Surviving the Knee on Belt Ground and Pound!

Last time I indicated that today we would be looking at a couple of follow up to failed half wrist lock but I haven't quite got that video puller together yet.

So we are going to look at a ground self-defence / survival technique.

I talked before about the difference between sport and self-defence and how critical it is to know the difference between the two. In short there are many techniques that if you do them in a fight the way you would grappling in class they won't work for you. Worse these same techniques will get you hurt.

==>Surviving the knee on belt<==

Let look at the knee on belt position. This is one of the best positions for striking as it allow you to put all your weight on their stomach / diaphragm and leaves one or both hands free to strike. Good for the attacker on top but not so good if you find yourself on the bottom.

Lets look at a possible scenario:
Your attacker surprises you and trips you to the ground. He then kneels down on your chest with one of his knees, pinning you to the ground and starts to punch the crap out of you. What would you do?

This is definitely one of the scenarios that if you react as you would in grappling you are going to get hurt.

==>Surviving the knee on belt<==

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

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Kingston, Ontario

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Standing Behind You and Angry...

So last week we started our discussion on failed techniques. This is a topic that is too often neglected. Many many people plod along learning their syllabus and never think about what may actually happen in a real fight. After all, we do this in class it must it must work in the street right?

In a real fight your attacker is unlikely to be in exactly the same position, punch, or step the way you practice. All this combined with the stress of a real fight may well add up to your first technique not working the way you want it to. So how do we improve the odds a bit?

We start think about combining techniques. Figuring out what technique flows into the next. This is hard to do at lower belt levels but by green belt you should have enough techniques to start making a few connections. Think about this now, practice this now and it may well save you later.

Today I want to specifically look at a defence from a rear hair grab. Many styles of jiu-jitsu have something similar. If you’re not sure what this is or want something more instructional on how to DO the techniques shown here check out our on-line jiu-jitsu program and videos at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

The video below talks more about this and shows some possible follow-up techniques from a failed breaking rear hair grab.

==>Breaking Rear Hair Grab Follow-ups<==

The fail point is the breaking rear hair grab, figure lock is both good and bad. Lets look at it. So your attacker grabs you by the hair from behind. You reach up to smash your knuckles down on the hand to release their grip and then do a figure lock BUT as your reach up they pull their hand away. So the good part is that they no longer have a hair grab, the bad well they are now standing directly behind you and you have no control over them. So check out the video for a couple of possible options.

==>Breaking Rear Hair Grab Follow-ups<==

Next time we will look at the breaking lapel grab to a failed half wrist lock.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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Well that didn't work...now what do I do?

Someone comes at you angry and quickly grabs you by the hair. You should have stopped them before the grab but it’s ok you know what to do from here. After all you have been practicing it since yellow belt. You reach up to grab their wrist and kick them in the knee, then finish them with a shoulder lock but...  They pull their hand away just as you grab it!

Now what do you do?

Or how about this. You manage to get in the shoulder lock position but they recover and muscle their arm free, now they are standing behind you! WOW doesn’t get too much worse than that... What would you do? Have you thought about it? If you haven’t thought about it I’ll tell you what you are likely to do... NOTHING! You will freeze.

You do what your training teaches you. If you haven’t trained for a failed technique you will not be ready for it and the middle of a fight is not the time to try and figure it out!

Over the next little while I want to look at a few techniques from the Jukoshin Ryu Jiu-jitsu syllabus. Specifically where they are likely to fail and what you can do to follow up. Today I want to specifically look at the shoulder lock from the front hair grab. Many styles of jiu-jitsu have something similar. If you’re not sure what this is or want something more instructional on how to DO the shoulder lock check out our on-line jiu-jitsu program and videos at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

The video below talks more about this and shows some possible follow-up techniques from the two major fail points of the shoulder lock.

