Police Leadership: 2005

An Academic Paper that I discovered. Hard to understand if you are not a Martial Artist. However, some useful information here for everyone.

In the Martial Arts, physical conditioning is very important. The conditioning is two fold, the primary reason for conditioning is for self-defense. The second is good health. The latter is a benefit of the first. Thus, the exercises that are performed are designed to improve your fighting techniques.

The exercises that I was instructed in and my students perform are as follows:
Stretching: Stretching is very important in the Martial Arts as well as for general physical conditioning. It improves physical movement and reduces the risk of injury. There are several muscle groups that are targeted in our preparations for self defense training. These muscle groups are as follows: Hamstrings, Buttocks, Lower Back, Inner thighs, Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, and Calves. The Upper body muscles, i.e. chest, arms, shoulder and neck get sufficient stretching through our physical warm up training.

Several type of stretching exercises are performed prior to training . These stretches include, but are not limited to:
Russian split: Stand straight up and spread your legs as far as they can go. Gravity and your weight help on this stretch. This stretch helps lengthen your inner thighs and hips as well as the groin area. Another stretch you can do to target these same muscles is to lie on your back and extend your feet in the air and spread your legs as far apart as you can. Press down on your inner thighs with your arms.
Hamstring /calve stretch: Sit on the floor with one leg extended and the other leg bent at the knee. Try to place your head to your extended knee. Stretch as far as you can until you feel tension. Repeat this stretch with the opposite leg extended. This stretch could also be done with both legs extended at the same time.
Buttocks: Extend your left leg and cross your right leg over it. Pull your right knee back with your left arm, hold. Repeat this using the opposite leg. Also, for the buttocks and the lower back, sit on the floor and cross both legs. Lean forward attempting to place your head as close to the floor as you can.
Quadriceps/ Hip Flexor stretch: Lie on your back and bend your right leg and grasp your right foot with your right hand. Pull your foot back towards your buttocks and at the same time attempt to place your right knee as close as you can to the floor. Repeat this stretch using your opposite leg. Another stretch that targets this area is when you place your foot up on a chair and place your opposite leg back extended. Lean forward and maintain straight upper body posture to option the best stretch on your Quadriceps and Hip Flexors. Then repeat this with the opposite leg.
When stretching, you should move to a position where you can feel tension and discomfort. You should not stretch to where you feel pain. After reaching your comfort stretch position, you should hold the stretch for at least (30) thirty seconds. Stretching is something that should be done gradually and with time your flexibility will increase.
A good stretching program should be performed before vigorous training is performed. This will help to reduce the risk of injury while training.
Upon completing the warm up phase of training, exercise and physical conditioning is next. Martial Arts training requires a great deal of physical conditioning. The techniques that are involved in the training , are themselves conditioning exercises. This is why in the training that I have received, and in the training that I myself give, I do not include a lot of physical exercises.
I feel, like my instructor before me, that the techniques in the training itself will condition you just as effectively as other types of physical training. Self defense training should be just that, for self defense. Other exercises are not necessary. The best exercise for Martial Arts training is the Martial Arts, just like the best training for swimming is swimming.
All that said, I do include some exercises in my physical training prior to Martial training.
These are push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks. They are done primarily to warm up prior to the vigorous training that is to follow.
Evaluation of training. This is two fold. First is the physical conditioning. Is the student able to keep up with the routine? The second is progress. Is the student progressing with his/her techniques? I in my previous training as well as the training that I now offer, evaluation is judged by how the student can perform the techniques that he or she was instructed in. The execution of these techniques are judged in two ways. The proper technique, and the endurance of the technique. The latter judges progress of physical conditioning.
Concurrent with most Martial Arts systems, a promotional criteria structure is set up. This system usually starts off with White Belt and progresses through various colored belts until the student obtains the Rank of Black Belt. The most common color systems usually have the following colored belt system: White Belt, Yellow Belt, Blue or Red Belt, Green Belt, Brown Belt and then Black Belt. After obtaining black belt the other steps that follow culminate to (10) tenth degree Black Belt.
In the Martial Arts there are thousands of techniques developed for numerous situations. The techniques that I will address and explain are , based on my background, the most street practical and effect techniques.
