Judo choking methods

 

While there many other ways to deliver a choke to the neck, it might be that looking at the Judo choking methods is a good place to start.

 

I was not taught to choke as a student of Isshinryu. Then as a new black at my first tournament an Instructor of Goshin Jutu asked me to assist him in he locker room after the tournament. He did not explain what he was doing. I remember him placing his hands on my neck, next I was coming too on the floor. Then I listed as he described how the carotid artery choke works.

 

That began my own independent study for a few years looking into variations of this choke. Solely for my own knowledge.

 

Years later as a  mixed martial arts summer camp I was asked to give a seminar. As I did not feel comfortable giving instant Isshinryu instruction, I believed delivering a seminar on choking methods would be interesting to the others.

 

When the camp originator saw what  I was showing he immediately stopped me, telling me that was too dangerous.

 

As years passed at times I saw other demonstrations, one time even from Sherman Harrill at a clinic.

 

So my knowledge grew. I, with a student who was a surgeon assistance, cane to understand how the carotid choke worked and how in seconds you could be rendered unconscious. Of course held for a longer time death might result. The carotid choke stops the heart from beating.

 

I never taught these to my youth students. Instead stressing any time anyone places their hands on your neck that was the time to instantly go all out to defend yourself.

 

Nor did I teach these chokes to my adult students, exactly. Instead giving examples of how they worked. It would be their own initiative to take this further.

 

But Judo teaches many of them and is  a good place to start.

 

Note they are often used on the ground, but work equally well when standing.

 

Back in the late 1960’s I remember a match on TV where a Russian Judoka competed against an American Judoka.

As soon as the macth began the Russian Judoka grasped the American’s uniform collar and in seconds the American collapsed out cold. The Russian won the match with that choke.

 

 

The Judo chokes.

 

Nami juji jime or normal cross lock from the front with arms crossed grasping the collars with the thumb inside.

Gyaku juji jime or reverse cross lock from the front with the fingers inside.

Kata juji jime or half cross lock with one hand fingers-in and one hand thumb-in.

Hadaka jime or naked lock applied from the rear with the forearm across the throat.

Mae hadaka jime or front naked lock (sometimes called the guillotine).

Okuri eri jime or sliding collar lock applied from the rear with one hand reaching around the neck grasping the collar with the other hand reaching under the arm to the opposite collar.

Kataha jime or single wing lock from the rear with one hand around the neck to the collar but the other hand under the arm and behind the neck.

Katate jime or one hand choke from the front or side reach across the throat to the collar.

Ryote jime or two hand choke from the front grabbing the collars with the thumbs inside and turning your fists into the sides of the neck.

Sode guruma jime or sleeve wheel choke from the front reaching around the back of the neck with one hand and across the front with the other and grabbing your own sleeves.

Tsukkomi jime or thrust choke from the front grasping a lapel and pushing the fist directly into the side of the neck.

Jigoku jime (hell strangle) from the rear with one leg and one hand across the throat while the other leg and hand controls the opponent’s arms.

Sankaku jime or triangle choke from the front using the legs in a figure-four position around the neck and arm.

 

 

 

Examples of some of the Judo chokes

 

Nami juji jime

Gyaku juji jime 

Kata juji jime 

 

 

Hadaka jime 

 

 

 

 

Mae hadaka jime 

 

 

 

Okuri eri jime

 

  

Ryote jime 

 

 

Additional resources on judo choking techniques:

 

https://judoinfo.com/chokes/

https://judoinfo.com/chokes1/

 

https://www.judo-for-self-defense.com/judo-chokes.html

 

http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=143

 

https://grapplingschool.com/can-you-choke-in-judo/

 

 

 

 

Tatsuo's Kumite by Sherman Harrill

 

Tatsuo's Kumite by Sherman Harrill

shared by Rich Ruberto

04-27-2013

  

 

KUMITE

.

 

1.    a. Left hand hold right wrist

From Seisan, pull the hand back to the release position and strike to the solar plexus.