==>Shoulder LockFollow-ups<==

The shoulder lock has two main fail points:

-          They pull their hand away when you go to grab it. (bad)

-          They pull their arm away before you can apply the full lock and are behind you. (Very bad)

The first one it’s too bad as you have many possible options of how to respond. The main point IS to respond or move to another technique. When a technique goes south on you, you don’t have time to stand around thinking about what to do next. Now is the time to do that thinking!

==>Shoulder LockFollow-ups<==

Next time we will talk a bit more about this and look at the rear hair grab to figure lock.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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What, who me!?

This is a little tip for all the instructors out there or those that are to soon be instructors.

Many times while teaching we call on students to step forward and show us what they know.

“Dave please show me ______.”

So Dave comes forward and does as asked as the rest of the students stand there watching him. There is nothing wrong with this approach. We get to see what the student knows and how well he does it with a little pressure.

But what about the other students watching?

Well all the other students are just glad that they were not the ones called and may or may not be paying attention or thinking about the technique that is being shown. So how do we engage the whole class, make their minds work and think about what is about to be shown?

It’s fairly simple really. We simply change the order of HOW we ask for the technique, kata, whatever.

“Let me see _______, (pause and look at students) Dave, please.”

Because you have called the technique, kata, whatever first, EVERY students is now thinking about it because they don’t want to get caught flat footed if you choose them!

Sneaky but effective. If you really want to up the ante pick the same student a couple of times. This will keep everybody on their toes even IF they have already shown a technique.

Next week I’ll have another nice video for you chaining several joint locks together.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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WEBBS and Jukoshin Master Shihan Micha Vogt

If you think that martial artists need to be tall hulking beasts to be effective or that the big strong guy will always beat the small guy then you need to meet Shihan Micha!

He may not be big in stature but on the mat he’s a giant. The speed and precision with which he executes techniques is impressive indeed. If you’re going to be anywhere near his dojo in Pfäffikon Switzerland or near where he is doing a seminar, do you’re self a favour and check it out, it will be well worth your time and money!

I have had the pleasure of being to a couple of his seminars, used him as my uki at one on my seminars and am honoured to call him a friend.

==>Video 1<==

==>Video 2<==

==>Video 3<==

==>Video 4<==

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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Bear Hug Over the Arms Escape

This defence is Similar to our last defence while grabbed from behind, except that instead of under the arms they come over your arms. We have a number of ways of dealing with this but many involve manipulating your attackers arms or hand to make them let go or to throw them. If they are a lot stronger than you, you may have a hard time making them let go.

This throw just gives you another possible option. Whatever situation you are in will likely dictate which of the techniques to use. In the video below the attacker wraps your arms up in the bear hug and to escape we do an inner winding throw or Uchi-makikomi.

==>Rear bear hug to inner winding throw<==

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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WEBBS congress Barcelona 2014

The WEBBS World Congress is a martial arts congress held each year in October and is open to all forms of martial arts.

At this year’s event 16 countries were represented, Canada, Spain, UK, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Cyprus, Moldova, Mexico, Brazil, Lithuania, and I’m still missing a few. Two to three hundred people from all over the world brought together by their love of martial arts and their desire to learn and pass on what they know to others.

The event takes place over 4 days.

Thursday – Wine and cheese opening ceremony.

Friday – 6 one hour training sessions.

Saturday – 6 one hour training sessions and the banquet.

Sunday – 3 one hour training sessions.

That’s 15 hours of training with over 30 instructors spread out over 6 mats!

Here is a small selection of some of the seminars that I attended.

==>Hanshi Eduardo Sanchez (8^th Dan Jiu-jitsu)<==

==>Kyoshi Anthony Robson (7^th Dan Jiu-jitsu)<==

==>Shihan Per Lindmark (7^th Dan Jiu-jitsu <==

==>Renshi Ian Mears (4^th Dan jiu-jitsu)<==

==>Renshi Roman Babii (4^th Dan Jiu-jitsu)<==

==>Renshi Munoz (4^th Dan Jiu-jitsu)<==

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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Ground Defence from Bottom of Guard

I’m just recently back from an amazing week in Barcelona Spain where I attended the World Elite Black Belt Society (WEBBS) World Congress. In fact I was lucky enough to be included as one of the instructors!

