Arm-Locks for All Styles

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Author: Iain Abernethy (240 X 170mm / 160 Pages / Over 250 b&w Photographs)

Introduction

Arm-locks are found in most of the martial arts. However, the various systems emphasise arm-locks to different degrees. In some systems and schools a wide variety of arm-locks are regularly practised, whereas others may only include a very small number in their training. Hopefully this book will help you to expand your knowledge of arm-locks and introduce you to some locks with which you may not be familiar.

The arm-locks covered in this book originate from a wide range of differing systems. My chosen art has always been traditional karate; however, I count myself lucky that during my twenty-plus years in the martial arts I've had the opportunity to train with practitioners and teachers from many different systems. Within the pages of this book we'll cover arm-locks that are found in traditional karate, judo, kung fu, traditional jujutsu, modern jujutsu, aikido, etc.

There are only a limited number of ways to lock the joints of the arm, and therefore the arm-locks of all martial arts have a great deal in common. However, the various systems emphasise certain arm-locks over others, have varying degrees of sophistication and all have subtlety different ways of applying arm-locks. This book is intended to look at arm-locks in general and you will need to consult an expert in any particular system for guidance on the methodology and the preferred techniques of that system.

In this book we will be examining the functional application of arm-locks in live situations. We will cover the core principles, the weaknesses of the joints, safety in training, wrist-locks, elbow-locks, shoulder-locks and transition drills that will help develop the skills needed to flow from one lock to the next. For those who practise a form-based system (karate, taekwondo, tang soo do etc) we will also look at how arm-locks are recorded within the traditional forms.

The arm is made up of three main joints; the shoulder, the elbow and the wrist. Throughout this book we will essentially be looking at the various ways in which the weaknesses of these three joints can be exploited. The structure of the joints is common to all human beings, and therefore the weaknesses that we wish to exploit are also common. However, the methods used to exploit these weaknesses will vary according to the environment in which the arm-lock is being used.

In sporting martial arts, arm-locks are generally applied in order to get the opponent to 'tap out' and you are facing a skilled opponent with a similar set of skills to your own. This means that you will need to apply arm-locks in a skilful and subtle way if they are not going to be countered. You can only apply techniques that are permitted by the rules, in a way that is permitted by the rules. The fight is guaranteed to stay one-on-one and take place on a matted area. You will know about the fight weeks in advance and will have prepared accordingly. All of the above will affect the way in which arm-locks are applied in the sporting environment.

In a civilian altercation (self-protection), your first option will be to flee, as opposed to fight for a submission or 'tap out'. If physical conflict can't be avoided, then your aim is to weaken or stun your assailant so that you can run away. An assailant in a self-protection situation is extremely unlikely to be a trained competitor. This lack of formal training makes them no less dangerous as they may have plenty of 'real life' experience. The lack of formal training, and the lack of rules, means that counters, feints etc become an irrelevance as simple directness becomes the order of the day. You can use a wider range of methods because none are 'prohibited' by the rulebook. There is no guarantee that the fight will remain one-on-one and hence strategies that are highly-effective in the competitive arena become extremely dangerous outside that arena (eg deliberately seeking and maintaining a ground-fight).

Some principles are always constant, eg all arm-locks require good leverage, regardless of the environment, but it is important that you understand which environment you are training for and hence which techniques and methodologies are appropriate.

In this book we will be focusing on the use of arm-locks in the civilian environment. Many of the arm-locks covered, or versions of them, are used in competitive martial arts. However, there are a great many additional skills that the competitive martial artist needs that those who don't enter such tournaments do not need. It should also be understood that defeating a highly-conditioned athlete, who has a wide knowledge of combative methods and ranges, requires a skill level way in excess of the skills needed for self-defence.

Additionally, many of the methods used in competitive martial arts are not appropriate for use outside that environment (eg they are sometimes too complex). A highly trained and gifted athlete may be able to make just about any technique work; those who are less gifted should stick to techniques that are simpler and more direct.

