What if somene grabs your leg ??
- Thread starter Andy_46
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grydth
Senior Master
Piss on 'em! 
14 Kempo
Grandmaster
My take, keep kicks low, chances are if they grab my leg, thier head is down ... they're going to get a nice downward elbow to the spine ... somewhere from the brain stem down to the lower back ... it isn't in a cage afterall.
newGuy12
Master of Arts
Right. Bend the knee if they have the foot. You are now in punching range. Have at it, and see how long they wish to continue holding your foot.
If it is self defense, then you do not use punches, you use more severe strikes. If they wish to keep one (or both!) hands on the foot/lower leg, that is okay with me.
Robert
If it is self defense, then you do not use punches, you use more severe strikes. If they wish to keep one (or both!) hands on the foot/lower leg, that is okay with me.
Robert
I'd have to go with what Sorros and NewGuy12 said, basically use the leverage afforded by their grab to bend your knee and bring them close to you so you can use your fists, fingers, whatever.
Your legs ARE your stongest muscles anywhere in the body... carrying 2/3rds of the body's weight in many upright positions, thus using the calf muscles to bring your opponent in before they twist and put YOU on the ground will at least turn that disadvantage back to your advantage.
You have to of course be prepared for them to catch it... even if you didn't want them to and use that technique before they do anything harmful to you. It's a bad condition to have one of your primary weapons caught in your opponent's grasp. So you got three more to use before they do it any harm.
Something to practice with I think.
Your legs ARE your stongest muscles anywhere in the body... carrying 2/3rds of the body's weight in many upright positions, thus using the calf muscles to bring your opponent in before they twist and put YOU on the ground will at least turn that disadvantage back to your advantage.
You have to of course be prepared for them to catch it... even if you didn't want them to and use that technique before they do anything harmful to you. It's a bad condition to have one of your primary weapons caught in your opponent's grasp. So you got three more to use before they do it any harm.
Something to practice with I think.
CuongNhuka
Senior Master
If they do grab your leg, comit your weight forward (towards where there hand/hands are), gravity will do the rest for you. Better hit while you do this, or block your face. Practice this first.
SKB
Green Belt
Grab their face and start poking things!
Same as my answer is to a whole lot of other things:
There's a bunch of different things I might do. The only way to know is to try it and find out.
"Your kick just wasn't fast enough" might be true. But it's not useful and doesn't answer the question. Besides, I've caught kicks that were going faster than my reaction speed. Sometimes it was luck. Most of the time it was better timing and appreciation of distance or knowing what they were going to do and waiting for it instead of trying to reach out and nab it out of mid-air.
"If they grab it they'll be bent over and in a bad position" might be true. It also might not. If they're not total bozos they won't make stupid mistakes like that. And even if they do your shot might not be the show stopper you think it's going to be. The early days of the Gracies' career was full of guys who thought they would stop them with a kick or an elbow on the shoot.
If someone gets a hold of my leg it depends very much on what I was doing and what he was doing. I was kicking and he caught it I might lean in, grab him and either retrieve my leg or take us both to the ground. It's all a matter of how things go. If I can't do that, then I'll need to be prepared to go down, preferably on my terms instead of completely on his.
If I let someone get into range and he's doing a wrestling takedown, then it's time to sprawl (or one of its variations).
There's a bunch of different things I might do. The only way to know is to try it and find out.
"Your kick just wasn't fast enough" might be true. But it's not useful and doesn't answer the question. Besides, I've caught kicks that were going faster than my reaction speed. Sometimes it was luck. Most of the time it was better timing and appreciation of distance or knowing what they were going to do and waiting for it instead of trying to reach out and nab it out of mid-air.
"If they grab it they'll be bent over and in a bad position" might be true. It also might not. If they're not total bozos they won't make stupid mistakes like that. And even if they do your shot might not be the show stopper you think it's going to be. The early days of the Gracies' career was full of guys who thought they would stop them with a kick or an elbow on the shoot.
If someone gets a hold of my leg it depends very much on what I was doing and what he was doing. I was kicking and he caught it I might lean in, grab him and either retrieve my leg or take us both to the ground. It's all a matter of how things go. If I can't do that, then I'll need to be prepared to go down, preferably on my terms instead of completely on his.
