"Other"-Defence and Combat Grappling (diary entry)

Illustration of Japanese Imperial bodyguard Watanabe no Tsuna fighting a demon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

16.06.13

Apparently the best antonym for “self” is “other”, which would mean that one half of today’s lesson could be described as other-defence. It doesn’t have the same ring to it, but I am loathed to call it civilian bodyguarding, as that doesn’t seem entirely accurate. Nevertheless my friend and close-protection instructor, Al Cain once told me “You are your own bodyguard”. I believe that protecting another person is a very valid area in self-protection instruction. Just as we should prepare to deal with multiple attackers, so should we be aware that interpersonal violence will occur when you are in the company of loved ones. You may be protecting a friend, a child or an elderly person. It’s a judgment call, but sometimes self-preservation is not the primary objective.

We looked at using the fence with a companion. In this instance the barrier is defined by the person you have chosen to protect. So, here you intercept the attacker as he breaches a line that can be some distance in front of you. It is important here to be able to safely clear the person you are protecting. We worked these drills using focus mitts for impact development as well as a real human target. Then we looked at weapon defence variables, coming in from different angles both right and left-handed. We then looked at a protecting a person in a multiple attack situation, moving through crowds and so on.

The second half of the lesson was concerning combat grappling. We began with some attribute-based grip-fighting to establish positioning and tactile awareness. Then we looked at defences from various grips and takedowns. This included controversial responses to attacks from the back. We looked at positions that are used in grappling to achieve submissions. They often provide good vantage points for striking. For example, the rolling knee-bar, which serves as a strong counter to a rear waist-lock is not really the sort of move I would teach on a self-defence course, but it provides a good opportunity to render an attacker in a prone position for a kick.