Escaping the Headlock

One of the most common questions we get while exploring “real” street fight scenarios is, “how do I escape a headlock”. Well, that’s a good question and there are many answers, but let’s take a look at a “scenario”. Your opponent is tall or short, thick or lanky, trained or just a tough fighter? All of these may come into play when moving to the most effective escape. For instance, a trained judo or jiu-jitsu fighter will be a formidable opponent to try and remove, you will most probably sustain some injury in escaping, or they may simply work to a different more lethal hold like a rear choke hold, or maybe take you down hard to the floor.

Let’s assume that this escape sequence is directed toward the most common foe, who may have a bit of fighting background and is primarily a streetfighter. If you have had words, a confrontation or just get “bull-dogged” for some reason, and find yourself in a solid headlock (bent forward and standing side by side to the opponent), you won’t have much time to act before you get your neck injured or worse. If you don’t carry a a good fighting knife it’s time for some grappling! Here’s a favorite escape that will work almost all of the time and against the majority of opponents.

You’re bent forward and in a headlock while standing roughly side by side with your opponent and he is to your left (the reverse of sides works the same). 1.) shut down the choke by bringing the hands up, digging them into the forearm wrapping your throat, and pulling down while turning your chin into the crook of his arm (don’t let go!). 2.) step slightly back with your left leg, positioning it either alongside your opponent’s leg or slightly behind. 3A.) Now thrust your left knee and shin “sideways” against your opponents right leg (the side with the arm wrapping your neck) and it will immediately buckle under a very small amount of pressure, causing him to fall face first into the floor, and giving you his open back to pounce on with an easy “naked choke” from the rear. 3B.) If your step brought your left leg slightly “behind” his knee, then simply kneel down inside his right leg with your knee directly behind the opponent’s knee and drive it into the floor, causing a lot of damage to his knee, while pulling his arms down from the headlock. He’ll need to catch his balance which you have broken. This method also offers the opponent’s back to you briefly to execute a rear choke hold, escape the situation, or land blows with your hands or feet.

I hope that readers will never find themselves in a tightly cinched headlock, but the next time I do, the methods I described above will probably be exactly what I use.