4. AGAINST ATTACKS
FROM THE REAR AND THE SIDE
Common sense dictates that anyone considering the possibility of a surprise
attack from the rear should take steps to face it. With the exception of a few
cases, attacks from the side can, with some modifications, be handled like
attacks from the front or the rear. There is usually an element of
surprise in all attacks from behind. D has a very considerable advantage over
the person without a stick because there are two things he can easily do with a
reasonable chance of stopping A.
(i) He can spread his legs one behind the other, drop the hips, and thrust to
the rear, before pivoting to face A. The thrust must be directed so that the
stick follows a path closest to D's body. For instance, if D thrusts to his rear
left, the stick must slide on his left ribs. After the thrust, D must step
forward on the side opposite to the thrust (in this case, the right) and pivot,
slashing as he faces A (Figs. 1, 2).
(ii) Alternatively, D may jump forward, preferably to the side he feels the
first contact, and pivot, again slashing as he faces A.
Overarm
Bearhug D is in guard 2.
(a) BEFORE: As soon as D feels A's arms around him, he may use either one of
techniques (i) or (ii) just described on p. 137. If A is quite close, but has
not yet secured his grip, D kicks back on A's shinbone or stomps his right
instep with the right heel. D then sets his right foot down, slides the left
foot toward his left, dropping the hips low and lifting the elbows so that the
stick is sliding on his body. In other words, the elbows are lifted in the plane
of A's body. Now D can slide his right foot to the left, between his left foot
and A's left foot, bringing it behind A's foot in a rounded step. All this
amounts to a 45-degree pivot toward his rear right. D thrusts to A's left ribs
and, upon A's reaction, slides behind him for a choke, a throw, and
immobilization. Alternatively, D may continue his pivot, face A, and throw him
with a left leg-lift throw (Figs. 3-6).
(b) SECURED: D arches
his back and butts A's face with the back of his head, stomps A's right instep
with the right heel, and breaks A's grip by crushing A's wrists against his
chest with the stick held symmetrically (Figs, 7, 8). Two things may then
happen.
(i) A releases his
grip. Then the situation reverts to the previous one (a) and is handled
accordingly.
(ii) A does not
release the grip, but his wrists are pinned against D's upper chest. D jumps
forward with his right foot, bending the right knee well and extending his left
leg to block A's left leg just below the knee. D's left toes are pointing toward
his right and his left knee must be slightly bent. A is pulled forward and D
shakes him off by sharply twisting his upper body toward his rear right. D must
be careful not to break his pull on A; it must be sustained throughout the
technique. A may be thrown down, although this is not D's aim; he only wants to
shake him off. D continues pivoting until he faces A. Now D delivers a right
slash, palm down, to A's face and continues with thrusts and slashes as in
earlier techniques.
Underarm Bearhug
D is in guard 2 when A secures his attack. He attempts to lift and throw D down.
(The "before" technique is similar to the previous one and will not be
repeated.) D's first concern is to prevent A from lifting him. He achieves this
by wrapping his left foot around A's left leg from the outside. Now, when A
tries to lift D, the latter, keeping his left foot hooked around A's left leg,
kicks his right foot high so that in its backswing it strikes A's left knee or
upper shinbone with the right heel; D butts A's face as in Overarm Bearhug (b),
p. 138. (Fig. 9) Assuming that A's left hand is on top of the right, D
grasps A's left wrist with the left hand and with the right he grinds the short
end of the stick on the back of A's hand (Fig. 10). When A slackens his grip, D,
still holding A's left wrist, sets his right foot down and slides a big step
forward with the left. foot. He then steps with the right, on which he pivots
toward his rear left, twisting A's left wrist counterclockwise so that A's palm
is facing up. During this twisting action, D must put strength in his left
little finger while pressing with the thumb on the base of A's index finger. D
keeps A's left arm extended and delivers a right circular slash to behind and
above the elbow, followed by another slash to the kidneys (Fig. 11). D may now
apply a leg-lift throw or a figure-four stick-choke.
Rushing Attack from Behind
D is in guard 2 and becomes aware of A's attack as he is almost upon him.
Immediately, D drops low, almost squatting, and thrusts the stick to the rear in
the general direction of A's groin or midsection. A is essentially "impaled" on
the stick (Figs. 12, 13). D rolls away with a forward roll and stands up to face
A in a left guard 3.
Rear Grip on Two Wrists
D is in right guard l. A has secured a grip on each of D's wrists from behind. D
stomps with the right heel A's right instep, slides to the left leading with the
left foot and, pivoting to the rear left, he ducks under A's left arm. This
pivot will break A's left grip. During the pivot, D must fully extend his right
arm so as to break A's right grip (Figs. 14, 15). If this grip is not broken,
then D may use the crossed-wrist control (see p. 98). At the end of his pivot D
may deliver a right slash to A's kidneys and upon A's reaction, he may throw him
with a left leg-lift. Alternatively, he may deliver a circular spring-slash to
A's nearest forearm, followed by other thrusts and slashes as required (Figs.
16, 17).
Rear Elbow Pin
D is in left guard 1. A immobilizes both of D's elbows. With his right heel, D
stomps A's right instep, or kicks his right knee. At the same time, D turns the
palm of his right hand so that it faces A, and slides his right foot forward.