I was a great weekend and very tiring, with over 15 hours of seminars over the three days. A personal highlight was when I was awarded my 4^th Dan (Yondan) in Jukoshin Ryu jiu-jitsu.

As I’m still a little jet legged as I am sitting here writing this, I’m going to keep it easy and show you a video of a ground self-defence technique from the bottom of guard.

In grappling the guard is considered a neutral position but often the person on the bottom has far more option that the person on top. In a fight the person on the bottom is in the bad passion. They cannot get mush power behind their punches, much of their body is exposed to being hit. It’s just not a good spot to be in.

The following video show you one possible option for defending yourself when your back is on the ground. 

==>Bottom of Guard Defence<==

 There are a couple of other options that we will explore later.

I hope to have some videos and photos for you from the Barcelona WEBBS World Congress next week.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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Don’t Stop… Carry on!

Here is something that I see my students do in class ALL the time, heck I’ve even been known to get caught doing this as well. This bad habit if not corrected could spell disaster in a real self-defence situation.

What bad habit could I be talking about?

When practicing techniques you stop and restart the technique if either you or your partner are out of position.

Have you ever done this? I think we all have at some time or another.

This is a really bad habit, one we all need to break out of. In a real self-defence situation you or your attacker WILL be out of position. Things WILL NOT go exactly as you have trained them, if they do then you are very lucky. What can we do to stop this workable habit, keep going, don’t stop, don’t reset.

Let me illustrate.

Your practice partner throws a straight punch instead of the hook punch needed for your hip throw (ogoshi), so you both STOP, reset and start again.

Now let’s look at what you should do.

Your practice partner throws a straight punch instead of the hook punch needed for your hip throw (ogoshi), so you outside palm block, kick to the floating ribs, shin kick to the thigh, stop to finish.

OR

Your practice partner throws a straight punch instead of the hook punch needed for your hip throw (ogoshi), so you outside palm block, palm heel strike to the chin, step in front with a reverse elbow to the diaphragm or floating ribs and THEN execute your hip throw.

If you train yourself to stop when you are out of position, then that’s what you will do in a real self-defence situation. Even if you do not stop you will pause and that maybe all that is needed for your attacker to get the upper hand.

But, if you train yourself to immediately switch gears into another technique, to react to your body position and to what you have been given by your attacker, then you have a good chance of keeping your attacker off balance until you can finally execute the finishing technique. This is where real self-defence lays.

Start practicing this way at your next class, if you’re an instructor talk to your students about this concept, sometime in the future you may be glad you did…

… or you can keep doing what you have always been doing and hope your attackers will be nice enough to do what you want, when you want and how you what so your techniques will work the first time every time!

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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WEBBS World Congress XIII

Tomorrow is the start of this year’s WEBBS World Congress and is shaping up to be a great event.

For those of you who may not be aware of what WEBBS is, it stands for World Elite Black Belt Society. WEBBS is a non-political organization created by Soke Bryan Cheek that is open to all countries and all forms of martial arts. Its mandate is to foster the growth of martial arts through the exchange of knowledge. Each year a world congress is held at a different location around the world ensuring that all have access high quality martial arts instruction in a verity of martial arts. This year’s world congress is being held in Barcelona Spain.

Every world congress takes place over four days, Thursday to Sunday. Thursday is the wine and cheese meet and greet / opining ceremony. Friday and Saturday are full days of training with a banquet Saturday night. Sunday is a half day of training and the closing ceremony.

You do NOT need to be a member of WEBBS to attend one of these events. You only need to be willing to learn and share your knowledge with others.

This will be my third world congress, I attended Montreal (Canada, 2012) and Lisbon (Portugal, 2013) previously and will be my second congress as one of the instructors.

If you can ever make one of these event I would highly recommend it as they are well worth the time and money.

