Then there were the times I tried to trick Sherman Harrill

 

 

I had trained with Sherman Harrill more that a bit at clinics and well understood the depth of his teachings. But I had also seen more that a few things from the many I had trained with.

 

There came the time I tried to test what Sherman would do.

 

One of my studies with Tristan Sutrisno was in his use of Aikido. Perhaps not standard aikido but aikido more geared towards his Shotokan studies.

 

Eventually I learned a method to counter the wrist wrap lock. Quite simple just the instant the opponent wraps his hands around your hand, the instant before that lock is set, what you do is move your hand slightly to the side. That’s all that is required.

 

That wrist lock is quite painful so at to move you down on your knees, but the secret is that their alignment to yours must remain intact. In effect their sphere of engagement touching your sphere must be perfectly aligned to work. By moving your arm, providing they do not shift also, you move your wrist out of alignment of their dynamic sphere of engagement. Neutralizing that lock.

 

I had taught that to my students, and they were practiced at doing so.

 

Sherman was using the late John Dinger as his target for some technique ending in that wrist lock.

 

John looked at me and I nodded to him.

 

When Sherman began his wrist wrap lock, John moved his wrist  slightly to the outside, which broke Sherman alignment.

 

Sherman stopped then immediately did something else dropping John.

 

Lesson learned.

 

Yet another time during  the 1997 Wansu kata application potential clinic I attempted something else.

 

I took a minute using one of my students to show him an Indonesian Tjimande drill I had been taught (Juru No. 1).

 

Where your opponents strikes out with their left hand to your face, then strike out with their right hand to your face, following up with a left uppercut to your body. 1,2,3.

 

The response to attack 1 is to parry right with your right shuto hand then to attack 2 parry left with your right ridge hand. To conclude attack 3 with a dropping right hand parry with your right descending  nukite. Responding 1,2,3 Each right strike stopping the attack’ The 3^rd defense can also be done with both the left and right descending nukite simultaneously striking.

 

So I demonstrated the series, first with the right open hand. Then I demonstrated the series with each strike being stopped by a right leopard paw strike using the ridge of finger knuckles striking in to the biceps of each attack, much more painful. The 3^rd defense can also be done with both the left and right descending leopard paws simultaneously striking

 

The third set of responses used the right single knuckle strike into the opponen’ts biceps stopping each attack with even greater pain.  The 3^rd defense can also be done with both the left and right descending single knuckle fists simultaneously striking

 

 

Now I knew Sherman had never studied Tjimande and thought he would find it interesting.

 

Of course Sherman being Sherman showed me a 4 th and simple way to perform the defense. One not suggested in the other 3 methods.