Combatives Clinch Drill For Street Fight Self Defense

By Jeff Anderson

Can a simple close quarters combat clinch drill save your life? It sure can. One of the most effective, efficient means of expedient self defense is simple, brutal combatives. Clinch drill practice can supplement your combatives training and get you out of a possibly lethal situation.

One of the most critical concepts in self defense is that you never want to get clinched up with one person for more than just a couple of seconds. In the clinch, you're an easy target for any of your opponent's buddies, who'll start punching away at your head until they can get you on your back. You're also likely to get dragged to the ground where you're an even easier target. You've got to get out of there! That's where this simple combatives clinch drill comes in:

Combatives Clinch Drill For Self Defense

Step 1: You don't want to have the OUTSIDE of the clinch. When your arms are on the outside of your attackers, you have a lot less leverage. If you find your arms on the outside, change that fast.

Step 2: Reach under and come up on the INSIDE of the clinch. It's a simple change in arm placement and only takes a split second to gain the advantage. From here you can maximize the leverage of your shoulders.

Step 3: Lock his elbow. As you come under his arms to change position, bring one arm up and over your attacker's arm on the same side. Continue the circular motion so that his wrist naturally comes into your arm pit and your arm is now on the outside of his arm but over the top of it. You'll notice that this locks up his elbow joint and will get him on his toes and open him up a little.

Step 4: Go for the throat. As the opponent opens up, reach up with your other hand and grab his throat. Place your hand in a strong "C" position so you can grab slightly behind the trachea. Squeeze tightly enough to gain control but not crush the windpipe unless it's a life or death scenario.

Step 5: Now your opponent is off-balance and unable to launch an attack. You've also got the opportunity to look around and weigh your options. Once you've gained this superior position, you can assess the tactical situation you face. Where are your other targets? Where are his buddies? Are they coming after you?

You have the closest opponent's arm and trachea, so you can move him wherever you want, including into the ground so you can escape. You could throw him over an obstacle like a chair or even into another attacker, which allows you to deal with the next attacker.

In short, from the clinch, you want to open up your attacker, dominate him, use him as a shield if necessary, and escape. By practicing this simple combatives clinch drill, you can adapt to multiple attacker situations even from the clinch, and survive in self defense.