 

b. Two hands hold one wrist

Step in and grab your hand from the top, drive the elbow up to the chin for a strike followed,with a backfist. This can also be done by going underneath grabbing your fist stepping  forward into Seiunchin doing a elbow strike reinforced with the other hand.

 

c. Left hand hold right hand, from side position

From Chinto, hand grab is from over the top, trap his hand and go into a hand bar.

 

d. Right hand hold right wrist

Thumb on the top, bring the hand to the outside and over the top striking to the throat with a shuto strike. The left hand will go underneath the right arm in a open palm to protect the ribs.

 

e. Right hand hold right wrist from top

Grab comes from over the top, from Seiunchin reinforced block traps the hand and goes into backfist strike to the nose.

 

 

 

2. a. Outside block, punch inside

Attacker right foot forward, right hand punch.  Defender steps back, right foot back side block, reverse punch to the solar plexus.

 

b. Inside block, punch side

Attacker right foot forward, right hand punch. Defender steps back right foot, side block, reverse punch to the ribs.

 

c. Step forward, punch

Attacker right foot forward, right hand punch. Defender ( from the end move of Naihanchi) steps back into Naihanchi and punch.

 

d. Shoulder block

From Sunsu attacker steps forward lead punch, block then backfist

.

e. Grab arm, elbow

From Sunsu attacker steps forward lead punch, defender steps in grabs the wrist steps around breaks elbow, then elbow strike to back.

Hook wrist from over top, arm bar then elbow strike Open palm deflect fast spin around with elbow strike.

 

 

3. a. Punch back of hand

Attacker throws twist punch, defender down strikes to the back of the hand, the same as knocking on a door. Use cat stance from Seiunchin backfist for punch or kick.

 

b. Punch back of hand side

Isshin~Ryu punch attacker right foot forward, right lunge punch. Defender left foot back, backfist with right hand.

 

c. Punch back of hand knuckle

If the attacker steps in with left punch strike with knuckles of fingers on the back of the fist. This can also be use to strike on inside of the wrist. 

 

 

4. a. Knuckle block for kick, counter kick

Attacker kicks from right leg, defender steps back down block with knuckle strike to the Shin then counters with a kick with the right leg.

 

b. Cross arm block

From Chinto kata X block, blocking with the back hand and knuckle strike with the lead hand.

 

c. Left hand push right leg inside counter kick

Heel palm block leg across (close out) then counter kick to groin or inside of leg.

 

d. Knee block, kick

From Wansu kata, knee bump the leg across then counter with a kick.

 

e. Grab leg, grab Adam's apple, trip punch From SNT hook the kick, while grabbing Adam's apple, drive knee into the groin while

keeping control of the trapped leg then punch.

 

 

5. a. Hold arm, use against punch

Trap lead punch with both hands as the attacker punches with other hand jerk the arm to the inside of the body.

b. Left kick

Same as (a) arm will be jerked towards the kicking leg.

 

c. Right kick

Same as (b)

 

d. Twist

The attacker attempts to spin out and around, bring their arm up and over the shoulder into a arm bar.

 

 

 

6. a. One hand hold gi, grab, twist, kick

From Sunsu the first toe rip. The attacker grabs your gi, grab thumb and wrist rotate, toe rip.

 

b. Two hand hold gi, push kick

From Sunsu the second kick, toe rip . The attacker has a judo lapel

cross grab, reach up underneath as in the kata and toe rip.

 

c. Trip two feet kick

The same as a and b except use a kick, sweep the leg out and follow up with a heek stomp kick.

 

 

7. a. Full nelson, karate cut groin

From Sunsu hands go up and out to the sides (little fingers facing out)

bump with the hips then strike to groin.

 

b. Full nelson,grab leg, heel kick

Same as a except after the bump step to side grab their left leg, keep your Right leg in close to their left leg and do heel stomp into the groin.

