June 26, 2005
Anatomy of a Strangle
This week we will discuss strangles and strangulations; this will be the start of series of articles on the topic of chokes, strangles and other submissions attacking the neck. I define a “strangle” as a grappling technique that restricts the flow of blood through the carotid arteries, giving your opponent the choice of submitting or becoming unconscious.
First it is important to understand a little bit of anatomy. Try turning your head to one side and then pinch the big long muscle on the opposite side of your neck. This muscle runs from just behind your ear to the top of your breastbone, and is called the “Sternocleidomastoid”. The carotid artery is roughly located underneath this muscle.
The take-home message of the above anatomy lesson is that proper strangles attack mainly the SIDES of the neck. When these arteries are compressed by a choke the brain doesn't receive enough blood and the person becomes unconscious. In the hands of an expert this can take as little as 5 to 10 seconds. Most properly applied strangles are not usually very painful, although there are a few exceptions to this rule.
Resisting a strangle is not a question of toughness. Because you are temporarily restricting the flow of blood to the brain, even if the person high on PCP, or has superhuman pain tolerance, they should go unconscious. As with all techniques there are a few freaks of nature that have necks strong enough to resist most strangles – but you should know that these people are VERY few and far between.
Next week we will discuss some very important choking and strangling safety tips, including what to expect when someone has been rendered fully unconscious.
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First it is important to understand a little bit of anatomy. Try turning your head to one side and then pinch the big long muscle on the opposite side of your neck. This muscle runs from just behind your ear to the top of your breastbone, and is called the “Sternocleidomastoid”. The carotid artery is roughly located underneath this muscle.
The take-home message of the above anatomy lesson is that proper strangles attack mainly the SIDES of the neck. When these arteries are compressed by a choke the brain doesn't receive enough blood and the person becomes unconscious. In the hands of an expert this can take as little as 5 to 10 seconds. Most properly applied strangles are not usually very painful, although there are a few exceptions to this rule.
Resisting a strangle is not a question of toughness. Because you are temporarily restricting the flow of blood to the brain, even if the person high on PCP, or has superhuman pain tolerance, they should go unconscious. As with all techniques there are a few freaks of nature that have necks strong enough to resist most strangles – but you should know that these people are VERY few and far between.
Next week we will discuss some very important choking and strangling safety tips, including what to expect when someone has been rendered fully unconscious.
Labels: chokes
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June 19, 2005
From Silat to Submission Grappling
Last week I discussed some of the connections between traditional Japanese Ju-jutsu and modern submission grappling. These connections shouldn’t be too surprising, given the direct lineage from one to the other.
This week I want to cast my net a little bit further, and discuss some similarities between modern grappling and Indonesian Silat. I am not claiming that one art descended from the other. What I AM saying that there are only so many ways to take someone to the ground, twist their limbs or choke their neck, and that these two arts sometimes have very similar solutions to the same grappling problems.
Indonesia has a very rich and diverse martial heritage. There are hundreds of different styles in Indonesia, loosely referred to as ‘Silat’. I have been exposed to some of these arts via Guro Dan Inosanto, legendary teacher and protégée of Bruce Lee. Let me present just three connections between the grappling I practice on a day-to-day basis, and the martial arts of the Indonesian archipelago
Those of you who have read my article on Omo Plata (www.grapplearts.com/Omo-Plata-Article.htm) may recall that I was first exposed to Omo Plata as a Silat technique. I soon adapted it to my grappling game and started using it on the mat. I thought I had discovered an entirely new technique. Of course I soon found out that Japanese Judoka and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu players had been using this technique for a very longtime previous to my ‘discovering’ it.
More recently, I was taking a private class from Vladimir ‘the Janitor’ Matyushenko at the RI training facility in LA. We were focusing on the 2-on-1 position in standup wrestling, and he showed me an attack that completely entangled both my arms using only one of his arms; “I get this once in a while in sparring” he said. The next day Guro Inosanto showed us a drill from the Harimau system of Silat that ended in EXACTLY the same entangled arm position.
Finally my friend (and guiding influence of the infamous Dog Brothers) Marc Denny has been developing a system he calls ‘Kali Tudo (tm)’. This system applies concepts and techniques from Filipino Kali and Indonesian Silat to an empty-handed Mixed Martial Arts context. The influence of this Kali Tudo on the mainstream MMA community remains to be seen, but I think that his synthesis is a very natural fit indeed.
Now I want to emphasize that not all Silat systems focus on groundwork: some are mostly standup-oriented, others specialize in weaponry. The systems that do include groundwork, however, tend to have very creative entries and submissions. I would encourage you to expose yourself to these systems if you ever get the chance. Who knows, it might just be what you need to ‘invent’ the next revolutionary technique that will change the way we do business on the mats!