The first techniques are those of falling and rolling. In a street confrontation, there is a good possibility that you might fall to the ground, and you have to train for that possibility.
When a person falls to the ground he can either do two things, fall with a breakfall or do a rolling technique. The type of fall would dictate what technique would be performed. If you fall and your momentum is straight down, a breakfall would be the proper technique to perform. A breakfall is a sacrificial technique. What you are doing when you execute a breakfall is to take the blunt of the impact off of your upper body and vital organs , and placing the trauma of the impact onto your arm. If in a fight you fell or were thrown and broke an arm you could continue to fight easier than if you broke your ribcage or injured an internal organ. A rolling technique would be used if your momentum was going forward or backward. When this is the case a roll over either your right shoulder or left would be the technique of choice. If you are pushed backwards or for some reason you’re falling backwards, a backward roll would be the best technique to utilize.
These techniques are performed in the following manner:
Right Side Breakfall: While falling you would strike the ground with your right arm. Meaty side of arm with palm of hand facing down. This would be done if you were falling towards your right side.
Left Side Breakfall: While falling you would strike the ground with your left arm. Again meaty side of arm with palm of hand facing down. This would be done if you were falling towards your left side.
Back Breakfall: While falling straight back you would strike the ground with your left and right arms at the same time. Using the meaty part of the arms with palms facing down. This would be used if you were falling directly backward.
Front Breakfall: While falling forward you would put your hands out as if you were going to do push ups. This is to be done while turning your head to either the right or the left. This technique absorbs impact from the ground.
Forearm Breakfall: While falling forward you would bend your arms and clinch your fists allowing impact with ground strike upon the meaty part of your forearms. This technique is performed when the front breakfall can not be done in time.
Right Shoulder Roll: While falling with forward momentum, place your hands out in front of you, and to the left. This is done to absorb some of the force of your fall. Next tuck your head to the left and roll over your right shoulder. The reason we roll over on our shoulder is to prevent your spine from receiving the majority of the impact.
Left Shoulder Roll: While falling with forward momentum, place your hands out in front of you, and to the right. This is done to absorb some of the impact. Next, tuck your head to the right and roll over your left shoulder. Again, we roll over the shoulder, to prevent the majority of the force of the impact away from the spine.
Back Roll: While falling backwards with backward momentum, place your left arm up and over your head with your left hand. Place your right arm straight out to the side. Tuck your head to the left and roll over your right shoulder. We roll over the shoulder in order to protect the spine from the impact of the fall. This technique can be done over the opposite shoulder as well, just perform the above techniques with the opposite arms.
During an altercation a subject might grab you. To combat this possibility we train using holds and wrist and arm locks. People can grab you in many different holds, i.e. grabbing your arm, wrist neck etc. There are several techniques that can be used from Aidido when a subject attacks you with a hold.
When a subject grabs your arm, a arm lock is a great technique to utilize against him. An arm lock can be done in a few different ways. For example, a subject grabs your right arm with his right arm. To counter this, you would move your right arm in towards your stomach and up towards your face. Then rotate your right hand towards the subjects arm and grab his arm near his elbow with your left hand, and near his wrist with your right. Use a downward motion and bring the subject to the ground, not releasing the arm lock. A second technique would be to use a wrist lock. When he grabs your arm like above, you would place your left hand over his right hand. Moving your right arm out and up toward your right, when your hand is up as high as your head, your grab his hand with both your hands and bend it forward. This applies pressure to his wrist. These techniques can be used if the subject grabs your left arm with his left arm as well.
If the subject grabs your right arm with his left hand, you could use the following technique. Move your right hand up towards your stomach rotating your palm up towards your face. This moves his hand up with his palm facing up, with your left hand go under his wrist and with your left palm facing up grab his hand and pull down. An alternative would be to move your right arm out away from you and up towards your head. When your hand is up as high as your head the subjects hand will be in a compromising position, grab it and apply a wrist hold pushing applying pressure to his wrist. Again, if the subject grabs you using the opposite arm, these techniques can be done as well.