 

c. Full nelson, grab both legs, karate cut groin

After the bump slip leg behind them, grab and bring both leg into the air

release one and strike to the groin.

 

d. Back neck breaker and choke hold, cut groin

Point hand into air while striking to the groin. You can also just grab a

hand full.

 

 

8. a. Bear hug waist, hands free, grab one finger, break or hit back of handGrab one finger or thumb and hit your hand with a open hand, if you can’t Grab a finger just rap on the back of the hand until they let go.

 

b. Bear hug around arms and waist, grab groin

Sensei said to dust hips off, each time striking to the groin while moving

leg to the inside. You can also step to the side grab the leg and do as in

 

c. Head lock, grab groin and one shoulder break

Attacker has you locked with his left arm, reach in and grab the groin

with your right hand while the left hand grabs the front of the gi by

the neck, step in with your right leg in front and dump followed with a

a counter.  Same grab, left hand hooks behind the leg at the knee while the right hand goes over the head and with the index finger under the nose pull back and raise the leg sticking the groin with right hand.

 

d. Head lock, knuckles in side

Take knuckles and grind into the sides until they release.

 

e. Full Nelson, jerk shoulder up kick legs out in front

Throw arms straight up in the air, drop straight to the ground, punch to the Groin and kick to the mid section.

 

 

9. a. Devils hand shake, grab your fist , pull, kick

Pull your hand to your center and hold on as you kick (push) the leg

out SNT then counter.

 

b. Double devils hand shake, twist over, elbow kick

Have to be a young person to do this. Step forward to make the attackers hold on tight then flip  over and counter with a kick and elbow strike.

 

 

10. a. Two hand straight choke, break, grab Adam's apple

Attacker is setting on top and has a choke hold. The defender reaches inside

with his left arm at the their elbow, at the same time bring the right arm upinside and grabbing the throat. Pressure is applied to their right arm and throat while rolling over onto your side, holding their right arm down and controlling them with the choke.

 

Same attack as above except they are choking with their left and attempt to strike you with their right hand. Defender brings right hand to the inside and blocks their right hand strike as you go for the choke. Finish the same as 10 a.

 

b. Cross arm choke, one arm and shoulder up between his arms and grab Adam's apple Judo cross arm choke. Same as above.

 

c. Smother hold, knuckles in side

Judo cover from the top down with attacker holding onto your obi.

Knuckles into the side until they get off.

 

 

11. a. Straight stab, grab hand and wrist, twist, kick, trip, kick

Attack comes from below the waist up with right foot forward, right hand stab.  Step back ith right foot, left hand to inside of the wrist, right hand comes up  Twist joint to the outside, kick, sweep leg and drop down, heel stomp and punch. This can be done with out the sweep, just take down with the joint lock.

 

 

12. a. Ice pick stab, block across, kick

Knife is raised high above the head in a down strike with right hand and right foot forward. Step back right foot, left hand open ark sweep, right hand chop  to the neck. Right foot kick to the groin. The person can be taken down with a  sweep, heel stomp and a kick.

 

13. a. Straight stab, both hands up, karate cut block, kick

Coming in  with knifes in both hands, hands raise to high port, down strikes and pulls apart as in Sanchin then kick.

 

14. a. Straight stab leaning forward, grab hand with both of yours, pull, trap at elbow Lunges in with right hand and right foot forward, step back deep deflecting with the left hand grabbing the wrist with the right then left hand grabs. Pulling them  

to the deck as you turn and place your left knee on the back of their arm (rub point) right hand has the wrist control or break at elbow.

 

 

15. a. Two knife straight stab, squat kick

Person attacks with both knifes, same deflect as 14a squat to the side and kick.

A sample of Sherman Harrill applying Bo vs Bo

In 1999 Sherman Harrill gave a clinic on use of the Bo.

He used a different bo versus bo form that had been created by 2 Marines while they were training on Okinawa. 

This is a short clip from that clinic.

Itosu Anko Sensei’s Motivation to Teach Karate to Kids

 by Hermann Bayer, Ph.D. 

