Attackers and aggressors always tend to prey on who they perceive to be weak.  Of course, they want to be in and out as quickly as possible and they would always avoid those who they think can and will put up a fight.  This is why as the conceived “prey”; you’re already at a disadvantage especially if you’re face to face with him.

Fortunately, you can tip the scales to your favor if you know how to take him down.  There’s an old cliché that goes, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”  Unfortunately, the cliché doesn’t tell you how to take the bigger guy down for the harder fall.

Unless you want live your life in fear, you have to know how you can take down an opponent.  This can open up bigger possibilities for you so you can survive the attack.  A good idea is to get out of there as soon as he’s down.  You can also switch from prey to predator by following it up with further strikes and hits.  Simply put, you’re taking him down so you’re in total control of what’s going to happen next.

You have to know that you will use your body in order to take down your opponent.  Your core muscles will be put to the test as you use other parts of your body to take him down swiftly.  Here are some hand to hand combat tactics for taking down an opponent.

1. Leg sweep

Popular martial arts like Judo, Sumo and Freestyle Wrestling utilize this popular takedown technique.  Like the name suggests, this technique calls for the use of your leg in order to sweep your opponent off his feet.  There are two types of leg sweeps.  The first one is the front leg sweep.  This move is perfect if you’re on the offensive.  You can throw a punch and your opponent will react by trying to block your punch.  As you throw your punch, you’re going to step forward and your foot must be near your opponent’s foot.  You will then sweep your foot upwards and taking your opponent’s foot with it.  This opens up a lot of possibilities as you can take him down with more force by using your whole body for the takedown.  You can also choose to strike once he’s off-balance and he’ll be wide open because his focus is on the fact that he’s falling down.

The other type is the back leg sweep.  This is useful if someone grabs you by your collar.  You can grab him by his shoulders as you pull him towards you (or you’re pulled by him) and place your right foot behind his right foot.  You will then pull your leg back and sweep his legs in the process.  You should then push with your upper body for more force.

2. Leg takedowns

This is probably one of the easiest hand to hand combat tactics for taking down an opponent.  The theory is very simple.  You’re going to grab hold of his leg or legs and take him down instantly.  The first type is the single leg takedown.  This is done by grabbing one of his legs with one or two arms.  Once you have a firm hold of the leg, you’re going to pull it towards one direction, usually towards you.  Now, that will make him off-balance but it’s usually not enough to take him down.  What you’re going to do is use your upper body to push his upper body towards the opposite direction.  So in this case, you’re going to push it away from you.  With his leg going towards you and his upper body going away from you, there’s no way for him to go but down.

In martial arts like Judo, there are a lot of variations with the single leg takedown.  But for self-defense purposes, the tactic of pulling his leg towards you while you push his body away from you is the most effective.

There is also the double leg takedown which is harder but equally effective if done correctly.  You’re going to grab both his legs to the point of almost hugging them so that your chest is close to his thighs.  Now, the next move will depend on the situation.  If you’re strong, you can lift him up by a few inches and slam him to the ground to knock his windpipe out of him.  You can also simply use the single leg takedown theory by pushing forward with your chest and shoulders while you pull his legs towards you.

With these tactics, you can easily take down an opponent and gain an unfair advantage over your opponent.  There are no rules involved when someone’s attacking you or your loved ones.  You have to neutralize him ASAP and taking him down is one of the best ways to do that.