Lock to Throw or Lock to Strike?

[loki09789]

For example, if you have parried a punch and find that you can easily apply a wrist turn (kote gaeshi), do you follow that into something like a 4 corner throw, or would you simply pull them low and off balance and drop an elbow or round kick to the face? In both cases the goal will be to dammage the oponnent (using the ground or your body).

Both, either, neither...depends on the situation and me in that situation. At a certain level of training everything becomes a "depends" answer because the real issue is goals and tactics/objectives and not so much as techniques. If it feels better in that moment to stun him/her off the ground, that's where I try to get them. If not, they stay standing.

In this idea of locks/throws and such though an important piece is whether you would try for a lock or a limb destruction in a real situtation. "Locking" may be too slow or create a pause in the flow that may root me long enough for him to counter (if the lock fails) or friends to come (multiple attackers). Change the deliver with some snapping power and you can crack and run to avoid extending the fight.

Of course, if the situation requires more control than destruction locks might be more appropriate.... so again "it depends"

 

[Aaron Little]

My preference would be to bypass the lock completely and go straight to striking and or throws.

 

[Bod]

Last night a friend who I trained with informally said to me we should train some chin-na (locks, nerve attacks, throws etc.) again. He has a job in law enforcement of some type.

I asked him if he had been attacked in his job, an issue he was very worried about before he began this job.

He said 'Oh, yeah, things happen all the time'. I asked if he had ever used any of the moves we'd practiced.

He had, it was a block to a punch into a straight armlock, one of my favourite locking techniques, because it takes you out of the way of trouble if your footwork is correct. He was surprised by a chap who turned round to punch him with his right hand. He'd thought he'd just waved his hands about in front of himself to ward off the blow, but when they examined the video footage later he had soft blocked the lead hand with his left hand, passed it to his right while sweeping his right foot back, and pushed at the man's shoulder, just like we'd practised.

He lost his right hand grip, so the lock didn't come on, and the assailant lost his balance, hit a wall and was knocked on the head.

Because the footwork and general body mechanics were correct it all turned out alright, but he had to plead innocent to any form of MA training, apart from his initial training with the law enforcement authority involved, since it looked in the video like he was not reacting at all. He had to fill in a lot of forms and spent days getting them signed off by the right people. You may see why I was so vague about the details of this friend.

I think that what I'm trying to say is: get the body mechanics right, and the rest may take care of itself. If you're lucky.

 

[Adept]

if you get into a situation and create a plan, and that plan fails, it leaves you faltering. if you go into a situation with no plan, but with an open mind, your plan cannot be ruined.

shawn

Be like water...



Myself, I'm not good on the ground and when facing off against multiple opponents, you dont want to spend too long in one spot, especially with your hands (and attention) tied up. Lock then strike, for me.

 

[RanaHarmamelda]

Hmm -- assuming a self-defense situation -- I'd lock for the throw. Either multiple or single-attacker. Idea being to get the opponent away from me, creating distance to escape/reconsider, while simultaneously damaging it. In theory, this should be a better option, overall -- I think. Especially if you can drop them on their head, onto some hard surface -- e.g., walls and concrete floors and such. *grin*

Although -- I've been a striker for a lot longer than I've been a grappler -- so perhaps what I'd really do would be different. *shrug* The above is what I *think* I would do.

 

[TChase]

It all depends on the situation but in general I like to lock to control. But the joint I like to lock up is the spine. It renders the enemy helpless making it easy to use him as a shield in multiple attacker situation and allows you to survey the environment to plan your extraction and escape.