April 4, 2022

 Stressing Karate’s possible use for supporting Japan’s armed forces was Itosu Sensei’s pragmatic strategy to secure sufficient funds for his educational campaign by tapping into Japan’s funds for its militarization―whereas the final and underlying goal of this educational campaign was not to create the raw material for the nation’s military forces, but something different, something nobler.

 

Itosu Anko Sensei is Praised as the Father of Modern Karate-Do

 

It is undisputed that the change of combat Karate-Jutsu [also called Te, Ti, Tode, or Toudi] into recreational Karate-Do was trail blazed by Itosu Anko Sensei's changes to the art in the early 1900s, i.e., shortly before its all-encompassing Japanization. Because of his success in implementing a disarmed version of an Okinawan martial art heritage into the physical education program of public elementary schools, and because of the following, first nationwide then worldwide, spread of this new Karate-Do version, Itosu Anko Sensei is named as "the father of modern Karate," even as "the savior of a cultural heritage".

Such a laureateship, however, contains some speculation, as Itosu Sensei's endeavors were not in line with the intentions of other Okinawan Karate-Jutsu masters who wanted to keep the art as is, as a secretly practiced craft of lethal fighting, and we actually do not know what would have happened if Karate-Jutsu would have been kept a secret and taught privately as it was done for centuries before. During all these centuries before the 1900s the art did not just survive on Okinawa, but it flourished; it did not vanish at all though being practiced secretly.

 

Times changed, however, the need for hand-to-hand combat and the need for guardianship of noblemen, warehouses, trade vessels and caravans decreased considerably; so it may as well be that in modern times the demand for genuine Karate-Jutsu has vanished too. It has at least decreased substantially in its role as a professional skill-set, though it is still preserved by a dedicated group of curators maintaining the genuine Karate-Jutsu systems. The worldwide Japanized Karate-Do inflation, on the other hand, was initiated and rendered possible by Itosu Sensei's alterations to the art.

 

Militarism, the Surface (Political) Justification for Teaching Karate-Do to Kids

 

Itosu Sensei justifies the introduction of Karate-Do into the physical education program at elementary schools by the importance of the art for preparing youths to serve in the nation's military forces. In his famous letter to the prefectural education board, he suggests that students at the prefectural teacher's college should practice Karate, in that "they could, after graduation, introduce Karate at the local levels, namely elementary schools. This way Karate could be disseminated throughout the entire nation and not only benefit people in general but also serve as an enormous asset to our military forces" (Itosu 1908 in McCarthy 2018, p. 26). This letter was written 1908, at the time of imperial Japan's preparations for its second war with China and for invading all of Southeast Asia, i.e., at a time when the military believed that the civil population existed only to feed and to service the nation's war machine.

 

However, it seems unlikely that this militaristic perspective represented the gist of Itosu Sensei's character. Though in his younger years Itosu Sensei definitely knew how to have a good time, though he used Karate-Jutsu to defend himself from serious attacks, and though he did not shy away from brawls, there is no indication that he in his later years would propagate militarism. Quite to the contrary, he stressed the benefits of Karate as a successful means to avoid a fight. Hence, it rather seems plausible, that stressing Karate's possible use for supporting Japan's armed forces was his pragmatic strategy to secure sufficient funds for his educational campaign by tapping into Japan's funds for its militarization―whereas the final and underlying goal of this educational campaign was not to create the raw material for the nation's military forces, but something different, something nobler.

 

The Underlying (Psychological) Explanation for Teaching Karate-Do to Kids

 

Be it as it may, to the author's knowledge nobody ever really tried to explain the WHY of Itosu Sensei's personal motivation to go public with his beloved art, especially the WHY for sharing it with young kids. This personal WHY seems to imply an individual psychological explanation as well and should not only be seen as the application of a political strategy. The political viewpoint, as plausible as it may be, does not unveil the nature of a possible other underlying end to his efforts beyond militaristic benefits for the nation.

