Close quarter combat // Tzviel (BK) BlankchteinBacked against the wall
The very term “having one’s back against the wall” implies that one is in a tight spot; this is not necessarily the case, as the wall may often be used as a tool or weapon allowing the individual being attacked to defend himself and gain control of the situation
For most of us being with our back against a wall signifies a day gone bad. Most often we will be backed up to a wall if we are not expecting the attack or if we made a tactical error which resulted in this unfortunate situation. Being backed up against a wall, however, is not always a bad thing. Depending on the situation, having one’s back to a wall means we do not have to worry about our behind (no need to watch our six), and the wall may often be used as a tool or weapon.
I will address here two of the more common attacks that take place against a wall: choke and knife threat to the throat.
Choke against a wall
The first thing to remember when being choked against a wall is that you will most likely have to make some sudden impact with the hard surface. Fast reaction is imperative to assure we protect our heads and do not get knocked out before the choke was even established. Tuck your chin in and use your arms to absorb as much of the impact as possible as you would do when performing a fall break on the ground.
Once you protected your head you can address the pressure applied to your trachea. As law-enforcement agents we should be aware of our weapon side and keep it away from our attacker. Under stress and depending on situational and environmental obstacles, however, this may not always be possible.
In order to address the choke, the defender will send one arm across and grab the attacker’s opposite wrist. Try to stay as close to the meaty part by the attacker’s pinky finger. At the same time the defender will send a horizontal elbow toward the choker’s face. This will result in:
- Maximum pressure and leverage applied on the attacker’s wrist, resulting in removing the attacker’s hand off the throat
- Depending on size of the individuals involved and whether the attacker maintained his arms straight and locked or bent his elbows, the defender’s elbow may actually strike the attacker’s face
- It will result in the defender finishing the technique in an arm-bar position if he so chooses
Once the choke was addressed the defender should continue counter attacking and even using the wall. You must remember that most agencies will view a choke on an officer as a life threatening
