Can Krav Maga kill?

One of the taglines surrounding Krav Maga is that it uses your body as a weapon. The sole point of Krav Maga is to survive and to do so by any means necessary. Therefore, Krav Maga practitioners are taught dirty, and sometimes deadly fighting moves. The idea isn’t to be kind to your opponent either, especially if they’re attacking you. Remember, Krav Maga was developed by the Israeli military so it has very real applications and consequences.

Unlike certain martial arts, Krav Maga isn’t centered around competition and it has no rules. In this sense, it’s ideal for street fighting, and in some circumstances, it teaches to kill. Obviously, no one wants to ever have to kill someone in a fight, but if you face death then it may be the only option. Again, this relates to its origins that are rooted in warfare. So, can Krav Maga kill?

Krav Maga can kill

It shouldn’t be surprising to hear that Krav Maga techniques can kill. Whilst practically all martial arts have the ability to kill, Krav Maga is arguably the most deadly because it has a huge amount of dangerous techniques. For instance, a kick to the head could potentially kill someone. However, this is relatively rare. This is very different from Krav Maga which has techniques that are aimed to kill, rather than to simply maim.

What should be noted is that whilst training Krav Maga, these techniques aren’t practiced. It may sound obvious but even if you tried breaking someone’s neck in sparring, it wouldn’t end well. Although Krav Maga does use sparring, it usually looks like a cross between kickboxing and grappling which is done in a safe environment. Here’s a list of deadly Krav Maga techniques.

Deadly Krav Maga techniques

Windpipe strike

One of the main moves taught in Krav Maga is attacking the throat. This usually comes in the form of a chop or punch and is aimed at the windpipe. Often, this will stun the opponent if it hits cleanly enough, or it can even knock someone out. Obviously, it is very painful too. However, it can be fatal.

As the windpipe is naturally quite weak and vulnerable, it can be punctured which means the trachea stops being able to function properly. As a result, people can die from this. For most people, if they take a windpipe strike then they’ll probably survive. Nonetheless, if it’s hit with enough force then it can kill in some instances.

Rear naked choke

The rear naked choke is not exclusive to Krav Maga and is also used in BJJ. Here, the idea is to get on the opponent’s back and choke them, using a sleeper hold. This is dangerous for obvious reasons and if you hold onto the choke long enough when the opponent is unconscious it can kill. Studies speculate that people can usually last around a couple of minutes after being choked out before brain damage begins to take place.

Of course, it’s not wise to go out in any circumstances, but if the choke is held then it can be severe. Furthermore, some people have been known to die after a chokehold being held for a few seconds, which proves that even if someone goes out for a few seconds then it can be enough to kill. Don’t play around with chokes, as these are ultimately designed to kill and this can result in serious legal consequences too.

Twisting neck break

Similar to the neck break used in the Hitman video games, this is done by going behind the opponent and quickly snapping their head to the side. This can cause death by snapping the spine which effectively separates the head from the rest of the body. If done efficiently enough, it can kill instantly and is very dangerous.

As mentioned earlier, the deadly Krav Maga techniques aren’t drilled for a reason, and this is one of them. Even if you drilled this move with an overly-excited partner, one wrong move and someone could be killed.

Eye gouging

Most of the time, eye gouging is caused to maim rather than directly kill. In fact, most of the eye gouge techniques taught in Krav Maga are meant to do exactly that. So, the point is to blind someone rather than kill. However, if you gouge in a certain way that holds pressure behind the eyes then it can kill. The likelihood of doing this is quite low but it’s certainly possible.

One way of doing this is by putting the opponent into shock which can result in the body shutting down and eventually leading to death. Like many of the deadly Krav Maga moves, this is a pretty gross way of killing someone or fighting – but as said Krav Maga was designed for military use which is where this comes from.

Blows to the head

Obviously, blows to the head can kill. Sometimes, if a fighter is unlucky in MMA then a singular punch or kick can kill them. As for Krav Maga, one of the moves taught is to strike behind the head. This is strictly illegal in MMA as it can easily cause brain damage and potentially kill. The reason for this is that the back of the head is the weakest part of the brain which isn’t as well guarded by the skull, compared to other areas.

So, if someone were to get hit here then theoretically it would be more likely to cause death. If not death, then it could still easily concuss someone or cause damage further down the line.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has answered the question of whether Krav Maga can kill. As seen, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Just remember, these techniques originated in the Israeli army and shouldn’t really be used by the public. Even if you have a streetfight, there are easier ways to win without causing such damage.

For instance, if you knew Judo then you could possibly throw your opponent into a pin and restrain them. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Krav Maga isn’t more popular because it’s too extreme. Not only would these moves harm your opponent, but legally they’re very dangerous too. So, although this article may help solve questions and curiosity, remember it’s not good to go around doing Krav Maga techniques as they can be potentially fatal.