If I let someone get into range and he's doing a wrestling takedown, then it's time to sprawl (or one of its variations).
newGuy12
Master of Arts
What does your instructor say to do? There are a multitude of ways to keep it from happening and with getting out. If you watch the UFC and Pride you can see what I am saying. It seems like everyone has a different way of doing it.
Personally, I like Drac's take on this. The issue is risk vs. benefit: yes, a good hard shot to the collarbone-and-up zone can do some righteous damage, but if you get grabbed in that postion, you're very close to being dead in the water, because you are now on one leg. Your attacker is on two. Your balance difficulties go a long way to taking your option set down to zero, particularly because if your attacker has any kind of experience at alland street attackers very often dohe's not just going to stand there holding onto your foot while gallantly allowing you the time necessary to work out and carry out your escape. He's going to jerk your trapped leg upward the instant he's made sure he's secured it, and you are going to be, instinctively, fighting to stay upright. But he has no balance problems at all at this point, and so a swift hard low kick to your crotch is going to be almost impossible to avoid. Now what?
That's the kind of reason I think that Drac's take on this is overall the best way to go. I've been toldby people who knowthat over a lifetime, the poker players who win biggest are not the ones who take the major risks, pull outrageous bluff and so on; they're the steady percentage players who take the long view and try to minimize chance every time. If they were only playing other players like themselves, it wouldn't work. But since there are so few who really do that, it turns out to be the most successful strategy. I think the same goes for street defense.
Brian S
Purple Belt
You have to rely on your training, not something you read on the internet.
It just depends.
Since this is the self defense forum, I'll give my opinion from that perspective.
There are a lot of things to consider - recoil is important to train for speed and strength. Hopefully you can bring your leg back before grabbed but if not, you could pull it back with opponent into your ready fist, heel palm, pointy metal object ... or you can commit your weight and follow your leg further into your opponent and stomp them down to the ground. You could also (quickly) bring up your support leg and hook their ankle or knee while keeping your kicking leg extended - you both go down, so have a ground game plan.
You also have to think about what your opponent is going to do - like ... attempt to bust your knee or break your leg - prepare for that ... you'll have to bend your knee and turn your hip inward pointing the knee downward. This could put you in a compromising position, but yet your opponent will be closer - specifically and likely the head.
There are many variations on a counter to a kicking leg grab, BUT ...
I like Drac's advice best - keep your self-defense kicks low, strong and well-placed.
Since this is the self defense forum, I'll give my opinion from that perspective.
There are a lot of things to consider - recoil is important to train for speed and strength. Hopefully you can bring your leg back before grabbed but if not, you could pull it back with opponent into your ready fist, heel palm, pointy metal object
... or you can commit your weight and follow your leg further into your opponent and stomp them down to the ground. You could also (quickly) bring up your support leg and hook their ankle or knee while keeping your kicking leg extended - you both go down, so have a ground game plan. You also have to think about what your opponent is going to do - like ... attempt to bust your knee or break your leg - prepare for that ... you'll have to bend your knee and turn your hip inward pointing the knee downward. This could put you in a compromising position, but yet your opponent will be closer - specifically and likely the head.
There are many variations on a counter to a kicking leg grab, BUT ...
I like Drac's advice best - keep your self-defense kicks low, strong and well-placed.
Brother John
Senior Master
B I N G O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kicking someone in say....the head....is about as logical as punching them in the foot their standing on.Unless their tying their shoe....then go ahead and kick away! (ya big brute)
Your Brother
John
Brother John
Senior Master
...yeah.......
Capoeira is interesting, they accomplish some impressive feets. (pun intended) It's history and why it developed is interesting.
But don't get me started on the logic of leaping into a handstand or a cartwheel when confronted with a serious self-defense situation.
I'd rather fight from the fetal position!
(and if you leap to a handstand while in a real fight, you may end up in the fetal position anyway.....)
Your Brother
John
Well, for starters, I have to agree with Drac. Not intending to turn this into another high kick thread, but and speaking for myself only, I prefer to keep my kicks low. Less of a chance of it being grabbed if I kick to the shin or knee instead of the upper chest, head areas.
If the leg is grabbed, keep in mind that the other person isn't going to just stand there, holding your leg. They're most likely going to dump you on the ground. If you can, as someone else said, bend your leg and grab onto them, that is also an option. Now they're within striking range and if you do go to the ground, they'll hopefully be going with you. Of course, having some ground skills is important.
If you're unable to grab them prior to being taken down, I suggest doing your best to fall properly and minimize injury to yourself.
