Vancouver Institute of Self Defense

SELF DEFENSE FOR THE REST OF US


		As students advance in the study of Jujitsu, they grow more and more aware of subtle things that work extremely effectively without using any muscle-effort. Along with this, however, comes an awareness that in dealing with an experienced fighter we can inadvertently put ourselves in a bad position. We can do this by something as simple as balancing in a slightly different way, leaving exposed a pressure point within easy reach, etc. Advanced students begin studying what we call “counters” to “submits.” As someone is ‘putting a move on you’ (or trying to “submit” you so you can no longer continue a fight without causing pain to yourself), you can do something that will derail that attempt to submit you. This can be something as simple as a slight side-step when your partner is trying to execute a hip-throw on you. Instead of throwing you, he instead ends up on his back. Below is an example of an initial arm-bar “submit” that is disrupted by touching a particularly sensitive pressure point in the face. This causes the person executing the arm-bar to reflexively rear back - which gives an opening that an experienced Jujitsuka can then exploit.