 

Although there are quite a few psychological considerations explaining the actions of famous public persons, there is not a single one out there shedding light on the very topic of Itosu Sensei's personal motivation, on a subject of utmost importance for the entire Karate-world. Such a psychological explanation is not too hard to sketch, as it can be sufficiently based on the available sources about his childhood, his social background and his upbringing. These underlying social-cultural conditions are in the meantime satisfactorily researched and document how one of the strongest human motivations came into play, the motivation of trying to support others by sharing and spreading one's own positive experience.

 

Itosu Sensei's path of practicing Karate-Jutsu shows signs of a deeply liberating, self-esteem-improving, and life-changing experience. Referring to the psychological theory of motivation, such a phenomenon is usually based on the combination of a person's compensation (which is the effort to overcome feelings of inadequacy) with self-actualization (which is the internal drive of a person to fully realize one's creative, intellectual, and social potential), and with his/her motivation of social interest (which is the wish and the felt responsibility to support others). The combination of these three psychological purposes constitutes a most powerful motivational driving force, a core motivation of human behavior.

 

By means of re-evaluating available Okinawan sources, a recent historic study convincingly documents that Itosu Sensei at a young age used to be a child of poor health, who "suffered from stomach digestion problems . . . and was often teased by his friends . . . [as] a weakling. Thus, he is described as introverted and comparatively small for his age" (Feldmann 2021, p. 61), as well as being extremely shy, "without passion and unwilling to refine himself" (ibid., p. 64). These are strong indicators for the boy's inherent feeling of inadequacy and challenged self-esteem, which is the baseline for compensation, and it can be stated without a doubt that "it certainly was not an easy time for the young Anko growing up" (ibid.).

 

The boy's weak and valetudinarian constitution obviously changed entirely; the weak, feeble and fragile child transformed completely through the training of Karate-Jutsu. At the age of 14 or 15 young Itosu Sensei asked the legendary and cherished Matsumura Sokon Sensei for training, was accepted, commuted regularly to Matsumura Sensei's residence to train, and "within his first year of training he was transformed beyond all recognition" (Itosu Buyuden 1915 in McCarthy, 2018, p. 43)

 

The lasting impact such a transformation from weak and sick to healthy and strong has on a young person's self-esteem, self-definition and general attitude towards life cannot be overestimated. It is the enormous result of the psychological drive of compensation.

 

One can easily relate how Itosu Sensei's transformation from a weak and shy boy into a strong, masculine, and cherished leader with broad public admiration, which is the outcome of psychological self-actualization, not only led to Itosu Sensei's new positive self-definition at a young age, but also forcefully stimulated his calling in his later years. His calling was to support everyone, but especially young children, who were challenged with a comparable inferior (psychologically speaking, not social) starting position in life like the one he faced, to surmount their deficit and to gain that kind of health and self-confidence that he had achieved for himself. Such a calling most certainly represents the consequence of the psychological drive of social interest as explained earlier; a specific motivation which very often grows stronger in a person's 'golden years.'

 

Teaching Karate-Do to Kids Is a Contribution to Social Welfare beyond Militarism

 

Felt social responsibility to make own positive, life changing compensation experience accessible to others and thereby allowing them for experiencing the same positive self-actualization, is the above suggested 'means to another underlying end beyond militarism' of Itosu Sensei's intentions. Social responsibility very often becomes a priority for successful people towards the end of their careers, in their latter part of life, expressing itself as volunteering, as taking active social roles in organizations and associations, as promoting charities, and as giving back by contributing all kinds of assistances to common welfare.

 

Social responsibility, based on its psychological drive of social interest, explains Itosu Sensei's endeavors to introduce Karate-Do to kids in elementary school and it identifies his efforts as a true contribution to social welfare. The involved compensatory, self-actualizing and social interest forces are the strongest psychological motivations known to man and psychologically explain Itosu Sensei's magnificent gift to the public.

