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Wastelander
Wastelander's picture
Armbar and Counter Drill

This week's video takes a quick look at a drill we do to work standing armbars, escaping standing armbars, and countering them with standing armbars. It is a very simple lock flow drill, which can be used as a platform drill to launch a variety of other techniques, and it can also be used to connect to other platform drills. It doesn't really matter how you initiate the drill--you can either just grab someone and put them in a standing armbar, or you can have them punch, grab, or push.

Spaniard
Spaniard's picture

Good stuff.
This makes me think of the parts of Pinan Sandan (I learned the Shotokan version) with the wing-like movements and vertical backfists.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OI-FTV3-4o 0:36-44).

Regards-

Spaniard

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Nice drill. Thanks for sharing! I have similar drill which is a “sub-drill” of the larger Kushanku drill shown in this old video. When students learn the arm bar following the hook, we branch off to a lock / counter lock drill similar to what is shown above. It’s a good way to get them to practise the lock many times in a short period of time. Although I always use such drills sparingly due to the fact that the enemy gets a turn, and for both tactics and mind-set that’s not something we want to inadvertently encourage.

Thanks once again for making and sharing these! They are very interesting and are producing a great catalogue of material.

All the best,

Iain

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Spaniard - A continuous drill can definitely be made out of those movements in Pinan Sandan, although it is a bit different. Here is a video of my friend, Ryan Parker Sensei, demonstrating the drill:

Iain - Thanks for sharing the video--it's been a while since I've watched it! We also use this drill sparingly, and for the same reason. It's great for developing the feel for countering such a lock, and for introducing resistance, as well as developing the body mechanics involved in all of that, but it isn't a directly combative drill. That's where our bunkai drills come in!

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Wastelander wrote:
It's great for developing the feel for countering such a lock, and for introducing resistance, as well as developing the body mechanics involved in all of that, but it isn't a directly combative drill. That's where our bunkai drills come in!

That’s exactly how it fits together for me too.

One of my personal dictates is that, “Training can be realistic, it is never real.” Therefore all training methods have a deliberate “fault” within them in order to ensure safety, ensure specific skills are practised, etc. It’s a matter of being mindful of the “fault” and ensuring other drills are practised which avoid that particular “fault” (although they will invariably have their own faults).

All the best,

Iain