Defense Against a Rifle / Long Gun Threat G4 -Training Syllabus

Against the rifle threat from the front, moving toward the live side. As with the pistol threat, hand defense, body defense, controlled counterattack, and disarm. The hand defense should take the rifle to the side. Rifle cannot be taken downwards because the barrel would be directed towards you, not like with the pistol. So one has to take the rifle upwards. This is being done with the assistance of the strike to the head of the opponent and also a strike to the barrel area. Strike to the barrel area is not needed all the time. This depends, how effective was your strike to the head of the opponent?

But in defense, everything, sending the whole body diagonally forward, getting out of the channel of the attack. Together with the body defense, we have steps taking the body diagonally forward. Usually the step is deep with the leg to its side you are stepping, meaning here, step with the left leg deep towards the side of the opponent.

Here due to balance issues, right leg went first. Still, the whole body motion, especially where the rifle is aiming, is moving sideways with the turning, with pivoting, and with movement diagonally forward. The deflecting arm is kept as straight as possible. The supporting arm after striking is hitting the barrel from below. The rifle has been turned, and then the back hand is assisting in turning the barrel, meaning the whole rifle, so the barrel is pointing to the opponent’s body.

Rotating the rifle and pulling it disarms the opponent. At this moment, you could continue striking the opponent with the weapon itself, and then move away from the danger zone. It is possible to make the rifle ready, meaning opening the safety and poking it, and then moving away, or just move away quickly from the danger zone without pointing or using or reusing the gun. Remember, the moment you are using the gun, you may be considered an enemy and a dangerous person, maybe even a terrorist by the people, maybe some forces that just came to the area.

It is recommended that when you move away, you are concealing the weapon as much as you can. In the dry drill, we can see the hand defense, the body defense, the counterattack. This is the main section of the dry drill. Of course, one also could continue to simulate a disarming. Regarding the rhythm and the sequence of the flipping of the weapon and the kick, usually after the punch you are striking the weapon, the barrel upwards. All of this is being done while pushing forward constantly so the opponent is losing his balance and being pushed forward. And then kicking the opponent, usually the first kick can be delivered while the barrel is high, more or less in the same time as the back hand grabs the back of the weapon, the neck of the back of the weapon.

Neutralizing a rifle threat from the front while moving to the blind side. Practically almost an identical technique, but one needs to be ready to do it both directions. Maybe there is a dear person to you at your right side. In this case, your right hand should be deflecting the weapon towards the left side. Hand defense with C-grip, like in the pistol, like before. Part of the hand defense we are utilizing body defense, turning and moving diagonally forward. Burst as strongly as you can and deliver a strong strike to the opponent’s head. Continue with lifting the weapon. Sometimes you can do it just with the hand that was deflecting it. Sometimes you need to strike the weapon to assist its elevation. Use your back leg to kick the opponents in the groin area while the rear hand is pulling the butt of the weapon, flipping it, directing the barrel toward the opponent. Pull the weapon, disarm the opponent.

The finishing mode is usual if you need use the weapon for striking, or even reusing it as a firearm, meaning opening the safety and cocking the weapon, aiming it as needed. Naturally, what we would like to achieve is concealing the weapon and moving away from the danger zone. For us, for the use of self defense to be safe as possible.

Variation using double control in neutralizing a rifle threat from the front. One hand deflects the weapon sideways while applying the basic body defense, meaning turning and moving the enemy forward while the other hand is grabbing the barrel, pushing it sideways, and then both of the hands are lifting the weapon upwards. Counterattack as soon as you can with knee kicks with the back leg. With both arms, as straight as possible, shove, push, strike the opponent’s head with the weapon. More or less, you are thinking about pushing the weapon towards the opponent’s shoulder or face, while pushing yourself forward as hard as you can and striking with your back leg. Then do the basic disarming, meaning your back hand should grab the neck of the butt of the weapon, then you rotate it and pull it. After disarming the opponent, do the basic finishing mode, meaning more counterattacks, and all moving away rapidly from the danger zone.

Neutralizing a rifle threat from behind, moving to the live side. As in the defense against a pistol threat from behind, you can see the hand defense, the body defense, moving deeply, countering, disarming the opponent. The control with the defending hand is a wrapping action. Here we are delaying a bit the first counterattack for the favor of grabbing and controlling the weapon with two hands. Usually you start with looking backwards. With this, the body turns a bit. Start with the hand defense. Utilize a body turn first body defense. Step as close as possible to the opponent, getting out from the line and later from the channel of the attack. With the deflecting hand, send the palm forward, wrap it and trap the weapon as close as possible to the opponent. Here if the palm is a hook is positioned on the rear sights, it is good. The back hand grabs the rear part of the weapon, the neck of the butt, or can even grab the opponent’s hand. All depends on the weapon and the way it’s being held.

