Extreme Self Protection

Let's get nit-picky today and discuss what to all appearances is the same submission with a few different names attached to its world of hurt. You might know it as the titled Kimura, or the Double Wrist-Lock (DWL here on out), or the reverse ude garami, and, some, call it a key- lock (it ain't a key-lock, folks). We'll make it the subject of today's musing to see that although the Kimura and the DWL may look like the same submission (or hold) they have more than a few distinctions to warrant the differing names.

First, a wee bit of history.

I'm sure that at this point in martial arts history most of us are aware of the pivotal match between Helio Gracie and the esteemed judoka Masahiko Kimura. In that match the hugely talented Mr. Kumura used the reverse ude garami to such effect that the home country crowd of Brazil adopted the Kimura's name for the hold.

A wee bit more history.

At the turn of the last century, there was a bit of cross-pollination amongst marital artists with Western wrestlers making the sojourn to the Kodokan in Japan to teach and absorb a bit of Mr. Jigaro Kano's gentle art and with a fair number of fine jiu-jitsu men and judoka travelling to Europe and the States for similar purposes. These grappling athletes were traveling to teach, to be taught, and to scuffle in matches that were akin to today' new incarnation of mixed martial arts.

I bring up the two brief history lessons to point out that this cross-pollination of ideas makes it mighty tough to disentangle bragging rights for who knew what when and first-as if such things really mattered. All we really need to know is how to understand and use this new and improved technology.

With that said, there are more than a few tells, as our poker brethren say, that will allow you to differentiate whether what you are seeing is in fact a Kimura or a DWL. Caveat: These tells can bleed back and forth a bit between judo/jiu-jitsu and catch wrestlers, keep in mind we are discussing broad strokes here.

Tell #1-Offender's Elbow Position. Typically the Kimura is executed by setting your figure-4 grip and bringing the elbows tight to the defender's body in a squeeze/pinning fashion. The elbows are also more often than not on the mat throughout (the head-side elbow may leave the mat but the hip-side elbow remains planted).

In the catch variant, once the figure-4 is set you will see the elbows planted firmly into/onto the defender's ribs in a less than friendly fashion ("Use the man not the mat"). If this spiking is not used the elbows are least snug to the defender's body without being posted on the mat in order to keep chest compression via the sprawl high.

Tell #2-Attacked Arm Angle. Often the Kimura is executed in a dragging (paint-brush) manner that keeps a relative 90 degree bend in the attacked arm. The paint-brush or slide drag on the mat will see the attacked elbow raise from the mat as the attack progresses.

The DWL hits a far more acute angle in the elbow often slamming/driving the attacked hand into the armpit with only a bit of raising from the elbow.

Tell #3-Lifted or Pinned? This is usually the most telling tell. The Kimura is usually finished by taking the attacked hand behind the back (hence the elbow lift) and in order to accomplish this there must be a corresponding lifting of the attacked shoulder to get the arm in final position. If you are using lax chest-to-chest pressure this can result in being countered, but this is usually re-countered with a head-side leg step-over to allow this far shoulder lift without losing position.

The DWL strives to keep the far shoulder pinned throughout via both the cross-body sprawl and by dint of the acute angle of the attacked arm itself.

Despite these tells the finishing concept is the same in both submissions it's how we get here in both versions that can spell the difference.

Now, this inevitably leads to the "which one is better?" query. Well, that depends on who's got a hold of you. I've got a bias but strong skilled competitors can use either submission and make that shoulder shred and pop no matter which method they chose to get there. I offer this little essay in spotting the difference simply to know that the difference is more than a bit of wordplay and more rooted in technical applications.

This book s

erves as a Triple Purpose Manual.

Purpose One: To provide the inside info needed to survive the oh, so fun phenomena of obstacle course racing.   

Purpose Two: It is a conditioning manual for those who want to hit the courses in peak condition. It provides the scientific skinny on our stream-lined high-intensity approach, then details all of the unique exercises we use that are course specific, and then progresses you through 66 non-repeating workouts to get and keep you primed.  