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This week I want to cast my net a little bit further, and discuss some similarities between modern grappling and Indonesian Silat. I am not claiming that one art descended from the other. What I AM saying that there are only so many ways to take someone to the ground, twist their limbs or choke their neck, and that these two arts sometimes have very similar solutions to the same grappling problems.
Indonesia has a very rich and diverse martial heritage. There are hundreds of different styles in Indonesia, loosely referred to as ‘Silat’. I have been exposed to some of these arts via Guro Dan Inosanto, legendary teacher and protégée of Bruce Lee. Let me present just three connections between the grappling I practice on a day-to-day basis, and the martial arts of the Indonesian archipelago
Those of you who have read my article on Omo Plata (www.grapplearts.com/Omo-Plata-Article.htm) may recall that I was first exposed to Omo Plata as a Silat technique. I soon adapted it to my grappling game and started using it on the mat. I thought I had discovered an entirely new technique. Of course I soon found out that Japanese Judoka and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu players had been using this technique for a very longtime previous to my ‘discovering’ it.
More recently, I was taking a private class from Vladimir ‘the Janitor’ Matyushenko at the RI training facility in LA. We were focusing on the 2-on-1 position in standup wrestling, and he showed me an attack that completely entangled both my arms using only one of his arms; “I get this once in a while in sparring” he said. The next day Guro Inosanto showed us a drill from the Harimau system of Silat that ended in EXACTLY the same entangled arm position.
Finally my friend (and guiding influence of the infamous Dog Brothers) Marc Denny has been developing a system he calls ‘Kali Tudo (tm)’. This system applies concepts and techniques from Filipino Kali and Indonesian Silat to an empty-handed Mixed Martial Arts context. The influence of this Kali Tudo on the mainstream MMA community remains to be seen, but I think that his synthesis is a very natural fit indeed.
Now I want to emphasize that not all Silat systems focus on groundwork: some are mostly standup-oriented, others specialize in weaponry. The systems that do include groundwork, however, tend to have very creative entries and submissions. I would encourage you to expose yourself to these systems if you ever get the chance. Who knows, it might just be what you need to ‘invent’ the next revolutionary technique that will change the way we do business on the mats!
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June 09, 2005
From Traditional Ju-jutsu to Modern Grappling
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling and mixed martial arts are relatively new phenomena, but they are rooted in martial traditions hundreds, and even thousands of years old. Although I choose to train and compete in a modern setting I still believe that there is value in examining the origins of one’s art.
Several years ago I was on the mat with Alex Kask, who is a longtime traditional ju-jutsu practitioner and teacher. As we talked and trained an interesting pattern emerged: I would show him one of my favorite submissions, and then he would show me very similar techniques from a number of traditional ju-jutsu systems. The lineage from traditional ju-jutsu to judo to Brazilian jiu-jitsu to submission grappling became very apparent that evening.
In addition to obvious similarities there were also little differences in how the techniques are typically applied. An example of this might be applying the rear naked choke: in modern grappling the position of choice for this choke is the rear mount. In traditional ju-jutsu this position is generally avoided. I found the discussion about the differences almost as informative as our discovery of the similarities. The differences in technique illustrate the cultural and historical underpinnings of every martial art, including our modern forms of grappling.
This discussion eventually led to an article getting published in Black Belt Magazine called “Submission Grappling vs. Traditional Ju-jutsu”. This article is now available on the grapplearts website, and I hope it is as interesting for you to read as it was for us to research and write.
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Several years ago I was on the mat with Alex Kask, who is a longtime traditional ju-jutsu practitioner and teacher. As we talked and trained an interesting pattern emerged: I would show him one of my favorite submissions, and then he would show me very similar techniques from a number of traditional ju-jutsu systems. The lineage from traditional ju-jutsu to judo to Brazilian jiu-jitsu to submission grappling became very apparent that evening.
In addition to obvious similarities there were also little differences in how the techniques are typically applied. An example of this might be applying the rear naked choke: in modern grappling the position of choice for this choke is the rear mount. In traditional ju-jutsu this position is generally avoided. I found the discussion about the differences almost as informative as our discovery of the similarities. The differences in technique illustrate the cultural and historical underpinnings of every martial art, including our modern forms of grappling.
This discussion eventually led to an article getting published in Black Belt Magazine called “Submission Grappling vs. Traditional Ju-jutsu”. This article is now available on the grapplearts website, and I hope it is as interesting for you to read as it was for us to research and write.
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