Loose Grips Sink Ships..?

I have found, after decades of training and experimentation, that the very first grab I was taught as a white belt is the strongest of all. And we use to think our Sensei was “losing it” or something similar.

He lined us up in a few rows (business was good in the 70’s) and explained grips. He showed us a very strong and a seemingly inescapable grab to our wrists. Applying all of his strength he would then tell us to “snatch our hand loose w/o warning”. The grip always failed. Don’t believe it? Try it out for yourself.

He then showed us what he called “gripping like a baby”, which consisted of the same grab but with only enough tension to barely stick to his wrist. He emphasized that most of the grip was from the index finger and thumb and had a sticky, clinging feel to it. Sensei explained to recall what it felt like when a baby gripped our fingers and allowed us to sit him/her right up! Wouldn’t you know it, we couldn’t come close to braking this soft, clinging grip. It was also quite painful to move around in since it allowed the inner processes of the arm to move but that darn little baby grip was stuck to our skin like super glue and conveyed an intense burning sensation – as if we were peeling the skin right off of our own arms. This was secret information – not to be revealed to anyone but students. It was considered dangerous to be controlled so easily.

After sharing these two variations with us, Sensei expounded that unless we were grabbed by a skilled fighter (martial arts – not street fighting) we would always use this soft method, but we’d probably never experience it’s virtues outside of training drills or a real fighting scenario. He proceeded to show us two simple escapes from a heavy-handed, powerful grip, to either right or left side with the opponent to the front or quartering to either direction in front of us. I teach these to my daughter all of the time since they are learned in minutes – which is about the limit of her attention span right now…lol!! Buying her self defense products and educating her in their use is one type of precaution. Learning how to react with a cool head and survive a real nasty situation, may cause you to get your hands a bit dirty.

First practice a few very “limp wristed” circles in front of you – the kind that are so flaming hot that Liberace would blush. Make the hands extend (yet fight against them tensing up) and describe soft full-range circles with the hand until it’s quite natural and doing clockwise with the right hand and counter clockwise for the left hand. (it only takes a minute). Now have a third person or yourself (preferably) to give a moderately strong grip to either side of the student and on the wrist as if to control them.

If the students right wrist is grabbed (high – middle or low) then they make a quick circle clockwise and the opponents grip is easily broken and falls/flies away. If the left hand is grabbed then the circle is described counter clockwise. Remember that the hand is used as if there’s a marker inside and you’re starting at 6 o’clock and end up back at 6 again – describing a perfect circle. Clockwise if grabbed by the right wrist and counterclockwise if the left wrist is grabbed.

Will you run into people who are so limber that they will counter your counter by allowing your hand to roll freely inside their grip – only to have you “baby gripped” and maybe with the whole arm locked out at the elbow? Sure, if you practice with enough top flight martial artists, guys who are adept in Small Circle Jiu Jitsu or other grappling from within martial arts styles like Tuite from Okinawa or Chin Na of Chinese heritage. 

Your chances of finding and goading a man/woman of this level into combat is nearly impossible – so for now practice what I’ve tried to describe and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to feel those big paws go flying off of your wrists. These Really Work!