From the outset it is important to understand that in a self-protection situation, arm-locks are definitely not 'primary techniques' and fall firmly into the category of 'support techniques'. Because arm-locks are grappling techniques - they require you to hold onto your opponent - they should generally be avoided if at all possible. Your aim should always be to run away the instant you are able to do so. If you and the opponent have latched onto one another, it is no longer possible to run away.

In self-protection situations, striking is generally the preferred method. You should strike the opponent - ideally pre-emptively during the dialogue stages of the altercation - and then flee whilst they are stunned. You should never actively seek to grapple with your assailant. That said, if your initial strikes are unsuccessful there is a strong chance that the opponent will grab you. Some martial arts instructors recommend breaking the opponent's grip and then fleeing, but unfortunately it isn't that simple. Once the opponent has secured a strong grip, it is often extremely difficult to break free. If effective and pragmatic self-protections skills are your aim, you need to possess fundamental grappling skills in order to back up your striking.

Once the fight hits close-range, striking should remain the preferred option. So long as you've trained to develop sufficient impact, striking is very direct and very immediate. A solid strike will weaken or incapacitate an opponent and will give you the opportunity to flee. Grappling techniques generally take longer to apply and require you to remain in close proximity to the opponent. It is for these reasons that striking should be the primary method for self-protection. However, you must understand that striking from outside grappling range and striking from within grappling range are two very different skills. It is a mistake to assume that skill at one distance will automatically lead to skill in the other. You need to ensure that you practise striking from within a clinch and that you possess the basic grappling skills needed to create opportunities for your strikes whilst fighting at close-range.

In addition to striking, you should also aim to use very simple and direct grappling techniques when the fight goes to close-range. Methods such as seizing the groin, attacking the eyes and biting are highly effective and very easy to apply. They can also cause great harm to your opponent and hence you have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that the force used to defend yourself is appropriate and justifiable.

The hierarchy, as we have examined it so far, has been:

1 - Totally avoid the situation.

2 - Run away.

3 - Verbally defuse or dissuade the situation.

4 - Pre-emptively strike the assailant during the dialogue stages and then instantly flee.

5 - Strike the opponent until the opportunity to flee is available (avoid latching onto the opponent).

6 - Strike the opponent from within the clinch and use simple and direct grappling techniques.

If, whilst you are still fighting from the clinch, the opportunity for a more 'formal' grappling technique should present itself, then by all means take it. The opponent may end up perfectly positioned for a throw, lock, choke or strangle, and you could exploit that opportunity and apply the technique. However, you should never be looking for such techniques in the first instance. Take them if they are presented, but be sure to give striking and the simple and direct methods priority. Throws, locks, chokes etc are very much 'support' techniques. The 'primary' methods are striking and the simple techniques we have already discussed. However, the support methods are still very much a vital part of the whole. You need to ensure that you are familiar with all the various methods. After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Before we move on to discuss some specific issues surrounding arm-locks, I'd like to quickly discuss the role of ground fighting. The ground is not somewhere you want to be in a real fight. Becoming involved in a ground fight makes it much harder to escape due to your vastly reduced mobility. You are also very vulnerable to the kicks of your opponent's accomplices whilst on the floor. In today's society, fights are rarely one-on-one for any length of time. Even 'spectators' to the fight may decide to get involved if they feel they can get away with a 'free shot'. If you are in an isolated area, with no chance of immediate escape, and you are a good ground fighter, then it could be argued that opting for a ground fight might be a workable strategy. However, in the vast majority of situations, you don't want to go to the ground. Despite the desire not to go to the ground, you must appreciate that real fights often end up there and, therefore, you definitely need to possess some ground fighting skills.