 

References:

Feldmann, Thomas (2021). Anko Itosu. The Man. The Master. The Myth. Biography of a Legend. Self-published with Lulu Press. © Thomas Feldmann.

Itosu Buyuden (1915) Newspaper Article Series of 8 Parts.

In: McCarthy, Patrick (2018) Legend of the Fist Vol #1―A Compilation of Japanese-to-English translations by Patrick & Yuriko McCarthy. © 2018 Patrick McCarthy. Middletown, DE, pp. 43-62.

 

The above is an original article by Hermann Bayer, Ph.D.

https://ymaa.com/articles/2022/04/itosu-anko-senseis-motivation-to-teach-karate-to-kids?utm_content=bufferf2216&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR0ospGiPoxOaLePJagLQfdX4A8M3fro40C4HmxTcHn873uUseJ9oLFFeIU

 

Older Bo terminology to consider

 

IMO a great deal may have been set aside on how bo technique originally was described, compared where today the bo kata are just named.

It may be worth your effort to consider this post found on Motobu Ryu’s blog, And then think on how this might affect your own bo practice. It offers a great deal to think about.

 

From https://ameblo.jp/motoburyu/entry-12735450138.html

Mura-bō and Palace Martial Arts 2

 

Written and translated by Motobu Naoki

 

 

--- --- ---

In the previous article, I noted that mura-bō actually includes spear, naginata, and sword, and that these weapon arts may have been transmitted from the various udun (palaces) in Shuri through "Udun Hōkō" (palace service). The existence of these weapon arts can be evidenced by the names of the various techniques in Nagahama Bō.

 

Older terms for a bo strike

 

·       Ūwāi (Ōwari (large crack): To between both eyebrows)

·       Ashi-jiri (To cut the leg)

·       Fusu-nuchi (To strike to the navel area)

·       Īmāsa (To chase around)

·       Kaji-chiri (To cut the neck)　[Kaji means nape in the Okinawan dialect.]

·       Ubi-chiri (To cut the hip) [Ubi (帯) means belt in the Okinawan dialect.]

·       Ura-uchi (To strike the neck from left to right) [Ura-uchi means reverse strike.]

·       Chichidī (Karate: To strike the solar plexus) [Chichidī (突き手) means striking hand in the Okinawan dialect.]

 

As for the name of the thrust, in addition to chichidī (突き手, thrusting hand), which seems to have come from karate, there is the word

husunuchi (へそ貫き, navel piercing). The difference between

"chichi" (to thrust) and

"nuchi" (to pierce) is also interesting. In modern karate terminology, jōdan (upper), chūdan (middle), and gedan (lower) are used to refer to the place of thrusting,

 while the above terms refer to the body and clothing, such as

neck (kaji),

navel (fusu),

belt (ubi),

and legs (ashi).

Connecting the word "tī" (meaning "art" in the Okinawan dialect) to the name of the weapon, Chōyū Sensei called them

 "Tachi nu Tī (sword hand),"

"Najinata nu Tī (halberd hand),"

"Yai nu Tī (spear hand)," etc.

 (Uehara Seikichi, Martial Dance, p. 108).

 

 Even fighting at night was addressed.

 Kurashin-bō (Dark stick)

It is a practical kobudō used in the dark. It is a stick art that fights by sensing the presence of the opponent, not by using kiai (yagui in the Okinawan dialect, shout)  

If you emit a kiai in the dark, your opponent will know where you are, so you do not use a kiai but quietly sense the presence of your opponent. 

 

In modern sport karate, there is generally no distinction between day and night. However, in the "Volume of Mastery of the Hundred Questions and Answers of Tendō-ryū" (1714) of Tendō-ryū (Ten-ryū), there are descriptions of

 

 "On Slashing in the Night" and "On the Dark Night" 

Ten-ryū was introduced to Ryukyu in the 17th century, and the techniques and ideas used in the dark night may have been transmitted from Shuri to the various rural areas through udun (palaces).