Wrist locks are a reasonably common self defense technique, especially throughout the grappling or “soft” arts like jujitsu and aikido. Within the Ninja’s self defense art, often called ninpo-taijutsu (or “budo” taijutsu to some), there are some very advanced secrets for gaining maximum control over your opponent together with your wrist locks.
This text takes a take a look at the “anatomy” of the wrist, after which matches this very vital information with the essential locks and jams that the art of Ninjutsu applies to the wrist joint. After reading this lesson, and adding the important thing points to your personal training, you should have the power to extend your control over anyone who’s on the receiving end of considered one of these self defense techniques.
Let me begin by saying that, it’s only natural for a student recent to the art of Ninjutsu, or some other system which employs wrist locks, to deal with what the technique “looks like.” It appears to be easy anyway. The teacher merely grabs the attacker’s hand together with his “this manner,” and does X,Y,Z to the wrist.
But, even when not immediately apparent, the coed will begin to note that she or he is just not getting the identical results because the teacher. Oh sure, they’re “twisting the wrist,” however the opponent is not ending up in the identical place – or doesn’t go down the identical way that the teacher demonstrated. As they progress towards mastery, it is a natural tendency for the advancing student to need to have more of the identical control that his or her teacher does.
And, it’s here that we start a much deeper study of this basic self defense technique.
With regards to learning, teaching, or applying the art of Ninjutsu to any problem or situation, I’m an enormous fan of “strategic considering.” That implies that I step back from the main points and the step-by-step mechanics of the technique, to get an even bigger picture. In other word…
I would like to see the forest that’s comprised of the trees. After which, with this understanding, I can return in and take a look at the main points from an entire recent perspective where each part, piece, or move inside a way – does something specific – and is just not just there because “that is the best way our style does it.”
What this implies in relation to a wrist lock is that this…
What we call the wrist is definitely a group of bones, gaps, connective tissue, and what-not – a group of many various parts which go together to create this thing called a “wrist.”
Now, I do not must be a physician or scientist to grasp that the wrist is a “universal joint,” able to the best range of motion (out of the three joint types within the body). But, even so, the joint itself does have it’s limitations. And, that is where the wrist locking and folding techniques are available in.
I find it helpful, when teaching these advancing concepts to students, to make use of the analogy of the airplane “joystick” almost about the wrist. Because, they’ll each be moved the very same way.
Within the aviation world, they use the terms:
- Pitch – which is the up/down movement or direction to achieve or decrease elevation.
- Yaw – the side to side motion or direction, and…
- Rotation – which after all is the spiral, or spinning of the craft.
And, the wrist may be moved the identical way.
To get this, follow together with me while extending your hand out in front of you. It might be palm up or palm down – but, either way, the palm must be parallel, and even with the bottom.
Now, lift and lower your fingers and hand from the wrist, without moving the forearm. That is “pitch.”
After leveling out your palm again, move your fingers backward and forward, without turning the palm toward the side. That is “yaw.” And eventually…
Simply rotate the hand backward and forward – turn it. That is “rotation.” (You may even find that, unlike the “pitch” and “yaw” directions which may be done “from” the wrist joint itself, “rotation” is definitely done from the forearm.)
What does this must do with joint locks?
The whole lot!
Since you will not be doing a little “thing” called a wrist lock to your opponent’s body. When applying these martial arts techniques, you might be doing “something” to the “structure” of your opponent’s joint – which limits movement and truly has a feedback effect that causes his body to ‘backfire’ on itself!
It’s when you may see beyond the step-by-step movements of your techniques, including the wrist locks, that you’re going to have the option to see that this system is absolutely about hyper-flexing, or extending the joint farther than it’s designed to go! But, to do this, you should know which parts are to be moved, and which parts must be immobilized to get the locking, shearing, and overall controlling effect that you simply’re searching for.
Then, you will have the option to see that the joint locking techniques of ninpo-taijutsu actually benefit from the weakness inherent within the wrist, along the directional lines that I outlined earlier. So…
- Omote-Gyaku (‘obvious reversal’) is a “rotational-based” wrist lock
- Hon Gyaku (‘principle reversal’) is a “yaw-based” locking control
- Take-Ori (‘bamboo-breaking’) is a “pitch-based” reversal, and…
- Ura Gyaku (‘hidden reversal’) is a mix lock which applies each “rotational” and “yaw-based” force to the wrist.
And, as you progress, you’ll come to seek out that, not only will these techniques be rather more powerful for you, but you may even understand tips on how to apply your personal unique locks which mix two or more of the above directions…
…and even do all three either concurrently, or in succession to maintain your attacker off-balance, confused, and completely under your control!