Defending Against a Standing Opponent - Defender on the Ground G1

Against a soccer or a football kick directed towards your upper body or head. Hand and body defense, the active and dynamic defenses together with an early counter attack, kicking with the following. The hand defenses executed with the fleshy part naturally away from the body, away from the head.

If the attacker is kicking with the toes, or has a good shoe and kicking with the point of the shoe, block should be stopping the kick away from the head. But one should not absorb the kick with the forearm. Move away from the kick, sending your upper body and aligned parallel to the kick, directing both legs towards the opponent. The close leg should be lifted so the knee will be close to the elbow. The bony part of your shin should be blocking the kick. However, if you do it at the correct timing, it will not be absorbing much of the kick. The kick will be more or less sliding on it. This is due to the angle that you created.

Like in the outer defenses of the 360, where one hand is blocking, and the other one is counter attacking. Here too, one shin is blocking, and the other leg is kicking. The first kick is usually directed towards the groin of the opponent. Continue then with more counter attacks, eventually get up with more counter attacks, or move away from the danger zone.

An opponent situated close to you is trying to hit your head or upper body with a stomping kick. Inside defense with the forearm is aimed to deflect the kick at the early part of it. Meaning, when the kick is relatively high, just starting to be directed towards the target, it’s being deflected as soon as possible with a defense that has a bit of a sweeping characteristic in it. As soon as possible, convert the defense to the initial counter attack with a straight punch towards the groin area.

With a hand defense you are also doing a bit of a body defense. This is the top of the body. Moving sideways is rather difficult, so bringing the shoulder up, turning the body, is the main part of the body defense. Counter attack a couple of times with strikes to the groin. Then push away at the opponent’s knees. Crawl, move away, upwards and to the side. This will enable you to move away from the collapsing opponent and getting out from the line, or the channel, of his attacks. As soon as possible, you should lift your leg to be able to counter attack, kick the opponent. Or, on the other hand, maybe you will need it to stop the person from falling on you.

Pushing at the opponent’s knees will either prevent or delay the opponent from crashing towards you. It also enables you to move quickly from beneath the opponent. After the initial strikes and the initial kicks, continue with more counter attacks, and then get up as soon as you can. Getting up can be while attacking, kicking, and moving aggressively towards the opponent, or moving away from the danger zone. All is needed is as suitable in the situation.

Against an opponent who is jumping and trying to stomp you on the upper body or head. Usually the opponent will be running from the area of your legs, towards the area of your head and upper body. You should bring your shins and hands, as protection, over your body and head, like a clam. Then spring outward, kicking the opponent as soon as possible. In a good timing, both your legs will be kicking, hitting the opponent’s groin area and thigh. In most cases this will cause the opponent to lose his balance and fall on his head or body. In such a case, continue with multiple counter attacks, getting up and with the finishing mode, all is needed.

This action of bringing your shins and forearms to protect your body and head, this clamming type of action, should be done as early as possible. If the opponent is still away from you, springing outward, sending your legs double kicking towards the opponent’s lower part of the body, is extremely efficient. If you are late, it can be that the kick will slide on this slope that you created, the shins and the forearms. After the kick has slid then you can continue with the initial counter attacks.

In this clamming action, creating the slope, one elbow should be between the legs between the knees. The other one, outside it. The idea is to create a surface which is quite tight, that the kick will not be able to penetrate between the different links. When you kick the opponent, catching him in the air, be sure that both your legs do not allow the opponent’s leg to penetrate between them. So your feet should be rather perpendicular to the kicking leg. After the initial counter attacks, while you’re on the ground, getting up as early as possible is most important. Continue then with the appropriate finishing mode.