Below are a few videos for the last two world congresses. This is only a small selection of the amazing instructors that have been at the last two world congresses shearing their knowledge.

==>Hanshi R. Panneton-1, WEBBS World Congress '12<==

==>Hanshi R. Panneton-2, WEBBS World Congress '12<==

WEBBS Congress 2012 Canada with Shihan Eduardo Sanchez

WEBBS Congress 2012 Canada with Shihan Finn Jensen

WEBBS Congress 2013 Portugal with Hanshi Eduardo Sanchez

WEBBS Congress 2013 Portugal with Renshi Brian Aylward

WEBBS Congress 2013 Portugal with Shihan Hanspeter Ruesch

By the way that’s me with Renshi Bryan Aylward, sore figures, elbows and lots of bruises but is was well worth it!

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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You don’t think women can be good at jiu-jitsu, watch this!

Shihan Monica is the Jukoshin Ryu Jiu-jitsu technical director for Portugal and one of the best martial artists (man or woman) that I have had the pleasure of working with.

I have had the pleasure of attending a number of her seminars as well as working with her at somebody else’s seminar.

The quality and precision with which she carries out her techniques is amazing. Her techniques are so smooth.

She has taught around the world, including at our club here in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, the Montreal WEBBS World Congress. She hosted the 2013 WEBBS World Congress in Lisbon Portugal and will be instructing at this year’s WEBBS World Congress in Barcelona Spain in two weeks’ time!

Her love for jiu-jitsu is evident, just take one look at her face as she demonstrates her techniques.

==>Escape from full nelson<==

==>Defence against a push<==

==>Escape from front headlock<==

If you are ever near where she is doing a seminar do yourself a favour and get in on the seminar, you won’t be sorry.

For the women out there, if you are looking for a role model you need look no further.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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Proper Grappling Technique Learning and Drilling

Today I want to talk about how to drill techniques properly. We are going to specifically look at this in relation to ground or grappling techniques but many of the concepts translate well to standing techniques as well.

Phase 1: Introductory

This is where you are first exposed to a particular technique or chain of techniques. You and your partner need to concentrate on performing the technique/s exactly as taught. Your partner should offer no resistance at this stage. Practice should be slow and smooth, concentrating on correct execution of the small details (the small details will often be the deciding factor if the technique will work for you or not!). Do not leave anything out, a small detail left out may well make the technique not work for you when there is resistance or in live grappling. Only when you feel you know all the parts should you move on to phase 2:

Phase 2: Isolation

You should drill the technique similar to phase 1, but at various steps along the way have your partner test your balance and control. Can they easily escape? Can they roll or unbalance you? The resistance your partner offer should be low (30%) and only at locations where you are most likely to be unbalances or have the least amount of control over them. If your partner does manage to escape, roll or unbalance you, correct your posture and grips until you remain in control. Adopt these changes into your technique.

Phase 3: Increased Resistance

At this stage your partner should now start to offer some resistance during practice, all the way thought the technique. Start with a low level of resistance (30%).  Once again if you find yourself being unbalanced, rolled or cannot control your partner as well as you would like make further minor corrections as required to maintain your balance and control. Remember it’s likely a small part of the technique that you are missing or not doing correctly that will make the difference. Once you’re able to perform the technique at 30% increase to 50% and repeat. Once you’re able to perform the technique at 50% increase to 70% and repeat the process. Never drill above 80% as anything above this level is live grappling. Remember to drop back to phase 1 and 2 once and a wile to make sure you have all the right parts in the right sequence. Working fast, using all your strength or too much resistance from your partner will cause your technique to suffer over the long run as these things will all cause your technique to suffer.

Phase 4: Live Grappling

This is the stage where you can now bring the technique you were learning into your live grappling matches. If you have followed the steps above the technique will now have a much higher % chance of succeeding. You can always try techniques from stage 1, 2 or 3 in live grappling but remember the chance of success will be much lower until you have followed the steps above.

