortable with the swarming pattern, as well as be able to recognize openings and opportunities. Plus, the drill doubles as a great cardio workout!
When it’s decided, the defender switches from being purely defensive, to counterstriking with the methods listed above, or with whatever responses suit the moment.
You can also amp up the drill by allowing the attackers to strike and kick as well as grab, while varying the sophistication of the attacks.
Any thoughts on why the standard “punch” isn’t on the list of strikes?
Got a favorite “one-hit-wonder” that’s not listed here? Add them to the comments!
I am wondering, how long would a kick in a groin would disable the opponent for? Apparently, elementary school children play “sack tag” or something like that, but we (Russian kids) never did, so I have no idea! Like how many seconds would the person be disabled for if he got a kick of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10? How much time do I have to get away?
Unless he was wearing a groin cup or on some strong substances, I don’t think it would be possible to run right afterwards.
Those trained for this still require a good deal of prep time, and must maintain composure and breath control in order to not get hurt when receiving the strike. Chasing/running, mental frustration, drunkenness, fatigue, even laughing might undo all of that, since they effect one’s ready state.
I was at a Bujinkan seminar in Richmond, BC once when the out-of-town teacher demonstrated receiving kicks to the groin and punches to the throat. It’s no joke, for sure. But beforehand, he mentioned that he could be in for some pain, since he shared in some joking and laughing earlier on.
Now, if Brante could just tailor make some bust-a-gut jokes to use as a technique against situations like these!
I can safely say, that with a very strong strike, unless your opponent has specifically trained to be struck in the groin, at least several minutes, if not longer. A severe kick may damage organs which would require a trip to the ER.
PS: I love when he says “with all respect to Ninjas!”. LOL
For a 7/10 strike, I’d say 5 minutes. Blacking out is also possible, and 10/10 is approaching sterility.
The game’s called “roshambo”, see Youtube ‘funniest videos’ and numerous South Park episodes. Maybe it’s therapeutically discomforting or stress-relieving for males to laugh at a fictitious kick in the nuts, rather than be empathetic. Although it only works if it’s males doing the joking!
Incidentally, popular belief is that females aren’t vulnerable to being kicked in the groin, but that’s just a belief of course. Though not as low on the anatomy, even the pubic bone can hurt like hell when impacted lightly but directly with a knuckle or tip of a shoe.