Adam Chan - Basic Grab Releases Exercises

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Let's look at why your opponent wants to grab your wrist.

- You are in boxing guard.
- Your opponent wants to punch your head but your arms are in his way.
- If he uses "parry" to remove your arm, you can spin your arm with him and let him to parry into the thin air..
- So he wants to "temporary" grabbing your wrist. Move your arm out of his punching path. Also prevent your arm to spin with him.

Is there any better solution than this?

This is assuming you are facing off against someone. If someone's next to you at a bar, you do something that pisses him off, and he grabs your wrist it won't necessarily be for that purpose.

 

[TMA17]

No they are not. It is a big lie that one.

Because it looks slow and easy to read from the side. People assume it is slow and easy to read from down the barrel. That is an incorrect assumption.

And you can tell this two ways.

One is looking at the reactions of the people who get hit. They can't move fast enough to take advantage.

Two. You can test it for yourself by sparring.

And the factor is punching someone light at half speed isn't punching someone hard at full speed

I don't have any street fighting experience but from watching so many of these videos one of the most fatal mistakes I believe are made is not maintaining distance. If someone is in my personal space, that's a problem. You always see two guys standing there and they often get close with both having their hands down. Correct me if I'm wrong but that's just dumb. I'd have one hand out in front of me maintaining that distance where it would be tough to land a one shot sucker punch.

If someone is coming at me, heated, a good front straight leg kick to their mid section (like Conor does) or stiff arm (if you're a grappler then a takedown) or whatever is what I'd react with. These people get caught off guard because they are too late to move.

 

[drop bear]

I don't have any street fighting experience but from watching so many of these videos one of the most fatal mistakes I believe are made is not maintaining distance. If someone is in my personal space, that's a problem. You always see two guys standing there and they often get close with both having their hands down. Correct me if I'm wrong but that's just dumb. I'd have one hand out in front of me maintaining that distance where it would be tough to land a one shot sucker punch.

If someone is coming at me, heated, a good front straight leg kick to their mid section (like Conor does) or stiff arm (if you're a grappler then a takedown) or whatever is what I'd react with. These people get caught off guard because they are too late to move.

Yeah. But there is a misconception generally about where the safety distances and what reaction times can handle.

If the guy is fast you may not be able to see the shot if you are at all in range.

Which makes concepts like the fence a lot less effective.

 

[DaveB]

His movements are fine. My objection is that the students performing the grabs are completely clueless about how to do them effectively. It’s easy to look badass when countering a garbage “attack”.

I believe in teaching the students how to perform the attack correctly so that it exposes any flaws in the defense. If you encourage your demo dummy to repeatedly come in with an incompetent attack and pre-compromised structure, then you get to look impressive but you don’t do your students any favors in teaching them how to fight.

What was wrong with their grabs?
How should one grab to not be garbage?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

What was wrong with their grabs?
How should one grab to not be garbage?

Reasonable question.

Before I get into specifics, let's address the general concept of how to grab in a non-garbage way. The most important element is that your grab must accomplish something. If you can use your grab to break your opponent's balance and structure, or set up a strike, or set up a more controlling grip, or apply a throw or joint lock, then it can be counted as potentially effective even if not all the technical details are perfect.

In the video the instructor demos counters for two types of grabs.

The first is a fully extended cross-body wrist grab from underneath against a raised hand. This particular grab is useless for setting up any kind of lock, throw, strike, or improved control position. The cross-body arm extension compromises the attacker's structure and sets him up for some easy counters. It's also not a common untrained behavior, so there isn't even the excuse of learning how to deal with a typical street attacker.

The second "attack" is apparently meant to simulate a double-leg takedown, but it's missing everything which makes a double-leg effective. The attacker is coming in with no setup, from too far away, with his arms outstretched long before he could reach the legs, compromising his own structure by leaning his head way to the side, attacking the wrong side, feet pointing the wrong direction ... it's just a mess. Any competent fighter of any style would easily stop the entry before the attacker completed the grab. An untrained football style tackle would actually be an improvement because at least the attacker would have better alignment for generating speed and power.

 

[DaveB]

Reasonable question.

Before I get into specifics, let's address the general concept of how to grab in a non-garbage way. The most important element is that your grab must accomplish something. If you can use your grab to break your opponent's balance and structure, or set up a strike, or set up a more controlling grip, or apply a throw or joint lock, then it can be counted as potentially effective even if not all the technical details are perfect.