The back leg advances deep so now you are positioned more or less in a fighting stance by the side of the opponent. The moment the second step landed, the other leg is already with a knee kick directed towards the groin of the opponent. Your whole body action is pushing the opponent backwards. Strike few times with knee kicks, then pull the opponent’s weapon and rotate it more or less horizontally, bringing the barrel to the opponent’s direction. Striking with the barrel, striking with the butt as needed, and then move away from the danger zone. The defending hand should drop itself after deflection around the weapon and bring it tightly and closely to your body towards your chest. Your rear hand is also using a C-grip, grabbing the weapon from the side, not from above.

Neutralizing a rifle threat from behind, moving towards the dead side. You start it by looking backwards and then continue with the hand defense, body defense, strong control with counterattack, and then disarming and moving away from the danger zone. Like in the pistol threat and in the technique before, the hand defense is deflecting the weapon sideways, and then slides alongside the weapon and then wrap itself around it. At the same time, step deeply with the same leg. With the back hand, go and trap the weapon. However, the opponent’s head is on the way, so strike and then trap the opponent’s weapon. Continue with pulling the rifle and turning the barrel towards the opponent’s head. As needed, you can strike with knee kicks using your back leg. Knee kicks can go to the groin, the solar plexus, or the front leg of the opponent.

The first counterattack, the strike with the back hand, should be at such an angle that will turn the opponent’s head, send him just a little bit backward, but will not create a disengagement. Meaning will not take the weapon, push the weapon from your hand. So this straight strike at an angle is just sort of an occurrence on the way to trapping the weapon.

A rifle is shoved to your ribs behind your arm. Basically, here is a variation of the basic technique of dealing with the rifle threat from behind. The hand defense, the sending the weapon sideways, and then trapping, wrapping itself around the weapon. Advancing as close as possible to the opponent first with the close leg and then additional step with the back leg. The back hand grabs the weapon or the hand holding it as soon as possible, and the early knee kicks while shoving the opponent backwards. Then disarm the opponent by pulling and rotating the barrel towards him. Continue with more counterattacks and then move away from the danger zone, usually while concealing the weapon. If it’s needed of course, you can use the weapon as a firearm or use it for more counterattacks.

Defending a rifle threat from the side, it’s high towards the head. Hand defense will deflect the weapon, trap the weapon also with this and the other hand. Advance as soon as you can with two steps and strike with the knees. The whole sequence is pushing the opponent backwards, then pull the weapon, rotate it, disarm the opponent, then move away from the danger zone. The defending hand is rising to the side of the weapon. Defend with the fleshy part of the forearm, directing the back of the hand backwards, sending the weapon sideways, and then rotating the forearm to trap the weapon in a C-grip. Your elbow should be low. At the same time, you are advancing first with the leg which is close to the opponent. This advance is being done diagonally forward and sideways. The back hand, while turning the chest towards the weapon, is being sent as soon as possible to trap the neck of the butt of the weapon, meaning a narrow section of the stock.

The back leg is advancing, bringing the whole body very much forward and behind the weapon, keeping your pelvis at the right distance, delivering several knee kicks to the opponent’s groin. The whole action pushed the opponent away. As you were advancing forward, the opponent was retreated backwards. Then, pull the weapon and rotate it. This pulling and rotation action, disarm the opponent, use the weapon for further counterattacks, and then go to the finishing mode. This can be using the weapon as a firearm, or just moving away while hiding the weapon. The body defense, the target defense, meaning the dynamic difference of moving the target away from the danger line, line of fire, the channel, you should move the head while moving your hand. Meaning while the hand is rising to deflect the weapon sideways, your head is moving forward and turning and moving sideways to reach behind the barrel, behind the weapon.

Neutralizing a rifle threat from the side high towards the head. Practically a variation of the previous technique. Hand defense, it rises by the side of the weapon and then deflects it sideways horizontally, and then traps it, advancing as soon as possible. A dynamic defense done simultaneously, meaning the head is moving forward and then sideways to avoid the direction of the weapon. Turning the whole body towards the opponent, striking with the back hand. The continuation of the strike is trapping the weapon. Deliver more counterattacks with the back knee. Pull and disarm the weapon. Disarming process as usual, pulling and rotating. Be sure that with the rotation you first take the butt of the weapon above both of the opponent’s arms. Then direct the barrel towards the opponent, and pull the weapon away from him. Finishing mode, moving away from the danger zone, using the weapon as needed, etc.