Feint & Fake

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When I began my martial arts journey and later Krav Maga, I often would hear people talk about “feint a movement” or “throwing a fake”… and to me, the terms seemed to be used interchangeably and to mean the same thing.

Only years later, when I began training Krav Maga, especially in sparring and grading, feint & fake became a term more widely used and tactic that required in-depth knowledge in order to succeed. In short in Krav maga our understanding of Feints and fakes can be summed up in the following line.

Feints are not fakes. They are false attacks meant to confuse an opponent. When doing a continuous motion, like a kick or punch, the motion should seem like a real attack until the Krav Maga practitioner switches to his true line of attack.

Not very detailed, but it summarises the distinction between the two.

Here’s a more detailed explanation between the two:

The Fake

Fakes are done when a Krav Maga practitioner wants his opponent to go in one direction while he moves in the other. In Krav Maga, we can utilise fakes such as: “the eye fake”, “the body-position fake” and the “half-motion fake”.

To trick your opponent with an eye fake, look at one target, then attack another. For example, if the Krav Maga practitioner plans on attacking low, he looks at his opponent’s head. This makes the opponent think the practitioner is going to throw a high attack.

A body-position fake means moving in one direction, then attacking the other. If a Krav Maga practitioner lowers his body as if he’s going to strike at a low target, his opponent will think the practitioner will hit low. The opponent will not expect a high attack.

A half-motion fake refers to when a Krav Maga practitioner uses one of his limbs to distract his opponent from his true line of attack. Basically, it is an incomplete attack that deceives the opponent and opens a line.

 

The Feint

Feints are not fakes. They are false attacks meant to confuse an opponent. When doing a continuous motion, like a kick or punch, the motion should seem like a real attack until the Krav Maga practitioner switches to his true line of attack.

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