<i><b>Jujutsu 101</i></b> (Part 2 of 2)

Jujutsu 101 (Part 2 of 2)

Reprinted with the permission of the author.

Let's say you aren't very good using your legs in self-defense grappling. You could get on your back and loop the tubing around your foot or feet and do various circles, and press moves from many angles (as of course you resist and pull in the opposite direction with your waist, arms, etc. - as the angle and grip allow).

If your shins are sensitive - lay on your back and bend your leg - then while holding the tubing ACROSS your shin - press out your shin at various angles as you tug, resist, pull in the opposite direction.

If you have a weak grip - just using the tubing with toughen your grip. You can also use your fingers and pull the tubing.

If your ankles are weak - loop the tubing around the toes and also later the ball(s) of your foot (feet) and work your toes and ankles.

Note - When I write "loop" what I mean is you place your toes, foot, etc. more in the middle of the long tubing and then you hold the ends. I personally do not wrap around the tubing on my foot, etc.

There are MANY applications that an expander (with or without tubing) can be used for. Check out: http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling2/jujutsu101/index.htm and read through the pages and then click on the Strandpulling Discussion Board to get some useful information (for free) on using expanders in your training.

What is Lacking in Relation to Your Current Level? - Ask yourself if you need more muscular endurance? Cardio? Strength? Look at your activities in your life. (Here of course we are talking about self-defense, but this can be applied to any activity in your life.) Exercise is a tool to improve the quality of your life. Just as your (if you are into self - defense) drills should be about improving REALISTICALLY the REALITY of what can happen to you in a serious self-defense situation.

What is going to help IMPROVE your QUALITY in the long run of your life and your activities (personal interest, work, family, etc.)? You see you first need to do a survey of how the parts relate in the territory you are trying to improve in.

ROLE MODELS - In the 1960s onward many kids (I was one) was so amazed by the HUGE bodybuilders. 20 inch arms, 50 inch chest, etc. I thought the quality of my life would be so much better if I had 20" arms. Wow - I thought if I had a Superman type build I could naturally hit more homeruns (baseball), make more touchdowns (football), have more endurance, etc.

Later in life I learned that the BIGGER LOOKING person does NOT always win the contest; nor is fit for living a good life.

Thank goodness I don't have 20" arms! I am not even 5' 5". I would look ridiculous. And the time I would have put in on getting (even IF I could) 20" arms, I could have been using some of that time to improve my overall coordinated body power and muscular endurance; not to mention cardio - in the activities I enjoy.

Sometimes you read about someone who can squat with 1,000 pounds or pull 500 pounds of resistance with a chest expander. Or, someone who is just great on the ground grappling - in no holds barred (all weapons barred) contests.

It is my opinion that few human beings - with or without drugs - will have a true 20 inch arm. Or can bench press 700 pounds, etc. Very few will be Olympic Gold Metal Standard in an activity.

Part of the reason is simply your body type. If you have thick bones, etc. you have a better chance at larger sized muscles. If you have shorter arms you have an advantage in bench pressing than if you had very long arms. I have a female friend who just naturally has huge, solid and shapely calves. Her mom does too. They are thick boned as well. No way do I have their calf size. I would have to work like a maniac to get them even in the same ballpark as them. But for my QUALITY of life, my overall build is fine.

So spend your TIME -which is limited - wisely.

Note - There ARE great human beings who are big, strong, etc. Real ladies and gentleman. Folks with true class. But my point is if you are under 5' 5" (as I am) and almost 50 years old (as I am) then trying to pull 600 pounds of strands resistance just will NOT add much to the quality of MY life. If you say - "Yes but if you COULD stretch out 600 pounds you would be better at grappling." Perhaps. But if I improve my coordination in leverage moves and perhaps improve my grip and finger strength - I will get a better result sooner. It is always good to be stronger - but you have to work it into an attainable and useful ability.

Note - I once saw on a Strong Man Competition show on television, this professional strongman was in a sumo type match against a professional football lineman. Whoever made the other fall down would win. The football player won. Not the strongman. The strongman did win the overall title of World's Strongest Man. But in the activity of COORDINATION dealing with another - he did not win. Of course if this strongman trained for a few years or so, perhaps HE would have won the sumo contest. He had a LOT of strength but not the coordination, timing, etc. to beat the "weaker" but more coordinated man - in that particular activity. Of course if this strongman and I were in a lifting contest - it would be a pure joke - he would TOTALLY beat me. If I tried to lift what HE could, my arms would probably fall off.

I am quite strong, solid and I have very good muscular endurance and coordination for my activities that interest me. I CERTAINLY am NOT the strongest, fastest, etc. but for me and my lifestyle - I have greatly increased the quality of my life by HOW I do strandpulling for me.

Strandpulling has greatly increased my strength. When I grapple with students twice my size - some are well trained in grappling as well - my students tell me that I feel like I am a 250 pound grappler. I actually weigh 130.

