Posts Tagged ‘gladiator’

Judo Training in the Martial Arts: Knee Wheel and Major Outer Reap

Posted by thacker at 24 May 2009

Category: Mixed Martial Arts

Tags: bjj, double weave, gis, gladiator, jiu jtisu, single weave, uniform

Judo Training in the Martial Arts

Knee Wheel and Major Outer Reap

KNEE WHEEL

Judo

Hiza-guruma is a technique which relies on excellent timing and body movement. It is similar in feeling to sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi which it closely resembles, the main difference being that the attacking foot makes contact much higher up, blocking the knee rather than the lower leg. Correctly timed, this prevents uke from defending by bending his knees and sinking his hips.
The crucial thing to develop is a large, open movement; hiza-guruma is not a power technique in as much as it cannot be forced. The throwing position is not a mechanically efficient one if the opponent is stationary; it is vital to get him moving and for tori to build up a fluid, powerful movement of his own, emphasizing the change of direction and the twisting action of the waist and shoulders.

From an orthodox right-handed grip tori must take a large step on his right foot, placing it about 12-18in (30-46cm) to the right of uke’s left foot. At the same time as he steps, he must pull uke’s right sleeve up to shoulder level if possible and place the sole of his left foot against uke’s right knee, just below the kneecap. The throw is completed by turning the hips, twisting at the waist and steering uke over the outstretched leg with both hands, causing him to fall to his right front.

When practicing hiza-guruma it is very important to concentrate on fully extending the left leg and hip, to develop a smooth transfer of power as the hips turn. Some coaches describe the action of the hands as being like turning the steering wheel of a car. It is more helpful to imagine a larger steering wheel such as is found in a tractor, and to imagine it as being horizontal rather than vertical. The hands pull uke around, whirling im over the out-stretched leg, they do not pull up and down to tip him over as in sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi. The supporting leg ought to bend as tori steps into the throw and straighten as uke’s balance breaks. The action of the head is also very important. Tori should be looking to his right as he steps into uke and as the left foot makes contact with the knee he should spin his head to the left.

Hiza-guruma combines extremely effectively with osoto-gari on the opposite side and harai-goshi on both sides, as either the starting or finishing technique in the combination. It can also come off spectacularly if an opponent has become used to stepping over a sasae-tsuri-komi-ashi and tori switches the height of his attack from ankle to knee.

MAJOR OUTER REAP

Osoto-gari is one of the major throws in judo and is characterized as an all-or-nothing type of throw, mainly because it tends to succeed spectacularly or be countered spectacularly. It is a rearthrow and can be performed equally effectively whether uke is moving forwards or backwards.

From the orthodox right-handed grip tori steps forwards on his left foot, so that it is parallel and about 9in (23cm) to the left of uke’s right foot, and keeping the left leg bent at the knee makes contact with the right side of his chest against the left side of uke’s chest. A good visual check is for the front of tori’s right shoulder to meet the front of uke’s left gi shoulder. Tori must pull uke’s right arm out away from his body and then down so that uke’s forearm is pulled into tori’s waist. Tori’s right hand should draw uke’s weight onto his right leg. Tori swings his right leg through in a big reaping movement, the power being generated by the combination of the step in and the hip action. The side of tori’s thigh makes contact with the side of uke’s thigh as tori’s right leg reaps down, the back of his upper calf making contact with uke’s right leg just below the back of his knee. he reaping leg scythes away uke’s leg, lifting it clear of the ground and tori controls uke’s upper body with both hands as he jack-knifes at the waist and dips his head, hurling uke to the judo mat.

Once he has got in for the throw tori should try to look at uke’s left heel as he reaps the right leg away and imagine he is trying to take his forehead to the mat as he completes the throw. Dipping the head as the upper body bends forwards adds considerably to the force of the throw and reduces the possibility of being countered by osoto-gari done as a counter to osoto-gari.

Like Judo in general the timing is very important particularly if tori is attacking uke’s advancing leg, when it resembles the timing for de-ashi-barai. Many osoto-gari experts regard the rear leg to be a safer option, even though the distance that has to be covered is greater.

A good osoto-gari is a devastating throw to have in your arsenal of techniques, but it is not a throw for dabblers and cannot really be used without full commitment and good kuzushi as it exposes tori to the danger of being countered with the same technique. Harai-goshi, uranage and sukui-nage are other possible counters. The classic counter is one of the seventeen techniques not in the go-kyo that were officially recognized by the Kodokan in 1985 – osoto-gaeshi.

On the plus side, it combines well with other ashi-waza, hiza-guruma and a number of other major throws such as harai-makikomi, o-uchi-gari and uchimata.

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European Martial Arts, Part 1

Posted by thacker at 3 December 2008

Category: Mixed Martial Arts, Swords, Types of Martial Arts, self defense

Tags: europe martial arts, european martial arts, gladiator, medieval swords, middle age martial arts, pankration, Swords

Present by: The MMA Zone

European Martial Arts

The second smallest continent in the world, Europe contains a largely wealthy and extremely diverse community of cultures. In most peoples’ minds, it is probably not a continent particularly associated with indigenous martial arts. However, Europe has a long and fascinating martial arts history. As power-bases among civilizations came and went—often as a result of violent conflict and large-scale warfare—martial arts developed as a response to the environment in which warriors found themselves.

The term martial art comes from Latin—it means “the arts of Mars,” after the Roman god of war—and was coined to celebrate the martial prowess Roman gladiators displayed during their bloody and brutal battles in the arena. And although most popular Western indigenous martial-art forms have gone on to become sports—such as fencing and many forms of boxing they really only represent the tip of the iceberg. The European tradition of martial arts is actually as rich and engaging as that found in Asia, and many European art forms offer their practitioners enhanced self-development capabilities.

The best-known European martial art is pankration, an unarmed combat technique. A combination of Greek boxing, wrestling, and grappling, it focused on the use of knees, elbows, kicks, punches, and chopping movements, alongside joint-locks and choke-holds. It was a brutal, competitive sport and, although eye-gouging and biting were forbidden, pretty much anything else was acceptable. The goal of the game was to force an opponent to submit and, in many ways, this 2,000-year-old art bears a striking resemblance to the modern mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting championship movements prevalent in martial arts today.

Pankration was so effective that the young Alexander the Great, on his conquest to dominate the world,

Pankration Martial Arts

trained his troops rigorously in pankration for close-quarter, hand-to-hand battle with the enemy, along with the use of the spear, the shield, and the sword. His conquest of Asia would certainly have led to a cross-fertilization of fighting techniques between the Greek warriors and the indigenous civilizations with whom they came into contact.

Martial arts were also popular in ancient Rome, not only as a gladiatorial sport but also among civilians of many different social classes, who would engage in knife-fighting for self-defense. Highly codified fighting systems evolved as a result of this fashion and, as the Roman

Knights and Swordsmanship

The knights of the Middle Ages were the romanticized ideal and embodiment of martial arts and chivalry. They developed a staggering array of weapons for combat, training, and sport, such as those used in jousting. Technological advances and improved metal-forging techniques during this period saw drastic improvements in armor and swords, some of which was so well crafted that the United States’ space agency, NASA, still studies medieval plate-armor design when it develops new spacesuits today.

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