brazilian jujitsu Archives

IT’S PROPRIOCEPTION!

Who, what, where, when, how and why? The BIG “W’s and H” questions that one answers in a fight (and life).

“Where?” There are so many “where” questions to answer. One is knowing where your body parts are when you are not looking at them or can’t see them. Oh, I know the word is more technical and diverse than that, and normal people deal with the subject to improve normal activity, rehab injuries and surgeries and fight back age. But we? Oh we…we here, worry about…fighting. Where are your body parts when you are not looking at them in a fight? Especially a ground fight? Horizontal, not vertical?

“Proprioception is an important sensory function for all normal movement activities, including the ability to maintain dynamic balance and move accurately. All exercises elicit proprioceptive responses to some extent.”

The subject is teaching ground-fighting and one of the challenges for practitioners and teachers is not-knowing, not-seeing their body parts in a “horizontal world,” and of course moving in “flat” unfamiliar movements.

I often have to tell grounded practitioners to “FREEZE! Freeze right there!” I step in and grab their legs, knees, feet, whatever into the advantageous position. Lest of all have them freeze and say “take this elbow and strike this face right here,” because they are: a) brainwashed wrestlers, or b) new to the horizontal world, and cannot make the proprioception connection. Out of sight, out of mind.

Ground fighting to a combatives person is, (or certainly should be):

Ground maneuverings
Knee-high versus standing.
Knee-high versus knee-high.
Knee-high topside versus those below.
On right side versus all…
On left side versus all…
On back versus topside.
On back versus kneeling.
On back versus standing.
(I include “seated” in this grouping.)
All strikes and kicks included.
Use of force laws & military rules of engagement, if any?
Hand, stick, knife, gun (pistol and long gun).
The vital W’s and H questions.
This is the 6th Stop, the Stop 6 of the Stop 6 “The Ground Fighting Collision,” my outline list.

Horizontal time in grade, reps, experience, coaching, all contribute to proprioception exercise. While wrestlers (including BJJ-ers) are developing or have developed this ground-fight awareness, combatives people and “stand-up-only-arts” who only dabble in ground fighting don’t, won’t, and haven’t achieved similar awareness. Modern MMA people work on it, (but without weapons and cheating). You can see the importance of organized doctrine timetables.

Another term for this, a bit more heard of, but not by much, is “Kinesthetic Perception.” I would suggest searching on the word to get the fullest understanding of it. Here’s one link, but continue the hunt.

https://journals.lww.com/…/proprioception_in_sports…

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Hock’s email is Hock@SurvivalCentrix.com

Ground maneuvers are covered in this book, available in collectable color hardcover, paperback and KIndle Ebook! For all info, click here:

The who, what, where, when, how, and why do you want to tackle a criminal, your “drunk uncle (relative) or an enemy soldier? If you tackle someone in the real un-matted, world, you will usually end up on the carpet, tile, floor, cement, asphalt, dirt, rocks, grass etc. of the indoor and outdoor, rural, suburban and urban theaters of life. Often times some may well be wearing enforcement uniforms and gear, or in regular clothes. Run through the “Ws and H” questions for your lifestyle, location and needs and predict where you might be tackling someone. This essay is NOT about the pros and cons of ground even though it must be mentioned once in a while. This essay is just about “tackling the tackle” or ” “tackle or not to tackle.” in terms of how to and how to survive.

Who am I to tackle and who will I be tackling? Who is nearby to help the tackled? Help me?
What happens if I tackle someone? What do I do? What will he do? What if he is bigger than me? What kind of tackle should I try? What are the counters to tackling? Will he pull a weapon? What is my mission anyway? Escape? Capture? Kill? What happens…next? What if he has a weapon?
Where are we landing? Where is he carrying weapons to pull on my when we land?
When is it appropriate and smart for me to tackle someone?
How do I tackle exactly, anyway?
Why am I tackling someone anyway? Why am I there? Why am I still there?

Being tackled is one of the four main ways we hit the ground in the fight, so says a number of universities with police science, criminology departments years back, gathering a smattering of stats as best they could for Caliber Press. Those big four ways, briefly, and in order (!) are these:

1. We trip and fall during the fight.
2. We are punched down during the fight.
3. We are tackled during the fight.
4. We are pulled down during the fight.

Even with only a smattering of research, the 4 mentioned seem very logical. In the Stop 5 of my Stop 6 program, it is nicknamed “Bear Hugs” is all about “bear hugs” and this arm-wrap, tackle subject. The single arm, and double arm “bear hugging” includes “hugging” the legs and is called “Tackle and Countering the Tackle.” We must learn the ways and moves of the opponent too, to counter those moves. Here are the main and common tackles we exercise through in the hand, stick, knife, gun courses as a foundation for you to springboard into deeper studies:

Common Sport-Based Tackles (which can, of course, work in “real life,” too) examples:

Single leg right or rleft, a “leg pick,” or smothering crash on it. Often this is done with a deep knee bend, leg grab and push.
Getting a palm-hand on the heel and pushing on the leg with a shoulder.
Double leg grab and a push-pull, like the “Fire Pole” – a slip-down tackle from a bear hug or clinch, or a diving grab of the legs.
Football-rugby tackles. As primitive as they can be, they are done in sports.

Non-Sport Tackles Examples:

Wild-man, “untrained civilian” body grabs/tackles. (Usually waist high by the untrained.)
Military body pitch where a tackler’s torso goes airborne.
Law Enforcement Pursuit Tackles System where the pursuers are tackled from behind (like football-rugby) Not practiced enough, if ever! And certainly should be.
knife, stick-baton, even rifle tackle takedowns.

Common Counters to Tackles

Early phase: Pre-tackle – observing the set-ups.
Early to mid-phase: Evasive footwork back and/or side-steps.
Mid-phase: “Brick wall” (forearms on his upper body.)
Mid-phase grabs like a side headlock, stomach choke. Catch, crank/choke.
Mid-to late phase: The classic splay/sprawl.
Late-phase: He pulls you down with him.
Late-phase: Exhale in the early part of contacting the floor or ground, and try to “round off” body parts.
Early-mid-to late phases: Can you hit, knee or kick anything?

Experiment with these foundational moves, then is you wish, continue on deeper.

Email Hock at: Hock@hockscqc.com

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