The Unbendable Arm in an armbar

[Stold]

After reading another post in this section, I think omeone who can actually do the unbendable arm should try this experiment and see if their arm breaks(or at least if it hurts.) I could never do the unbendable arm or else I would have tried it already.

[JerryLove]

Wrong direction... having an unbending quality to your arm will make getting the arm bar far more difficult (as manipulating an arm with that energy in it is difficult); but should the bar be gotten, you really *want* to bend it to get out.

[Stold]

So the arm would indeed break?

[JerryLove]

Unbending arm would not provide useful protection from a joint hyperextension if you were in an armbar... so "yes".

[Stold]

Could you explain the unbending arm to me in scientific terms? The aikido guy I asked about it told me to imagine my arm was a long, unbendable iron pole...When I asked for an explanation he just told me some stuff about ki which didn't really help...

[JerryLove]

There are a couple different methods from which to get the unbending arm effect; and I'm not entirely certain of how all of them work.

 

An easy one would be to try to reach at a point. Like when you are beinging over a tame to get something on the far side and you can almost make it, and you keep extending out to try to reach it. You'll find this has several effects on your arm.

 

One thing it does is involve more muscles. When we try to manipulate our own body (hold our arm straight) we tend to do it in isolation. When we try to accomplish somthing we do all the time, we do it more completely. Further, when we try to resist a force, we tense. This borth breaks structure and causes muscles on the other side of our arm to work against us... again, reaching solves this problem.

 

Then the Chinese will talk something about tendos vs ligaments vs muscles.

[Stold]

So...The unbendable arm is actually a complete or near complete contraction of the tricep? Why couldn't the bicep have the same function?

[JerryLove]

I contracted bicep does not a straight arm make.

 

If you are asking weather an armbar can be performed on an arm that is kept bent, the answer is "no". The whole issue of skill is in getting the person with the bent arm to unbend.

 

Though the same issue of intent works. You are stronger trying to (for example) touch your chest with your hand than you are if you try to just hold the bend when someone is trying to straighten it.

[Stold]

What I meant was, even when your arm is fully extended, if you could get 100% of the muscle fibers in your bicep to contract(or try to contract I should say,) could you keep your elbow from going poppy poppy?

[JerryLove]

I doubt it, no leverage.