Not As They Appear

I attended a martial arts seminar a while back. It was fun and informative. I've decided to put into words some of my experiences and resulting thoughts and feelings on things learned there.

First up, I'd like to speak of what I observed of one presenter. The man was a Judo player who taught a standing headlock escape and a few groundwork situations resulting from natural variances thereof. Some of his methods were identical to what I teach. Some were different, but similarly effective. One option he taught worked for a person with good strength, but there were easier options.

How effective his techniques were is not the topic, though. What is more important was how he presented himself. He stated he had over the years taught special forces and been "in the sandbox" himself. The veracity of his claims are immaterial with regards to his legitimacy as an instructor, but he clearly felt the need to impress upon us students these qualifications.

Later, he was talking about a juji gatame escape. His escape was technically correct, and very similar to how we do it in my dojo. However, something he said gave me pause. In order, he said:
- Juji gatame is very effective in sport and combat. (I find this true.)
- He had only ever had someone try juji gatame on him once, and he used this escape, as the opponent was not well versed.

It was the second point that struck me as odd. In the grappling arts, we use and defend juji gatame frequently. One of the first things we learn is how not to let our elbows get careless and stray away from our sides. How would a partially trained combatant catch a Judo Black Belt in a juji gatame that was so carelessly applied that the BB was able to escape so easily?

The setup, the transition, and the finish are the three main parts of any submission hold. To not know one is to not know any of them well. What that instructor said simply does not jive with my experience or the experience of thousands, if not millions, of grapplers worldwide.

And when that statement comes into question, it casts a shadow on all else he said. The veracity of the techniques can be proven on the mat. But the claims are now all under suspicion. 


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