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dhogsette
dhogsette's picture
Jodan Uke Kihon Drill for High Wrist Grab

In my small club we are continuing to explore some practical applications for our kihon combinations. Last month we focused on gedan uke; this month we turn to jodan uke. In this drill, we are using the jodan uke and gedan uke (building from last month's work) as one way to deal with a high wrist grab. My students and I are thoroughly enjoying these partner drills. We take a short, quick trip down the floor to practice the combinations, and then we partner up and practice the drill. 

https://youtu.be/agPOqhUXjVM

Best,

David 

ShotoRick
ShotoRick's picture

The only question I have is what is prompting him to let go with his right hand? Have you tried pressure testing this? My first thought is that to move your hand out of his eye and place it above the head like you show he would have to be in "fight" mode hence pressing forward. If he is grabbing with you with the left and pressing forward I would imagine that he would also be grabbing (or pushing) you as well with the right hand. Hence not giving you the space, time or maneuverability to step all the way back to break the grip. If on the other hand they are in "flight" mode, because you hurt the eye, I would imagine a normal person, once they removed your finger from the eye, would turn their back shy away and probably let go with both hands, hence for no need to break the grip. Maybe there is something not covered in the video that I'm missing but I just wanted to give you my two cents from an outside perspecitve in the spirit of exploring, oss!

dhogsette
dhogsette's picture

The uke let go mainly for the purpose of the video, for the viewers to see what is going on. In practice some people hold on, others let go and try to hit with the other hand. Either way, the dynamics generally still work out--the key is getting over to the outside so he cannot hit effectively with the other hand. Indeed, if the enemy lets go with both one or both hands, then great! No need for the rest of the technique. But, we still need to practice such drills in case he doesn't let go (often, the enemy as well as defenders get caught in what Rory Miller calls behavioral looping, where people continue doing the same thing even if it's not working). It's very possible that the enemy will grab your hand that was just trying to gouge his eye and keep on fighting. If he still holds on with the other hand, that's not such a big problem, as you are still getting to the outside, he is not hitting with that hand, and you can still use the gedan uke to pull the grabbing hand down to clear a path to his head. Once you start hitting him in the head, the enemy will either drop (hopefully), or he'll let go with the gripping hand to try to hit back or to cover his head, and then you shift to another tactic. Indeed, we cannot address all possible scenarios in a single drill (as Miller says, there is always a flaw in the drill), and this is a basic drill that teaches students how to apply basic kihon techniques in combative ways that are not simply "blocks." 

Hope that helps a bit, and thanks for the clarifying question.

Best,

David