These arm locks and wrist holds can be used also if a subject grabs you by the shoulder, chest, neck or head. A simple rule to remember in attempting a arm lock or wrist hold is to rotate your body to partially release the hold and set up the arm or wrist to be grabbed and pressure to be applied to secure a hold.
Wrist Releases: When a subject grabs your wrist, either with the same hand or opposite hand, a wrist release can be performed. A wrist release is when you are releasing the hold the subject has on your wrist. A simple rule to remember is that you release through the subjects thumb. When he grabs your wrist with his hand, the weak point of the hold, and the avenue of escape, is the thumb. It doesn’t matter how big the subject is or how strong, a wrist release will release the hold. An example of the technique: The subject grabs your wrist with the same hand. (His right hand grabs your right hand) The avenue of escape would be out through the thumb which is towards your right. You would rotate your hand to the right towards the thumb and pull upward releasing the hold.
While performing a wrist release, remember that the avenue of escape is through the thumb. Also, to successfully perform the technique, rotate your thumb/hand towards the subjects thumb and pull to be released.
Prior to the explanation of street releases I first want to touch on some basic punching, kicking and elbow techniques.
Kicks: There are five basic karate kicks. They are front kick front leg, front kick rear leg, side kick, back kick, and the roundhouse kick.
Punches: There are numerous punches, so I will only mention a few basic punches. The front jab, the back fist, the palm strike, edge of the hand strike, and the basic boxing punches( uppercut hood punch and round punch.)
Elbow: There are a number of ways to strike with the elbow. You can strike down, up to the side and straight in.
Street Releases: Street releases are techniques that are used to defend against numerous holds. These holds can range from a bear hug to a full nelson to head locks and choking holds. Numerous street releases will work for a variety of holds. I will touch on some of the common street holds someone might attempt use. They are as follows:
Bear Hug: (Both under & over arms) When a subject grabs you in a bear hug there are several different techniques that can be performed to have the subject release his hold. These are foot stumps, shin kick, head strike, (head butt) elbow strike, ( under arm hold only) and a fist strike to groin.
Head Lock: When grabbed in this hold , you can execute foot stumps, fist strikes to groin and face, shin kicks and eye and face grab.
Full Nelson: When grabbed in a full nelson, place your hands against your forehead and apply pressure backwards. This relieves pressure from the hold and gives you more time to execute the following techniques. Foot stumps, shin kicks, flip up to groin with heel of foot.
Front Choke: (Subject grabs your neck/throat with his hands) The techniques used against the subject would be: front kick to knee, groin or shin, hand strikes to stomach, solar plexus, neck and face. Elbow strikes to arms and face.
Rear Choke: (Subject grabs your neck/throat with hands from behind) Techniques to be used are: back kick, shin scrape, foot stumps. Also a good technique is to raise your arms above your head and spin and take control of the subject’s arms, and then striking the person with the listed techniques.
Arm Bend: (Either single Arm or Double) This hold is when your arm is twisted and bent behind your back. Techniques for release would be back kick, shin scrape, foot stomps and head butt.
Pinned on the Ground: This hold is when you are on your back and the subject is seated on top of you. If the subject has your hands pressed to the ground with his hands, you would apply pressure as if to try to push him off. Keep this pressure constant so if the subject lifts his hand to strike you, you will beat him to the punch. The reason being, is that the pressure you are applying is all ready in the direction of the subject to strike. The subject has to lift his hand and then cock back to punch. Your momentum is all ready heading in the direction of the subjects face/neck.
Another technique to use to get the subject off of you is to bend your legs and pull your heels close to your buttocks. Then push up with your legs to arch your back, and push the subject off to either the right or left, also pushing with your arms as well.
The next area of self defense I want to discuss, is that of armed attacks. Armed attacks can range from attacks with a knife, gun, club, stick or any other object that can be used as a weapon. Normally it takes years to be able to defend yourself against these type of weapons. Even then, there is a great likelihood that you are going to sustain sometime of injury defending against them. Also, as a Martial Artist, one of the first things that was taught to me about weapon defense is that to be able to defend against a weapon you have to first know how to use that weapon. At the very least you must have some familiarity with the weapon. I will address the weapons individually.
