Ju Jitsu / Ground-work Seminar
The seminar started with a strenuous warm up to ensure that all joints in the upper and lower regions of the body became as flexible as possible.To start with an explanation of what ‘ground work’ was and the benefits it has to a ‘stand up’ practitioner of martial arts. Andy’s philosophy and self taught system was clear and logical and his approach to teaching was informative but relaxed enough to enable even the youngest attendee to take away at least some food for thought.
Andy explained and demonstrated the various applications and get out techniques to many possible situations. These ranged from the aggressor being on top to the more common position of the student/victim being underneath. Techniques were shown on how the body could be manoeuvred and rolled around to give the aggressor less of an advantage. In some cases, this involved working the aggressor into a set of fundamental movements enabling you to throw him off or simply roll him over to give you the Mount position (dominant position). This would end the conflict by either control i.e. Arm-bar or choke to render the aggressor unconscious for a few seconds allowing the victim to get away from the situation.
For me the most memorable words of the day were to remain relaxed, in doing so you are able to maintain your strength while your attacker is using up their reserves. You wait until you find the opportunity to turn the tables and get into a dominant position where your attacker will have no strength left to fend you off.
Techniques and restraining applications were wide and varied. They included making a choke more effective and manipulating an attacker into the position you want. This then enables you to apply arm locks, chokes and restraining holds by putting pressure on joints and other vulnerable areas of the body. An example of this would be while an attacker is lying on his front and you want to apply a figure 4 headlock but are unable to expose his throat, instead of using brute force you would use the blade of the forearm under the nose and lift up. This causes a semi painful sensation and will make the assailants head lift to expose the windpipe and Adam’s apple, so a gentle choke can be applied. If the airway is restricted the attacker will panic and thrash around causing injury to either person, but if the blood flow is restricted, the attacker will become unconscious and the fight will be over.
Can I take this opportunity to thank Andy Davis and hope he will return soon to teach us more ground work techniques.
Written By Paul Evans, Student Of Sil Lum Kune.