The ice pick stab is one of the 3 most common knife attacks, and most common when the blade is held in a reverse grip (blade down).

This technique operates in two steps:

1. A Roof block is applied by framing at the wrist/forearm underneath the blade. This creates a physical barrier between the trajectory of the weapon and your head/collarbones, and is a common historical way to initially defend against dagger attacks while unarmed. It is also a common startle reflex.

2. A Shoulder Throw is executed, turning the roof block into a wrist grip and using the attacker’s forward momentum against him. There are several steps to making the rest of the throw work:

   1. Your feet plant shoulder-width apart with your hips underneath your attacker’s hips.

   2. Your arm punches up past his armpit, driving upwards, locking his arm between his shoulder and your wrist grips.

   3. You lift up your hips and move your hands in the motion of swinging a sword, while torquing your body, to throw him over your shoulder.

Executed correctly, the throw should feel effortless, as if your opponent weighs nothing.

Keeping the grip on his arm at the end is particularly important as it is holding his weapon, the primary threat. This weapon can then be stripped, with additional follow-ups discussed in the Swinging Hip Throw article:

Since he is trying to kill you, an additional option is to give a fast strike as a “parting gift”, such as a kick/stomp to the head or a blow against his elbow joint to break his arm, then sprint away as fast as possible and/or draw your own weapon. Especially if he has friends - who must now help him, and are thinking twice after seeing how fast you crippled him.

From start to finish, the fight is over in 5 seconds.

After slamming your opponent, keeping their arm pulled up keeps them off balance, giving you a few options to finish them:

1. You can stomp their head while pulling up.

2. You can execute an arm-breaking technique.

3. You can conduct a pin, such as with your knee on their belly.

4. If armed, you can draw your weapon.

Of course, the impact of the throw may have already put them out of action!

This works best against opponents who are rushing in towards you, or otherwise have their weight too far forward.

It is important you get deep between their legs so your center of gravity is fully underneath theirs, otherwise you will just kick them in the balls (but this still hurts!)

After the throw, follow up by rolling up to your feet, or rolling through to secure a dominant position on their chest before applying a restraint or finisher.

Glíma is the style of grappling and hand-to-hand combat practiced by Northmen/Vikings for thousands of years. Intended for real-life combat, with the intent of ending fights as fast and decisively as possible. Glíma originated in Norway before being brought to Iceland in 870, and is an official combat system under Jónsbók and Gragas (Medieval Norse laws), taught to children as young as 6. It is associated with our God Þórr (Thor).

There are several styles of Glíma:

• Lausatök, unrestricted grappling with blows, locks, and throws.

• Hráspenna, grappling to pin.

• Lagarspenna, grappling in water.

• Hryggspenna, backhold wrestling.

• Brokartök, grappling with trousers (Icelandic Sport Glima).

NORD COMBAT focuses on Lausatök, the most aggressive style, to develop combative skills for real life use. As levels of violence escalate in our countries, so too must your preparedness for it.

We have also Modernized Glíma for this purpose, introducing firearms into our curriculum.