The art of kneeing (part 2)

Kneeing as an art

I was quite busy lately with getting things back to normal after all that mess with the coronavirus. Luckily, I had a couple of days off so I could resume writing for my blog. With this post I continue with the second part of the series about kneeing.

…After this vivid demonstration of a proper knee strike using our kicking dummy and the two pears, Linda sat down again in front of us and continued with her explanation. “During the juggling exercise, you probably soon realized what is the most important to keep the ball going. Besides being really agile, one has to be precise in striking using the correct part of the thigh and touching gently the bottom of the ball. Also, the movement of the leg must be straight up to the right height otherwise the ball would bounce away.”   

“And practice makes perfect!” added Ana.

“Absolutely!” Linda nodded in agreement, “like with everything else.”

“Although kneeing is different in many aspects, juggling with a soccer ball is a very good basic exercise for the control of your leg movement. Later, you will also practice precision and force in separate exercises. So now, tell me what is the actual target when using a knee strike?” asked Linda.

“Testicles!” we all yelled unisono.

The expression on her face showed she was satisfied that nobody used that awkward term ‘groin’. However, she added. “Well, not quite. The actual target is his pubic bone. As with other types of strikes you should visualize hitting a target positioned further behind or in this case above a vital point.”

“When kneeing imagine that his testicles are just in the way of your accelerated knee smashing against his pubic bone. Precision of the execution is important, and this requires understanding the position of the testicles depending on his clothing and possible arousal.”

Pubic bone is located just above the testicles 
and provides a very effective hard backing.

To explain what she was talking about she showed us an anatomical model of the male pubic region. “Notice the arc of the pelvis is just above the testicles, which provides a convenient hard backing for the knee strike. Now feel your knee with your fingers. The wide end of the femur bone and the top of the patella are not covered by much of the connective tissue, it is a perfect hard striking area.”

Linda then got on her feet and went again to the kicking dummy for another practical demonstration. “The vertical plane of your striking leg should be a little bit tilted to one side to make sure you trap one or both testicles. Otherwise, they might slip away to the sides. Precise aiming is also extremely important, and women usually do the mistake either by penetrating too deep between his legs or by hitting the front of the groin. If you knee too deep, you hit the perineum instead and the testicles would just bounce up on the soft muscle-covered area of your thigh. Just like a ball during juggling. It might hurt but it won’t cause a devastating pain. If you strike the front of the groin area you are actually getting only his pubes or his penis which would provide a cushion and the testicles would just be pushed back. Again, it might be painful, but it would be a missed opportunity to fully incapacitate him.”

“For these reasons, for a proper execution of a knee it is important there is a right distance between you and your attacker. If he is standing too close to you, quickly jab or slap his testicles with your fingers first. He will jolt back creating a more convenient space. If he is too far away, step a bit closer or you can grab him and pull his torso towards you. Another variation is to grab his shoulders to hang on to fix him and at the same time to keep your balance,” Linda then did exactly this on the kicking dummy.

“Generating maximum force is also important. Visualize you want to break free through a wall of bricks. Use your hips to gain a good momentum and go up with your knee close to a 45° angle. If you, do it correctly you should propel him at least a few centimeters in the air. After a strike, pull your leg back quickly to the starting position ready for the next knee. When possible, knee him several times. Do it at least twice,” she ended her demonstration by two quick knee strikes in the designated part of the kicking dummy making it to shake erratically.     

“Maybe it is too much information for the beginning, but you will have a lot of opportunities to train and practice this important technique,” said Linda and looked at her watch, “I think Bob and Peter are about to come anytime soon. I need to fetch something and be right back. You can continue with juggling if you want…”

Some of us including me grabbed the balls and tried the juggling again, some of us rather engaged in a chat about latest fashion trends. After a while somebody knocked on the door. It was Bob and Peter. They came in a good mood, it seemed like they won a competition or something. I felt glad for them, but at the same time I had some bad feeling how this session can end up for them…. They evidently got excited by all the free balls lying around.

“Guys, show us how you juggle!” Emma asked them.

No further persuasion was needed, and they immediately grabbed the opportunity to show off in front of the girls. Now we could see how it is done by almost a pro. They could nicely alternate between their thighs, feet, chests, and heads. Also I must admit Peter was better in this than Bob, maybe because he has some soccer classes in his curriculum. Unfortunately, their show soon came to a sudden end. “Watch your balls boys!” Linda made this sarcastic pun when she suddenly appeared behind them. Boys disappointedly stopped the play.  As she was passing by, she turned to them. “You have not taken a shower, have you? You two dirty piglets!”

“Do it right now and wear this! Only this!” She tossed a pile of shorts she was carrying in a small basket towards them. Boys then reluctantly disappeared in the locker rooms with the clothing she gave them. I know Linda strictly insisted they must maintain their hygiene on max if they want to join her classes.  To be continued…

P.S. I again allowed anonymous comments. I know self defense can be a touchy subject and I want to allow participate everybody in a discussion (also those who disagree with me) but please do not misuse it.