From: taddiken@ms.uky.edu (scott taddiken)
Subject: Why is there little discussion of striking technique on this net?
Keywords: You figure out what to put here.
Summary: (And some judo/grappling discussion).
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 21:59:33 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences

I am a judo player (and in the past, a collegiate and freestyle wrestler
of some small accomplishment).  As such, I find grappling almost infinitely
interesting.  Discussions regarding the way in which arms and legs and
bodies and balance intertwine fascinate me more, in many cases, than
current events or movies or history.

What I am driving at is this: I find it remarkable that there is so little
discussion of technique on this net, and I wonder why that is true.  It
seems to me that most of my fellow ma-ers practice striking arts of one
kind or another.  Why do they not discuss strikes, evasions, counterstrikes
and try to learn from each other?  I don't mean just say what your coach or
teacher says, but rather tell about movements which you have adjusted to
your personal style, and which you think might work well for others.

From my (limited) point of view, it appears that this is not a problem as
much for grapplers as for strikers.  Aikidoka, for instance, are VERY 
distant cousins of judoka (it is not at all clear that what they practice
is best described as a grappling art), and yet I find their discussions of
technique fascinating (when I can understand them.  They tend to name their
movements by number or a not-particularly-descriptive japanese name).
Similarly, I have had conversations with aikidoka who seemed to be at
least mildly interested in grappling techniques I've described.

I have thought of a few possible explanations for this phenomenon:

1) Perhaps in the striking arts, technique of execution is much harder to
   describe than technique of training, i.e. people find it more easier
   to discuss ways to develop more powerful strikes than ways to use those
   strikes on active, intelligent opponents.

2) Perhaps the language barrier between striking arts makes discussion
   impossibly difficult.

3) Perhaps it is in fact possible to have a discussion of technique with
   fellow ma-ers, but it is, after all, completely useless from the point
   of view of enriching or improving your ma ability, so it isn't done.

4) Perhaps the readers of this net are victim to one of the two imposters:
   pride and shame.  Maybe they are too proud of their best technique to
   allow others to learn it.  Or maybe they are afraid that they will be
   flamed if they say they have a good defence to some attack.

There are other explanations, I suppose.

Anyway, some grappling.  Dan wrote recently of a clinic he attended in
which Kelly, Matsamura, and Shina gave talks.  I hope he brought a pad
and pen, or a friend with a camcorder.  Such things are invaluable at
clinics.

Kelly seems to have spent her time demonstrating (what seem to me) some
fairly elementary armlocks.  I've said it before: In my experience, it is
almost impossible to get a STANDING armlock on an experienced grappler,
although it could be argued that the threat of that armlock helps to set
up your opponent for certain throws (the two sleeve, over the shoulder
throw comes to mind, sodetsurikomigoshi).  Otherwise, it seems like she
showed good stuff.  I've found that the key to a successful armlock
is to control the opponent's body.  Wrap your legs around the disagreeable
so and so.  Make love to his arm. :)

I've seen Matsamura in action before.  He gives excellent clinic.  It sounds
like he got cut off halfway through his series.  Since seeing him, I always
sit into my opponent whenever I am underneath, and I've had good results.
The key is to pull him strongly into your gut one way or another, while sitting
up fairly straight and blocking his legs with your feet.  If he should 
manage to get a knee on top of one of your thighs, he can come past your
legs, and you are in some trouble.  But if you are sitting up and pulling
tight, you have some potential energy and control that you can use.  One
tactic, which it sounds like Matsamura may have suggested, is to put the leg
which is not trapped in front of the opponent's face, and roll sideways onto
your belly locking his closer arm (which he surely is still grabbing you with).
Doesn't work for me; hasn't worked on me.  A good opponent is well aware
of the vulnerability of that arm, and will "shorten" it as you try to lock it
up.  Nothing works spectacularly well for me when my opponent gets a knee onto
my thigh.  Against a sap, I may grip the sides of the collar and allow him to
come past.  Then I spin underneath on my back and apply the "baseball choke"
(so named because the grips you have on the neck are much like the grip on a 
baseball bat).  Against more mediocre opposition I lock up a leg between mine
and wait for a better opportunity.  Against tough opposition I wait for the
moment that he tries to improve his grip, then stand up.  Against Mike Swain
I get pinned.

Dan says Shina (excellent teacher, excellent club) spoke of tensing before
entry to kouchigari.  (For non-judoka, that's where you sweep the inside of
opponent's right foot with your right foot, and topple him over to his right-
rear).  I think this works because so many judoka's first defensive reaction
is to squat and lean back.  In fact, you might try faking with the head and 
hands (giving a sharp tug) to convince him that you are thinking about a 
forward tumbling technique. It's the first throw I was ever able to pull off 
on adult black belt opposition, so it is close to my heart.