How to take a kick to the groin

In sport fighting, such as mixed martial arts, kicking to the groin is not allowed. The reason these kicks are illegal is because a groin kick is hard to see coming, therefore it is very challenging to defend against. Also, when a groin kick lands correctly it is very damaging and can end the fight! This is the very reason it is allowed and encouraged in the Krav Maga training system. When it comes to self-defense, the Front Kick to the groin is a highly effective tool.
Kicks are more powerful than punches. Why? First of all, your legs are much stronger than your arms. They have been holding you up since the day you learned to walk and they carry your weight around all day long. Your legs are also longer than your arms, meaning kicks will give you a much greater reach advantage (which might even your odds against an opponent with longer arms who is untrained in using or defending against kicks). Legs are also harder to see coming than a punch.
Krav Maga emphasizes not just kicking to your target but kicking through the target. Remember, you want your foot to travel further than the contact point, which is why this kick may look like a high kick when performing it without making contact. Once you are comfortable kicking with the rear leg, practice kicking with the front leg. Kicking to the groin with the forward leg may feel less powerful, but it is faster and sneakier. Remember that you make contact with this kick with either the area of the foot where you would tie your shoes or with your shin. Master the groin kick and you will master one of the most effective tools in your self defense arsenal and remember that in the real world there’s no such thing as fair fight. Effectively delivering a groin kick might give you the time you need to escape a situation or neutralize one attacker long enough so you can deal with another. Either way there’s a reason we teach you how to deliver effective groin kicks…because they work.
 

This video shows beginners how to hold the pad for front kick to the groin, even for larger training partners. This concern comes up frequently from smaller students, especially ladies, when holding for bigger guys.

Transcript:

“Hi. I’m Glenda, and this is Randall. KravMagaTraining.com. We’re going to go over how to hold a pad properly when doing a front kick to the groin.

We have this come up a lot. We’ll have small people in class. Especially ladies, often times, and bigger guys, and they’re very nervous about holding the pad.

If I have somebody the same size as me, or someone who doesn’t kick very hard, I can get away with, I always want to keep my elbows bent slightly. I never want to completely lock my arms out regardless because I don’t want to hurt myself. But if it is somebody my same size I don’t have to do too much. I can bend my elbows slightly and take a kick. Go ahead and show me a kick. Full speed? Yeah.

If it’s somebody even stronger I need to adjust. So when he’s kicking full speed I’ll push slightly into it and make sure that my hips are back and flat-footed in a good stance. So I can take that, absorb that kick. Go ahead, full speed. Another one. Good.

So you can see about the only thing that moves on me is my hair. He’s a lot bigger and stronger than I am and, as long as you hold the pad right, you’ll feel confident and you’ll be able to work with bigger, stronger people.

Thanks for watching.”

“Pad training is not just for the person who is doing the combatives. Pad training ‘toughens up’ the holder or beginner student to prepare them for the impact of a self-defense or fighting scenario.”

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“It’s all fun and games until someone gets kicked in the groin” - A.J. Draven (me)

There is no way of knowing who or when someone will attack you.  It is important that we never make any assumptions about an attacker, and if we do assume anything, it should be that we would be at a disadvantage in size, strength, and stress level.

So if the person that attacks me is stronger than me, and faster, and more coordinated, how can I possibly get out of the situation safely?  One of the answers to that question is that I need to choose smart and effective counter attacks that will likely elicit a response out of someone regardless of size or strength.  I need to make quick movements that are difficult for the eye to perceive, thus making them difficult to defend against.  Going after the eyes, throat, groin, and knees are great places to start should you need to fight your way out of a dangerous situation.

One of these attacks is the front kick to the groin.  Sometimes referred to as ‘The Krav Maga Handshake’ (see official pic below!), we use this attack in many situations that require us to defend ourselves.  This move is effective, fast, hard to see, and it can do some seriously painful damage!

In this week’s video, we have a special guest instructor Kelly Campbell, who has been known to do some serious damage with her front kick.  In this particular scenario, someone has entered her home, and she uses the front kick as an effective weapon to do get an immediate response and then she moves in to finish the fight with other combatives.  Often, you can use this kick to buy yourself enough time to run away if that is best way to get out of the situation safely.  Every situation is different so the best plan of action is to make the strongest/fastest kick that you can and then assess your surroundings and any imminent threats and make your next decision from there.

Ok, that's all for now. Enjoy the video, be safe… and GO DO SOME KRAV MAGA TODAY!

-AJ @AJDraven – Twitter
Krav Maga Worldwide™ Lead Instructor

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