Knife: When defending against a knife it is very important to remember to keep your hands as close to your body as you can to avoid having your hands cut. When approached with the weapon you should pay attention to the positioning of the blade as well as what type of blade it is. i.e. single edge or double edge. The way the subject is holding the knife with his hand and arm is a tell tale sign of how the subject is going thrust the knife at you.
Keeping this strategy in mind, the techniques that would be most effective are low kicks, blocks and evasive maneuvers. Low kicks to the subject’s knee, groin or shins are the most practical. Blocking techniques are also very important. When the subject thrusts the knife at you, there are two options that are available to you. They are first, blocking techniques, and secondly, evasive maneuvers.
There are several different blocks that the Martial Artist should know to effectively defend against a knife. They are low block, high block, and side blocks. A low block is used when the subject is holding the knife in his hand with the blade facing up away from the ground. With this position he can thrust upward towards your stomach. The low block can effectively stop this attack and allows you to apply a wrist lock and striking and kicking techniques as discussed previously.
The high block is used when the subject has the knife in his hand with the blade facing towards the ground. The subject comes from high thrusting down towards your chest. A high block is used to defended against this and again a follow up with a wrist lock and striking and kicking techniques.
Side blocks are used when the attack is coming from a side thrust. This movement is similar to that of a roundhouse punch. The target can be any point along the side of your body, from your legs on up towards your neck and face.
Evasive techniques are just that, they are not blocks but maneuvers away from the thrust of the knife. The maneuvers are used against the same attacks that the blocks are used for, i.e., upward thrust, downward thrust, and side thrusts. These maneuvers slap the knife away from you and allows you to follow up with a strike or kicking technique.
Gun: To defend against a gun, whether it be a hand gun or long gun like a rifle, you must again have some knowledge of the weapon. To defend against a revolver, which has a cylinder that rotates the round, is different then to defend against a semiautomatic weapon which has no cylinder. This on the other hand, does not hold true for a long gun, which might be a semiautomatic or single action . There is no difference in defending against this weapon.
The first technique that should be emphasized in defending against any gun is to move your body out of the line of fire. This should be performed simultaneously as you attempt a takeaway maneuver. I state this due to that fact that the novice will concentrate on the takeaway maneuver and not move his body out of the line of fire.
Prior to listing the techniques it should be noted as stated above that defending against a revolver and a semiautomatic are different. When the subject has a revolver and the hammer on the gun is not cocked, all you have to do to stop the gun from going off is grab the cylinder of the gun. Doing this, the cylinder will not rotate and the gun can not fire. If the gun is cocked, if when you grab the gun you can place your finger between the hammer and the gun, this will prevent the firing pin from striking the bullet, thus stopping the gun from firing. This does not apply to a semiautomatic. There is no cylinder, and if you grab the gun it can still fire. There are some automatic weapons that do have a hammer and if encountered with one of these weapons you could stop the gun from firing if you can prevent the hammer from falling and the firing pin from hitting the bullet. Keeping this in mind these are the most practical and easiest techniques to defend against a gun.
Outside forearm takedown: This technique is directed towards the opponent’s weak side of his wrist. To illustrate this, if the subject had the gun in his right hand and was pointing it at you, the weak side would be towards the outside of his forearm. The technique is performed in the following manner. With your hands held up as if to surrender, while moving your body out of the line of fire, push the gun with your right hand to the side towards the outside of his forearm. Once this is done grab the gun, twist it towards the outside of his forearm. This takes control away of the weapon away from the subject, and gives you control. The subject’s finger also gets caught in the trigger mechanism. Knowing this, you then pull down and to your right. This traps the finger in the trigger mechanism and rips the subject’s finger off of his hand. After this is completed you can follow up with kicks, punches or if necessary using the gun on the subject.
Inside forearm takedown: Inside forearm technique is just the opposite of the above technique. The technique is performed in the same manner as above, but the hand grabs the inside of the arm. Then you step back and with the opposite hand or forearm push against the inside of his elbow. Perform this while stepping back. The subject will fall as you push. After this is completed you can follow up with kicks, punches etc. Again if necessary you can use the weapon on the subject.
