Research and Discussion Forums

I'm somewhat confused by the plate we're looking at here. The lock differs somewhat from the usual configuration used in figure 4 locks or similar in jujutsu etc. Notice that the figure on the right has his left arm intertwined with the attacker's arm, thus forming the main "locking component&q...

Note also that traditional battlefield arts from Japan depend mainly on grappling, with some striking thrown in to assist in putting locks/grapples on a foe.

I agree with the point previously made that the defender in this situation is moving around to the outside of the attacker's left arm. Continuation of this movement (which we can see is the clear intent in this diagram, as the defender is depicted midway through a step) would be sufficient to place ...

Conversely, most Judo/Jujutsu techniques can be applied without using the clothing grabs - hip throw techniques use the hands to guide an opponent, not to lever him over your hip - the actual throw can be executed without "grabbing" at all. (Of course, this doesn't apply in the cases of sh...

For a fairly good academic discussion of wrestling and other combative systems, I'd give Poliakoff's "Combat Sports in the Ancient World" a look. It's well worth reading, and covers both cultural and technical aspects of combative systems (both armed and unarmed, though chiefly the latter)...

I would add to this that if you look at classical japanese martial arts as a comparison, particularly the koryu schools of jujutsu, that many jujutsu schools use a very similar defence against an overhead attack. In this case initial contact is made with the lower fore-arm, just above the wrist, in ...