Between yellow and green belt in judo we start to integrate choking techniques into our game for most adults. Following is a handful of helpful hints for making the most out of this set of techniques.
- Safety - Technical blood chokes (unlike crushing strangles) are generally considered safe, but for an additional measure of safety, we try to follow these guidelines... Don't practice chokes on children under 13 or people with history of heart or cardiovascular problems. When practicing chokes on people over 50 years of age, position the choke but don't clamp down on it (uke tap before tori clamps it). Try to refrain from choking on both sides of the neck during one practice, and try to refrain from practicing chokes in every class. If you don't want chokes done on you, let your instructor and your partners know ahead of time.
- Target - The carotid sinus (the target of most choking attempts) is located at the corner of the jaw slightly above the level of the Adam's apple, underneath the SCM muscle that runs from your ear to your collarbone. Depending on the position of uke's head, you may have to push this band of muscle out of the way to get to the artery underneath.
- Position then anchor - On most chokes, you position the choking surface of your hand or forearm directly on one carotid sinus, then grab whatever is at hand to anchor your hand there. Go in that order - position then anchor. Don't grab a handful of collar and then try to find the right position because you will nearly always end up out of position and have to use much more force over a longer period of time.
- One artery is sufficient - Because you are pressing the carotid sinus to cause a reflex knockout, you don't have to clamp both carotids to get an effect. In fact, pushing into a carotid sinus can cause a much faster, much lower-force knockout than squeezing both carotids. The carotids are not the only arteries carrying blood to the head, so you can't cut off all bloodflow anyway.
- Position, choke, armbar - Having a controlling position is usually pre-requisite to making an effective choking attempt. It is almost impossible to choke uke when you are between his legs because he is controlling your hips. When uke begins using his hands to resist a choking attempt, he often gets himself into an armbar. So, the flow of groundwork often goes from position to choke to armbar.
For goodness sake, have some sense and don't practice this stuff without an experienced instructor on hand!___________
One of the more ubiquitous kata found in the various forms of Okinawan karate is Sanchin. The movements found in Sanchin are said to be foundational to the rest of karate, and several practical applications can be found for every motion in the kata.
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A pretty smart guy in the blogosphere told me a while back that at their school they taught that every move should have at least three applications - strike/block, throw/takedown, and pressure point/joint destruction. I'm not too much on pressure points, so I tend to say that every move should have at least two applications (atemi or grappling) but that vital points should definitely be kept in mind.
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Following are some of my thoughts on the mostly-grappling applications of Sanchin kata...
- The hands together pointing down over your groin thing at the start is not a salute. It is a wrist break response to a chest grab/push.
- The first step forward from yoi into a stance looks like shomenate. It is basically entering strongly and violently with your whole body into the attacker's center while using the arms to wedge in and attack his face.
- The basic arms-up stance looks and acts a lot like a basic judo clench.
- The punch/block motions look a lot like vying for an inside grip just like in judo. The center punches also work great as kuzushi.
- The big elbow motions followed by spearhands are clearing their hands off you and reaching into their center to do something (strike/grab).
- The swirly motions are basically like the "swimming" motions we use to get around the other guy's arms when grappling. Also implied in this is the idea that your strikes should be able to originate from anywhere along these paths. Thus, you get the exotic atemi, like ear slap, groin slap/chop, overhand hook, eye rakes, and various other vital point strikes.
- Any step that comes thru a center point under you (i.e. tsugiashi) can be replaced by any sweep or kick. This is (to me) where the lethality and finishing techniques come from. The upper body motions, including the strikes and "blocks" are basically gripfighting and setting up throws, and every time you take a step, you are either destroying a leg or hooking a leg to do a smashing gake-type throw onto a table or chair or etc...
Stuff to think about for you guys who think that this kata is a simple punch/block thing.
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"Whew, I can't handle this person! Let's get Pat to deal with them..." I'm no miracle worker but I get this every so often and most of the time I'm fairly successful at diffusing disgruntled people. Here are some aikido principles for dealing with situations like this at work...
Accept the attack without offering resistance - Ask, "What can I help you with," and then listen (really listen) without interrupting. When allowed to thrust at you without resistance, most folks will overextend their argument, expend their energy, and calm down a little.
An attack is an opportunity - In a physical confrontation, every attack presents the opportunity for a specific set of techniques. It is not possible to grab someone who is calm and balanced and force them to take a fall, but if they will attack you, suddenly they give you a gift of possibility. In the business world you will find that sometimes your worst enemies can be made into your biggest fans - so an attack is really an opportunity to make a friend.
Turn and look at things from their point of view - Place yourself in their shoes and say, "I understand." A lot of times they are mad about some secondary issue and are using that as an excuse to act out. You don't have to validate their crazy behavior but you can share their emotion and motivation. Often this will take the wind out of their sails.
Take a chance to step away and re-center yourself - Just like in a physical confrontation, if you can't handle what's going on, you might push back outside of attack range and then re-engage. In a business context, say, "Hold on for a moment while I go check that out for you." Then leave the room, take a breath, re-center yourself, and re-engage in a more positive manner.
Synchronize yourself with them - when you move with their ebb and flow, you reduce their ability to injure you and you let them expend their energy and calm down. In business dealings, try acting as an advocate for them or a go-between to buffer them from the system they are angry with.
Don't add more energy to the conflict - if you don't want a response, don't offer a stimulus. If you want a fight to calm down you have to avoid counterattacking. Sure, occasionally you might have to engage and destroy the oponent in order to stop the behavior. This is called the "dramatic relief technique" in therapy, but this should only be used in the rarest of circumstances. For the most part, a conflict will tend to go to a lower energy level if you just refrain from adding your own energy.
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The Super-Important Small Print
The contents of this website are for informational purposes only. Do not mistake any of this information for advice.
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Martial arts training is a physical contact activity in which there is risk to the participants. Practice is frequently very physically strenuous and mentally and emotionally challenging. Participation can result in injuries or damages of any sort, including permanent disability, deformity, or death. Sometimes the risks are not even foreseeable by trained experts.
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It would be wise of you to obtain the help of a qualified instructor and have a physician examine you and clear you for strenuous physical contact activity before you try any of these very dangerous activities. Always inspect the practice area, the equipment, your partners, and yourself for risks before starting. Your participation is voluntary, so if you see something that you think is unsafe you should immediately tell the instructor and decline to participate in that activity. Always work within your own limits.
