Wrist Grabs

[cross]

bunkai is often practised against people grabbing the wrists. What are your thoughts on this? I highly doubt anyone looking to seriously harm you would walk up to you and grab your wrist. We always say that the wrist is grabbed because you make them grab it.. If you attack the face with an eye gouge, or the throat or groin with a grab, then they will likely grab your wrist or arm to try and move it away. At this point you do the wrist control techniques found in kata...

Whats everyones thoughts?

[scottnshelly]

That’s a great point cross. You don’t see a lot of attacks starting with a wrist grab, and probably not a not with a lapel grab.

I think there are a couple reasons why we continue to practice them though:

1) They are really fun.

2) They are adaptable to fit into “real-life” scenarios.

3) There’s still a chance that it could happen.

[cross]

That’s a great point cross. You don’t see a lot of attacks starting with a wrist grab, and probably not a not with a lapel grab.

I think "lapel" grabs would be a little more likely to occur. But it would be more like grabbing your shirt to setup for a big right hand to the face.

[koryu]

A very valid point.

I belive that the wrist grabs apply more to female students and children than male adult students and here's why. For some reason, certain guys out there like to grab a woman by the wrist and just pull her along. I have taught a few techniques in a practical self defence class for women and children. Granted, they do have real life application, and it is good for everyone to learn. With the lapel grab, I have always told students that we grab the lapel in class, in real life, someone's going to be choking you. We usually use this technique in the more beginner classes so that everyone's more comfortable with it. Belive it or not, but people like to grab someone's neck and try to choke them. I don't really know why, but i've had a couple of people try to choke me in the course of my life, which they immediatly regreted.

[P.A.L]

i was without a dojo for a while ,this was like 2004, so i went to this dojo, http://www.kimsookarate.com/ (it 's a good dojo by the way just not my type) , i put my white belt on and jumped in, one day i was partnered up with a teenager and a black belt was teaching us some grab techniques, so he grabs my wrist and asks what i would do, i said "i am gonna poke your eyes with my other hand" he looked at me like i am mentally chalenged, he asked the teenager and he did the famous lock , the instructor looked at me and said " this is what you need to do" and i shouted "YESS SIRRRR".

here is a good one,

http://www.ehow.com/how_6259_defend-against-lapel.html

here is another proof that i don't know anything about grabs,

[Jiffy]

That’s a great point cross. You don’t see a lot of attacks starting with a wrist grab, and probably not a not with a lapel grab.

I think "lapel" grabs would be a little more likely to occur. But it would be more like grabbing your shirt to setup for a big right hand to the face.

Exactly! Coming from the security industry, I have seen plenty of fights start with a lapel grap.

Left Hand Grab = Right head punch coming.

Both Hands Grab = Headbutt coming.

[Brandon Fisher]

Wrist grabs are used to get someone to come with the attacker, or to set up for another attack. They are not all that common but knowing how to defend against them is essential in my view. Just being able to break the grab correctly in defense without using a strike is good.

[parkerlineage]

That’s a great point cross. You don’t see a lot of attacks starting with a wrist grab, and probably not a not with a lapel grab.

I think "lapel" grabs would be a little more likely to occur. But it would be more like grabbing your shirt to setup for a big right hand to the face.

Exactly! Coming from the security industry, I have seen plenty of fights start with a lapel grap.

Left Hand Grab = Right head punch coming.

Both Hands Grab = Headbutt coming.

I couldn't agree more. No experience with security, but I agree anyway.

As for a wrist grab - go against the thumb. The end. Probably not likely to come, but easy to escape.

[bushido_man96]

Wrist grabs are great to learn some of the basic ways that the body will move and react when joints are put under pressure. The likelyhood of your wrists being grabbed in this manner, as others have said, is not high. However, what is learned from the wrist grabs will apply mechanically to controlling the wrist when other scenarios arise, like the lapel grab. From the lapel grab, you can manipulate the wrist of the hand grabbing the lapel...it just happens from a different starting point. You can also manipulate the wrist after parrying a strike, etc.

My conclusion: great for training, not so great as for practicality.

[Zorbasan]

wrist grabs would most like happen when you are trying to get away and they will make a grab at the wrist to pull you back.

lapel grabs are more common in a bar fight type situation as an intimidation method, then the throat grab would be the one that will happen in the heat of a fight.