In the video the instructor demos counters for two types of grabs.

The first is a fully extended cross-body wrist grab from underneath against a raised hand. This particular grab is useless for setting up any kind of lock, throw, strike, or improved control position. The cross-body arm extension compromises the attacker's structure and sets him up for some easy counters. It's also not a common untrained behavior, so there isn't even the excuse of learning how to deal with a typical street attacker.

The second "attack" is apparently meant to simulate a double-leg takedown, but it's missing everything which makes a double-leg effective. The attacker is coming in with no setup, from too far away, with his arms outstretched long before he could reach the legs, compromising his own structure by leaning his head way to the side, attacking the wrong side, feet pointing the wrong direction ... it's just a mess. Any competent fighter of any style would easily stop the entry before the attacker completed the grab. An untrained football style tackle would actually be an improvement because at least the attacker would have better alignment for generating speed and power.

To play devils advocate for the first attack, I think he was showing the kind of position that can occur in chi-sau. I could be wrong though.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

To play devils advocate for the first attack, I think he was showing the kind of position that can occur in chi-sau. I could be wrong though.

Not in any chi sao I've seen or done. You might use a pak sao to clear the cross side hand from the centerline so you can strike with the free hand, but you wouldn't normally grab the wrist or extend your arm that far or cross the centerline that far.

 

[TMA17]

What if someone uses the Vulcan Death grip?

 

[drop bear]

I don't have any street fighting experience but from watching so many of these videos one of the most fatal mistakes I believe are made is not maintaining distance. If someone is in my personal space, that's a problem. You always see two guys standing there and they often get close with both having their hands down. Correct me if I'm wrong but that's just dumb. I'd have one hand out in front of me maintaining that distance where it would be tough to land a one shot sucker punch.

If someone is coming at me, heated, a good front straight leg kick to their mid section (like Conor does) or stiff arm (if you're a grappler then a takedown) or whatever is what I'd react with. These people get caught off guard because they are too late to move.

I do it to guys in sparring. If they are in range I will pop them.

You just can't stand there and do nothing.

In a street fight. I just keep distance. It isn the ring. I have the whole world to run around in.

And you popping a little liver focused front kick works really well.

 

[TMA17]

DB, what are your thoughts on the MT Teep Kick? (that's what I was thinking of). It seems simple and effective.

 

[drop bear]

Reasonable question.

Before I get into specifics, let's address the general concept of how to grab in a non-garbage way. The most important element is that your grab must accomplish something. If you can use your grab to break your opponent's balance and structure, or set up a strike, or set up a more controlling grip, or apply a throw or joint lock, then it can be counted as potentially effective even if not all the technical details are perfect.

In the video the instructor demos counters for two types of grabs.

The first is a fully extended cross-body wrist grab from underneath against a raised hand. This particular grab is useless for setting up any kind of lock, throw, strike, or improved control position. The cross-body arm extension compromises the attacker's structure and sets him up for some easy counters. It's also not a common untrained behavior, so there isn't even the excuse of learning how to deal with a typical street attacker.

The second "attack" is apparently meant to simulate a double-leg takedown, but it's missing everything which makes a double-leg effective. The attacker is coming in with no setup, from too far away, with his arms outstretched long before he could reach the legs, compromising his own structure by leaning his head way to the side, attacking the wrong side, feet pointing the wrong direction ... it's just a mess. Any competent fighter of any style would easily stop the entry before the attacker completed the grab. An untrained football style tackle would actually be an improvement because at least the attacker would have better alignment for generating speed and power.

Bend your arm.

 

[drop bear]

DB, what are your thoughts on the MT Teep Kick? (that's what I was thinking of). It seems simple and effective.

Teep is perfect. I will try and find the video of Kyle Nike dropping a guy with one.

Ok. It's the rear leg. But just this little stabby shot to the liver. I drop guys with this a fair bit. I don't really push like that thai guy does. I try to put speed in to the shot.

KO of the Week: Kyle Noke vs Peter Sobotta - Ultimate Fighting Championship-Mobile

The kyle noke one has a little kinky angle on it that slips in.

 

[TMA17]

Yeah the guy in the video I posted sort of pushes with his Teep. That Kyle Noke shot was brutal. Ouch.