As in anything cutting corners will not make anything shorter but will in fact make it longer. Many people struggle with a technique for years because they try to go from phase 1 to 4 without any real practice.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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Street Self-defence from top of Guard

Anyone who has seen the UFC, videos fights on YouTube… knows that being on the bottom of any position in a fight is bad. If you’re not sure what the guard position is, it is when you are laying on your back on the ground with your opponent between your legs, your legs are around their waist and your feet are crossed locking them into position.

In grappling the bottom position of the guard is typically stronger than the top position. On the bottom you can attack you opponent’s whole body, whereas from the top position your attacks are typically limited to leg attacks. There ARE other attacks than just legs from the top of guard but you are still more limited than the person on the bottom.

==>Ground Self-defence from top of guard<==

On the street it’s very hard to punch with any effectiveness from your back. YES some people do train to punch from the ground and are good at it but most (98% of us) are not, we just can’t generate that much power while on our backs. Also while on the ground it’s very hard to guard all our vital areas (head, throat, floating ribs, diaphragm and groin) from attacks, much harder than it is in a standing fight.

So how or why would anybody in their right mind drag you down into their guard in a fight? Maybe they believe their grapping skills are better than your striking skills. Maybe that’s not really where they intended to end up after taking you to the ground, there are many ways you could end up in this position.

Top of guard in a fight is a good position to be, by far not the best but still good. You may be tempted to respond with grappling techniques to open the leg and pass the guard but this could be very dangerous. Remember if your attacker “jumped guard” on you they probably know how to grapple. Even if you know how to grapple, maybe even fairly good at it, always assume your attacker is better at it than you. So why play into your attacks strength? Responding with grappling techniques also breaks the first rule of ground self-defence, which is to get to your feet as fast as possible and incapacitate your attacker along the way.

==>Ground Self-defence from top of guard<==

We never what to get stuck on the ground in a real fight. Have a look at this article from BJJ Eastern Europe.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

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They won’t release their grip… wind them into the ground!

Today we are going to look at chain a couple of techniques together, or follow up techniques when the first technique does not go as planned.

No matter your belt level it’s never too early to start thinking about what you would do if a technique doesn’t work. I would argue that in most cases your initial technique most likely will NOT go as planned. Think about it. A sudden attack, panic reaction, your adrenalin in pumping, your attacker does not attack you the same as your partners do in the dojo, all this adds up to a failed first technique.

==>Rear Bear Hug to Outer Winding Throw <==

If your technique does work great BUT! If not you had better know where you can go from where you are. The only way to train for this is in the dojo. Start thinking about what you would do if… Then take it to the dojo and try it out. Did it work as you thought it would?

Start with a technique. Ask your partner how they would stop it or prevent it. What would you do in response? Can you use any of the techniques that you have already learned in response? Remember the technique does not have to be exactly as you studied it in class to work. There is likely more than one response to any given technique, play with the different ways to prevent a technique and your responses. Before you know it you just added a bunch of techniques to those you know and have made yourself more effective at defending yourself.

==>Rear Bear Hug to Outer Winding Throw <==

Think about it now because there won’t be time during the fight.

As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

www.tigersdenjiu-jitsu.com

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WEBBS and Jukoshin Jiu-jitsu Master Shihan Michael Legg

Shihan Michael Legg is the Shihan or Chief Instructor for the UK. He is a friend and many year student of Soke Bryan Cheek.

I have been lucky to have attended several of his seminars, the most recent this year (2014) when he was over from London.

==>Throw with shoulder dislocation<==

==>Choke with the wall<==

==>Neck lock<==

At the WEBBS World Congress in Lisbon Portugal 2013, I was offered a change to be an instructor. Which of course I jumped at. Well before you now it standing on my mat is Shihan Michael Legg and several other master level martial artists, talk about pressure. It turned out to be a wonderful teaching experience and fun was had by all.

