Choke Tuesday

I spent most of my afternoon training. I had to rush through rush hour traffic to get home and get dressed for class. The clouds were gathering and the smell of rain was thick in the air. Most of the robots were out and my progress were slowed even further as I took a wrong turn and had to double back. My blood pressure rose even more as I realised I had to make a stop at the shop for some supplies in the house before I could leave for class.

As I got dressed the storm arrived at my doorstep. Rain pelted down on the car port roof and I decided to take an umbrella. My drive to the dojo was scary, visibility was very poor and the roads turned into rivers. Most people were driving with their hazards on at half the speed limit and I anticipated an empty class. Seven students still made their way to class and the Senseis decided to keep it an open class.

We did some body-conditioning and coordination drills before we went over to a mostly sixth kyu based class. The main theme was to escape major choke positions, the Chinese death lock, rear neck choke and the gelatine. We also took a look at two handed chokes from the front and experimented with ways to escape from them.

Basically with the Chinese death lock you have little to no chance to get out. You have to be aware of your neck area and react immediately before an assailant can get it on. Once in the lock, you have between 3 to 6 seconds at best before you pass out. Reach back and find a finger and pull it as if breaking it to get one arm away. Then twist around to the outside of the assailant and move into a figure four to take him down.

It was interesting to see some wrestling matches develop throughout the class and it looks like we might just have one of those before the grading.

Embrace the shadows.