Now he can pull his right arm, which must be kept relaxed, as through a sleeve,
through A's hold. D's pull must come through the shoulder and he must keep his
arm relaxed if he is to succeed (Figs. 18, 19). Now D moves his right foot
around and to the left and inserts the stick in A's bent left elbow from behind,
and turning it in a counterclockwise motion coordinated with a spiraling
downward motion of his body in the same direction, he brings A face down on the
ground with his forearm behind his back in a chicken-wing armlock position. D's
four right fingers and thumb hook and hold the stick controlling A's left wrist.
D may also use his right forearm to block A's left forearm. Lifting A's forearm
by applying downward pressure with D's left hand on the stick will keep A
helpless on the ground (Figs. 20, 21).
Nelson
D is in left guard 1.
(i) A is about to
secure, or has secured, a full or a half nelson. D inserts the stick vertically
behind his head, in contact with his back and between it and A's chest. Then,
bending the knees, D pulls smartly on the upper tip of the stick with both
hands, bending forward at the same time (Fig. 22). This will invariably break
A's hold. D steps forward with the left foot and pivots to the right to face A,
thrusting to his solar plexus and slashing to the nearest knee.
Mugging Attack
D is in guard 2. A attempts to mug D, holding him by the neck and wrist. D
immediately lets go of the stick on the side of A's neck grip and gets hold of
A's forearm, hanging onto it with his weight. Assuming A is choking D with his
right forearm, D should hang on with the right hand and hold the stick with the
left. Now D stomps with his right heel A's closest foot, bends his left knee as
much as he can, then kicks up his right foot as high as he can in order to
gather momentum for what follows. As D's leg is swinging downward, he
accentuates its momentum and wraps it around A's right leg. In the process, D
twists his hips to the right and lifts the left hand holding the stick straight
up, almost as if to deliver an uppercut. Moving in a spiraling downward
clockwise motion which will break A's hold, D throws A on his back (Figs.
26-28).
(ii) D stomps A's right instep with the right heel, sets his foot down,
sidesteps to the left leading with the left foot, and slides his right foot
around and behind A's left foot. D now inserts the stick held in the left hand
behind A's legs and secures a symmetrical double grip with the right hand
positioned between them. Then, pivoting leftward, D lifts A's legs from behind
the knees. As A starts falling, D slides the stick out from behind A's legs,
pulling with the left hand. If A still hangs on, a jab to the ribs with the
stick will break his hold and balance (Figs. 23-25). D may retaliate further
with a circular spring-slash to A's forearms, followed by more thrusts and
slashes. Should A still hang on, D jabs the side of A's neck, and
inserting the stick under his chin, throws him with a concerted action of the
stick (Fig. 29). D may retaliate on the fallen A with circular spring-slashes
and thrusts as warranted.
Nape Attacks
D is in right guard 1.
(i) If A pulls on D's collar at the nape, D does not resist the pull, but moves
along, pivoting in order to deliver a slash to A's face,
ii) Against a push,
barroom style, D does not resist either, but, on the contrary, moves forward
faster than A is pushing. This gives D the opportunity to cock one leg, say, the
right, for a side-of-foot kick to A's closest target (Figs. 30, 31). When A
releases his grips, D sets his kicking foot down and, continuing to pivot to the
right, he slashes with the stick held in the right hand, palm down, across A's
neck. He may, for example, follow this with a thrust to the midsection and a
slash to the right knee.
Side Headlock
D is in guard 2.
(a) BEFORE: A reaches for D's neck with the left hand, assuming he is on A's
left side. D sidesteps to the right, behind A's foot, and smartly lifts the
right elbow so that the plane of his bent arm is approximately vertical. Thus D
deflects A's left arm and breaks A's balance forward with a simultaneous push
from his bent elbow in that direction (Figs. 32, 33). Now D pivots leftward on
the ball of his right foot, thus bringing the left foot behind the right, and
delivers a left circular springslash on A's left elbow. Sliding his right foot
behind the left, D may follow up with a right circular spring-slash on the right
side of A's neck.
(b) SECURED: A holds D's head under his right armpit and applies pressure with
both arms, wrestling headlock style. Here there are two possible situations.
(i) D's left shoulder is behind A's right side. Holding the stick with the right
hand, D inserts it between A's legs and grasps it with the left in a symmetrical
double grip. D then strikes upward at A's crotch, and upon his reaction, pushing
the stick against A's left leg with the right hand in order not to lose contact,
D switches grips and spins A counterclockwise in order to break his hold (Figs.
34-37). When A presents his back to D, the latter may retaliate with a thrust to
the kidneys and, depending on the distance, he may follow with a slash to the
nearest knee, a figure-four stick-choke, or a shin-block throw with an Achilles
pin. Many possible retaliations exist depending on A's spin and his distance
from D.
(ii) D's left shoulder is trapped against A's body. D pokes A's lower abdomen
with the stick. If' this does not break A's hold, it will at least make A relax
his grip (Fig. 38). D inserts the stick between his neck and arms, and under his
left armpit, over A's grip. He then presses down the other tip with one or both
hands, dropping at the same time on the left knee in one block. This will break
A's hold. Then, inserting the stick behind
A's right heel, D grasps the protruding tip with the left hand and with a
concerted action of both hands lifts A's right heel while blocking A's right
knee with either his upper left arm or armpit. A will fall on his back and D may
retaliate further with thrusts and slashes. This is a stick knee-throw (Fig.
39).
The
American Self Protection Association, Inc.