Shihan Legg and the other master instructors were there to check me out for sure but it was more than that. You could see in their eyes the desire to learn something new or discover a new way of doing something that they had not thought of. The source of the information didn't matter, in this case me, a junior black belt (3^rd Deg.). They were open minded and willing to learn from anybody, at any time and anywhere.

This is what makes Shihan Michael Legg and the others I was working with true martial arts masters, of course the 30 to 40 years of training and amazing technique don’t hurt either!

You never know where a good idea or technique will come from so always keep an open mind and be ready to learn.

To learn many other great jiu-jitsu techniques check out our Jiu-jitsu Distance Education Program at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

www.tigersdenjiu-jitsu.com

www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com

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To block or not to block…?

Today I want to talk a bit out blocking and striking, of how we learn techniques and how the techniques should actually be performed. When we start to learn a technique we tend to break it down into steps, block, strike, lock, takedown, strike to finish or something similar depending on the technique.

Let’s focus on the first part, the initial block and strike. Your attacker is mad at you, why who knows. Because he is mad at you, his attacks will aggressive, hard and he likely has plans for more than one. No surprise there, so how does this relate to how we learn to block and counter attack?

If we were to execute a block then a strike similar to how we started learning them in class (this is true to almost any martial art) it will not work. The first attack will be blocked but we will get hit by the second attack before we can get our counter attack off. So how do we fix this?

Our blocks need to be strikes and/or we need to block and strike at the same time. Take a look at the video below for a better look at what I am referring to.

==>Blocking vs striking<==

There are a number of good reasons to strike as you block or with your block:

-          Your counter attack will be far more effective.

-          More power. They are moving towards you and you are moving towards them you will have your combined weight and momentum of you and your attacker behind the hit. (think of two cars hitting head on)

-          Your counter attack is less likely to be blocked. It’s very hard for your attacker block your attack while he is in the middle of his attack.

-          Your attacker’s vital areas and soft targets will be more vulnerable while he is attacking.

In short don’t block, attack!

A word of warning if you’re not already employing this concept please be careful. You WILL generate far more power then you expect so be nice to your training partner.

Check out our jiu-jitsu distance education program for even more on-line videos and instruction.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

www.tigersdenjiu-jitsu.com

www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com

Our Google +Page

Our Facebook Group

Our Facebook Page

YouTube Channel

When they give you a hand…break their wrist!

Ok we are obviously not talking about a standing ovation because that would just be mean to break their wrist if they were clapping for you…  but not if they were grabbing your shirt

The video below shows another option from the shirt of lapel grab attack. This is a variation on a technique(s) taught in the Jukoshin syllabus and in our jiu-jitsu distance education program.

==>Lapel grab to sankyo lock<==

The sankyo lock is a very versatile lock that can be interred in to in many different ways. It’s a very good controlling and disarming technique. Your attacker may well be bigger and stronger than you, but I bet in a competition of your whole body vs. their wrist, that their wrist is going to lose that battle.

As you can see from the video your attacker doesn’t even need to let go for the lock to work.

The most important part of this technique, like most techniques, is the entry or the distraction. You NEED to hurt or distract our attacker prior to trying the technique. If his mind is on you and grabbing you with his ram and hand there is no way you are going to move him, and you will likely get hit for your trouble. In the video I give the attacker a sharp kick to the knee, after which you can be fairly certain that he is no longer thinking about his arm, hand, grabbing me or about what I am about to do to him.

If your trying to lock without the distraction or loosing strikes ask yourself “Would this work on me on the street if I was angry?”. By the way, lack of distraction or loosening strikes is the single biggest reason why joint locks fail and many people think that they just don’t work.

Check out our jiu-jitsu distance education program for even more on-line videos and instruction.

Cheers,

Jamie Rickard (Sensei)

Head Instructor

Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling

Located at:

The Academy of Martial Arts

851 Princess Street

Kingston, Ontario

www.tigersdenjiu-jitsu.com

www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com

Our Google +Page

Our Facebook Group

Our Facebook Page

YouTube Channel