If you should end up the ground, your immediate aim should be to get back to your feet (see my book ' Throws for Strikers ' for advice on how to do this). Although it is unlikely to be a preferred option, the opponent may present you with the opportunity for an arm-lock during a ground fight. Should it be safe and appropriate to do so (eg no chance of a third party getting involved), you may decide to exploit that opportunity. However, it must be understood that, in a civilian environment, ground fighting arm-locks do not play anything like the same role that they do in the sporting environment. We will cover a number of ground fighting arm-locks in this book, but you must never forget that getting to your feet is always the key strategy if you should find yourself on the ground. In a self-protection situation, you must never actively go to the ground in search of an arm-lock!

Having discussed when we would consider applying arm-locks, we shall now move on to discuss what arm-locks should be used for. In competitive martial arts, arm-locks are primarily used to get the opponent to 'tap-out' and hence forfeit the match (we will look at the use of the tap-system in Chapter Three: Safety in Training). In a self-protection situation, arm-locks should never be used in this way. The opponent may feign defeat or compliance only to continue their assault the instant the lock is released. Don't believe a single word they say!

Arm-locks are also very unlikely to work when used as a form of 'pain compliance' in order to restrain an assailant. You may be able to momentarily control their motion, but there is no chance of you restraining an assailant for any significant length of time. To effectively restrain a violent individual, you would need around four or five people to have any chance of success.

In live situations, arm-locks only have two functions. They are either used to injure the joint or to position an opponent for a following technique (often a strike).

Using arm-locks to injure joints can give you a significant advantage as the opponent will then be unable to use the arm in question. However, it's one thing to get a practise partner to 'tap out', but it takes a whole different mindset to actually snap or dislocate a joint.

You should always keep in mind that, in a real fight, your opponent's system will be flooded with adrenaline and hence their pain threshold will be much higher than a partner's in the dojo. That, combined with the fact that you are not trying to get a submission, means that locks have to be taken further than they are in training. As a decent and compassionate human-being, it is unlikely that the mental resolve needed to snap or dislocate an opponent's joint will come naturally to you. It is also laudable if you are the kind of person who finds such an action unpalatable. However, a live fight is not the time for morality. If such an action is required to ensure your safety, then you must ensure that your mind is conditioned to execute that action.

In a real fight, in addition to the effects of adrenaline, your assailant may also be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This can further increase their pain threshold. It should therefore be understood that a broken joint may not be an instant fight stopper. Despite the fact that the opponent will have difficulty using the injured joint, they may try to fight on as if nothing has happened! I'm sure we all know of people - perhaps you've done it yourself - who have shrugged off injuries as nothing significant, only to realise later on that they may be more significant than first thought.

The second function of arm-locks is to position the opponent for following techniques. As a lock is applied, the opponent will instinctively move away from the pain caused by the lock in order to protect their joints. This instinctive action takes place without the conscious thought of the opponent (just like when you snatch your hand away from something hot). Arm-locks can be used to exploit this instinctive action and we will cover this further in the following chapter.

To conclude the introduction, I'd like to quickly mention the differing styles of martial arts and the role arm-locks play within them. Many of the arm-locks covered in this book are regularly practised in grappling systems such as judo and jujutsu. However, arm-locks are not techniques that most martial artists associate with systems like karate, taekwondo etc.

In recent years more and more martial artists are beginning to understand that, to be an effective fighter, you need to be competent at all ranges of combat and all the combative elements. This fact was fully understood by the martial artists of the past. The original versions of most systems were much broader in their scope than the specialised systems they have evolved into today. The 'grappling arts' included fundamental striking on their curricula, just as the 'striking arts' included fundamental grappling skills on theirs. It is only in comparatively recent times that the arts have narrowed their focus and become solely about one particular range or skill.

If you practise a grappling art then you are probably already familiar with arm-locks and their methodology. For those who practise a modern 'striking' art, or a modern version of an older system, you may not presently include arm-locks in your practise. However, if you examine the applications of the traditional forms in your system, you are almost sure to find arm-locks. The forms are, after all, a record of the older version of your system. We will discuss how arm-locks are recorded in katas, hyungs and forms in Chapter Two and you will see many examples throughout this book. Regardless of which art you practise, all arm-locks have a common set of core principles. It is these core principles that we shall now go on to examine.

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