These two techniques can be used in a number of angles. If the subject is in front, on your side or behind you, these techniques can be executed. Also the wrist locks and arm takedowns discussed previously can be used as well on any angle of attack.
Club/Baton: As alluded to before, to defend against a weapon, there must be some type of familiarity of that weapon. This holds true for the club/stick as well. With this in mind, I am going to address two points at the same time. The first being how to use the Club/Baton, and the second, how to defend against the technique.
The first technique of the Club/Baton is the High strike. This strike is directed towards the subjects head or neck and back if he is bend over. The point of impact of the weapon is the side. You take the stick and raise it high and over your head towards the ear that is farthest from subject. Stepping to the side with your front leg and pivoting with your rear foot, you come down with a strike to the subjects head, neck, back or what ever target his body is positioned to take. To defend against this technique, you would perform the blocking technique that I discussed for knife defense. For this technique it would be the high block. Another block would be to place your arm over your head and bend it at the elbow. Then you would place your forearm just above your head on an angle to take the blunt of the blow.
The second technique that can be used is a side strike. The point of impact of your weapon is the side. This is when you strike from the side with a circular motion. This can be done with either your lead arm or secondary arm position. Taking the Club/Baton holding it up high about shoulder level and placed by your shoulder. You would then strike in a circular motion from this position to any part of the subject’s body that is providing you with the opportunity to target it. To defend against this you would take the side blocks as discussed with the knife defense section, and use these to take the force of the blow. Also as previously discussed, evasive maneuvers could also be performed. It takes more skill and timing to perform these type of techniques, but they are a better choice if time and positioning can allow you to use them. No part of your body is being sacrificed , blocking techniques are just that, sacrificial. You’re placing your hand and arms in the way of the blow instead of a vital body part.
Double Hand Strike: This technique is performed with both hands on the club/baton, and the force of the blow is forward. The tip of the weapon is the point of impact. You thrust the blow towards the subjects groin, bladder, stomach, solar plexus, chest, throat or face. While thrusting forward you should also lock out your rear leg and lean forward. This places your body weight behind the thrust. To defend against this technique you would have to perform a downward block, taking your lead hand and striking down as the attack is coming forward. This pushes the instrument away from you. An evasive technique as stated previously could also be done.
Double Hand Strike II: This technique is performed with both hands on the club/baton and the force of the blow is forward. The difference between this technique and the one mentioned first, is that the point of impact of the weapon is the side. You take the weapon and with both hands palm down, and equal distance from your body, thrust the stick into the subject. You can strike the neck and face with this technique. You should again, lock your leg and lean forward placing your body weight into the thrust. To defend against this you would have to do a stiff arm block directly in front of you. This is done by placing your arms up as if you were going to box. Using both arms, absorb the force of the blow. Evasive maneuvers could also be executed, as well.
There are upward strikes that you can perform with a club/baton as well as takedowns and come along. I myself do not prefer these techniques. Although I have more than a familiarity of these techniques, I will not discuss them, due to that fact that I fell that these techniques shouldn’t be taught in the beginning of self defense training. It takes much time and practice to be proficient at these techniques, and even so, an effective Martial Artist, wouldn’t choose this avenue of defense.
Finally, I will discuss the law and how it applies to the use of self defense. In the State of New Jersey the law states that as a victim you have to retreat from any type of physical encounter. If there is an opportunity for you to walk away from an altercation, you must. If there is an opportunity for you to run away from an altercation you must. When all attempts have been exhausted, and there is no avenue for escape, you can then use force. Once the threat of force against you is neutralized, the use of force that you are using must cease. Any force that is applied after neutralization of the subject can constitute aggressive force, and you can be charged criminally. The same criteria applies in the defense of a second or third party. ( N.J.S.A. Title 2C Code of Criminal Justice, Chapter 3) There is only one exemption from this, 2C: 3-6 , and it is when you are in your own residence or in control of a premise, and an intruder enters. In this scenario you do not have to retreat and in fact you can aggressively defend your premises. Even under this statute, there are some limitations on justifiable force. A good rule to adhere to in this situation, is that if you’re in fear of your safety or your families, you can aggressively defend yourself and your property.

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