Purpose Three: It is a comprehensive manual on Flight/Evasion Skills for Real-World Combative trainers & trainees.

Among the contents include: The differences between Mud, Adventure, & Obstacle Racing, Competitive & Cooperative Mind-Sets, Military Function & Course Correlates. The extensive Techniques, Tactics, & Strategies section covers Stride Work, How to Approach Hills, How to Leap from Height and minimize Landing Load, How to Approach Electrical Hazards & Running the Gauntlet, The most Efficient ways to Climb Ropes (vertical, horizontal, and wall ropes), Tips on Climbing (everything from cargo nets to vertical walls to bouldering walls), Improving Low Crawl Efficiency, Balance Work, Hand-Over Hand Tips, and Tips for Bearing Loads for Distance.

We close with the Logistics Section which will provide tips on Clothing , Gear, Registration, and Clean-Up to make your race experience as streamlined as possible.

To snag an autographed copy for  $12.95 (S&H Included) or $22.95 International hit the button.

Mud, Guts and Glory with Standard Shipping:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This year's Old School MMA Boot Camp will be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 16th and 17th (10 AM start both days) at Bill Whitworth's beautiful facility in Morristown, Tennessee. Here's the skinny:

• 2-days of hardcore Old School inTENS Conditioning, Boxing, Pugilism, Elbows, Knees, Leg Dives, Clinch-Work & Dirty Boxing, Par Terre Drills, Ground & Pound, and, of course, old school submissions galore.
• All material will be presented in integrated chains (strikes, submissions, and takedown material).
• Also, we know we have some folks who wanna hit but don't wanna roll (I've got your back, Mr. Covello), and some folks who wanna roll but don't wanna hit-with that in mind we offer 3 Ways to Play at this year's Camp: 1. The Whole Enchilada (striking, takedowns, and ground) 2, Striking-Only 3. Grappling-Only
• This Boot Camp is suitable for all levels of experience and/or fitness.  All we ask is that you work to the top of your own ability/limits--not anyone else's-you're always the boss.
• Gear: Mouthpiece, boxing gloves, and MMA gloves are required. 
• This is a limited attendance Boot Camp-meaning, once a slot is gone, it's gone.  We like to keep the numbers low so that we can provide individual attention.
• The pre-registered price is $120 for the 2-days. ($100 for past attendees, $75 for RAW Subscribers).
• And yes, there are discounts for traveling partners and groups. You got a crew, contact us for the discount details.
• Folks who registered for Martial Arts on the Mountain can play for the RAW Subscribers price-we must reward the hardcore, am I right?
• For those with family in tow who have better things to do than to watch you sweat, we are less than a 1/2 hour drive from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, the Dollywood Amusement Park, and shopping opportunities too numerous to count..
• For accommodations, search in the Boot Location area:  Red Dragon Martial Arts Center 284 South Daisy St.  Morristown  TN  37813  (423) 587-3755 (School) www.rdkarate.com
• For those of you flying in, your destination airport will be McGhee-Tyson in Knoxville, TN.
• Oh, as for Certification-for those who choose the Whole Enchilada we will run evals for the Combination Man Curriculum Certification.
• To register, simply contact us via email and we'll plug in your discount code to get you set up. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We hope to see you at one of these events--if you'd like to have us come to you, check out our Pitch An Adventure info in the side bar and if you've got some adrenaline in your neck of the woods that strikes my fancy we'll be there. 

Here's where you come in, if you'd like to host a seminar and save yourself some bucks off of the standard fees in the process--if you've got an Adventure Race in your area, a rock you think I'd like to climb, a river you think I want to raft, a hike you think I just need to take, a desert I've not run on, you get the idea--pitch your adventure and school location. If the adventure appeals and the logistics are right we offer greatly reduced fees to come to your school and play with your crew before we go play at your Adventure Pitch.

BTW--You and your crew are welcome to attend the adventure, as a matter of fact, we'll knock off even more bucks for this sort of hands-on guiding.

So, you got some adrenaline in your neck-of-the-woods and want to train? Feel free to make your pitch and we'll see what happens.