Part of the reason is understanding full body leverage - but another is strandpulling gives you unique strength from many angles - not just up and down movement - like free weights and bodyweight exercising does as they depend on gravity.

FURTHER EXAMPLES OF WHAT PART OF THE ACTIVITY DO YOU NEED TO WORK ON - In many activities in life - like grappling as one example - cardio and muscular endurance can be the real winning factors in surviving a powerful opponent. Let's say you have your choke on and you feel the opponent is starting to wear down. You decide to keep holding on to your choke. Well, you better have muscular endurance or you will weaken. Yes it is great to be able to squeeze something with a lot of pressure. But in a fast moving fight, match, etc. you don't always get your IDEAL set-up to do your ideal angled squeezing instantly.

Remember you are fighting someone with skill, power, etc. as well. In real self-defense also it is ALL WEAPONS POTENTIALLY USED; besides NO HOLDS BARRED. There is a HUGE difference in how you train with the added reality of a knife or sharp object stabbing and slashing you head, neck, ribs, etc. It take very little skill and only a split second! If you don't train your STAND UP grappling, and ONLY concentrate on GROUND GRAPPLING - you have a HUGE hole in your SELF-DEFENSE. There is a difference between SELF-DEFENSE and "NO HOLDS BARRED" (all weapons barred) type "fighting".

There is a LOT of truth in MANY martial arts. just like each way of exercising has its unique benefits. Just look at the style in CONTEXT for what it was designed for and then TEST it for yourself under similar (but don't be reckless) conditions.

In SELF-DEFENSE (no matter what STYLE you do or believe in) we all have common high percentage self-defense situations that we must cover with a high degree of REALITY.

It is sad that many "blackbelts" really do not have training in the more serious and higher percentage type self-defense situation in their environment. It is NOT enough to do some self-defense moves at white belt. You should always - progressively increase the power against you and the ambush towards you, as you go up in rank. As you - with good and safe coaching - increase the violence factor and unpredictability at you - you start to more and more VALUE the simplest MOVEMENTS of your art, as they take less time to set up and you can readjust them much faster. And with practice - and perhaps with exercises like strand pulling, you start to more and more increase YOUR level of POWER, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, etc. in your general movements..

A SERIOUS self-defense situation a lot of times is simply an AMBUSH. You will NOT be in a good position to start with. TRAIN THAT WAY - die a thousand times in class - and learn something you can use with little set-up - LIKE HOW TO SHOVE, PUSH, etc. as a starter - all basic movements.

EXAMPLE OF A PUSHING - Look at (for instance) Tai Chi. These days society thinks of it as some kind of health exercise. IT WAS A MARTIAL ART FIRST. LOOK AT HOW THE PUSH IS USED AND VARIATIONS OF PUSHING IS USED IN TAI CHI FIGHTING. LOOK AT SUMO - WHICH ORIGINALLY WAS A MARTIAL ART.

Do you REALLY believe anyone of ANY body size and weight can simply clinch and drag the other to the ground? Some day folks will realize that one way clinches have been dealt with in real life - has been by ramming your WHOLE body into the other - this takes timing and power, etc. Look at football. Look how powerful those linemen RAM into each other - they are slowing or stopping the other's MOMENTUM and then they do something at THAT point in time to the opponent.

There are many sports where shoving, pushing, etc. is used many times to off balance the other player. It is VERY effective and is a GENERAL full body movement. As is twisting and lifting, etc.

Note - It is very hard - unless your footwork is spot on to - for example - be running backward while kicking and punching the person trying to run at you to clinch with you. Some CAN do this. I saw a fight where someone did this against a famous ground fighter who was trying to clinch with him. In my view - as the fight wore on - the "clincher" eventually got beat up and his side throw in the towel. The ground fighter was, by the end of the fight pounded.

Of course excellent technique in your style is vital as well. Strength IS important in real life as well as grappling. But it is only ONE factor, which has to be balanced with (or blended with) other factors as described above. Remember the cake.

Don't Neglect General Moves in Your Exercise Workout - Can you imagine if you worked on those general movements, how your quality of life may be improved. You would be working on more and more power in a coordinated way. This could be quite useful in day to day moving around as well as sports or activities like grappling.

If you wish to contact me with your views I can reached at - jujutsu101@juno.com.

Thank you for your time in reading about some of my views on self-defense, drilling and exercising with an expander.

I realize there are many folks out there who have their own views on the above subject. I have much more to write about coaching, training, etc. but my time is limited (like everyone else).

I appreciate that you were willing to let me share some views I have.

Hope to here from you soon.

Fred Crivello

NEXT ARTICLE WILL BE MORE TIPS ON COACHING, EXPANDER (STRANDPULLING) DRILLS FOR SELF-DEFENSE, AND TARGETING YOUR PROGRESS IN SELF-DEFENSE.

***Fred Crivello can be reached at jujutsu101@hotmail.com***