Throws and Self defense
I've been practicing martial arts for more than two decades. I still train two times a day, one-hour session dedicated to Muay Thai and one-hour session to knife-fighting. I've been training Judo for a good long while as well. I earned my yellow belt (kyu 6) 17 years ago and my brown belt (kyu1) two years ago.
I totally lost confidence in any grappling arts when it comes to self defense. Knowing some Greco-Roman throws or some Shime/Kansetsu waza is OK but trying to master them by wasting most of your dojo/mat time on grip fighting and throw setup is dangerous.
Below is the article I believe in all its words. What I write here is simply an application of this great article.
I can't go so far as to say that grappling has no place in self-defense but it has a limited application so that one can learn all useful grappling tricks in a week. After that self-defense is all about striking and it's a lifetime endeavor.
The best classification of throws I've read is here:
In real violence going to ground is sheer folly so forget about sutemi waza (sacrifice techniques). But I reckon we could learn a few tricks for self-defense from tachi waza (standing techniques). The tachi waza are divided into the "te waza" (hand techniques), "koshi waza" (hip techniques), and "ashi waza" (foot/leg techniques).
I'm willing to put it other way and subsume throws for self-defense under four categories: Throat/Larynx, Ears, Eyes, Lower jaw.
Masahiko Kimura, the greatest judoka and maybe martial artist of all time, used makiwara for stronger grip.
"One day, when I visited Karate Club of Takushoku University to see a karate practice, I noticed that everyone was punching with his thumb over the pointing finger and middle finger. I thought they were all doing so to prevent the thumb from getting jammed on impact. I came to a conclusion that if I practiced Makiwara karate strikes, I would be able to grab with 5 fingers in judo. As soon as I got home, I started Makiwara strikes. After I practiced it everyday for 3 months, I found my hands grabbing my opponent's dogi firmly with 5 fingers. I discovered many things only after I struck Makiwara. I had thought that those who are trained in judo have strong finger tips, elbow, wrists, and fists. But, when I actually struck the Makiwara, my finger tips, elbow, wrists, and fists all hurt numbingly. Such weak finger tips, elbow, wrists, and fists are useless in pulling the opponent or controlling the opponent using elbows or wrists. I therefore slammed these weak parts onto Makiwara and strengthened them in preparation for bouts. I struck Makiwara with knife hand, backhand, and thrust 4 fingers into a sand box. I did this 1000 times a day. In this way, I developed steel-like strong hands."
For self-defense it's not an option, it's of paramount importance. To employ the throws I list here, it is necessary to have sufficiently strong fingers.
Last point, be aware that you never set up these throws indeed the situation leave you no choice but to use these throws.
1) Uki-otoshi: Rarely have you seen this throw in competition. People generally don't practice this throw unless for nage-no-kata. Contrary to its simple facade, Uki-otoshi is one of the trickiest waza. You have to learn how to exert ration force with your body rather than only hands. Fortunately there are a lot of good videos and books and article about all Judo techniques the only thing I have to add is that you have to seize the enemy for his both ears (first pic) or pressing with your fingers on tendons below the ears (second pic).
2) Sumi-otoshi: this waza is very akin to Uki-otoshi and is as diffcult and tricky as Uki-otoshi is. The point is for this waza you have to seize your enemy in different way, thrust you thumbs into his eyes. I hate to be pedantic, but you can't use the two previous grips for Sumi-otoshi because in this waza you push the enemy down to the rear while in Uki-otoshi you push the enemy down to the forward. It's apparent that you can't execute Uki-otoshi when thrusting your thumbs into the eyes of your enemy either.
3) Kouchi-gari / Osoto-gari / Kuchiki-taoshi: Every one with an ounce of self-defense knowledge must have heard of Fairbairn's chin jab. You can employ these throws after a chin jab (first pic) or seizing the throat of your enemy (second pic).
4) Kosoto-gake: this is not as useful as previous ones but it was my tokui waza (favorite techniques) for Randori and for the sake of completeness I put it here with the grip you can use to employ this waza.
5) Ippon-seoi-nage: The Complete Kano Jiu-Jitsu page 101: "... the trick known to American wrestlers as the flying mare. This flying mare is worthless as a jiu-jitsu trick. The Japanese employ it only as a ruse." But I reckon there is a version of this waza that might come handy some time.
I can say with certitude that after engraving above five tricks in your mind you have done by grappling and have to dedicate all your self-defense training time to striking techniques.
Bonus: There are other there wazas that could have application in real violence but to me they are more of the striking skills than grappling ones. I briefly mention them here.
A) Deashi-harai/Sasae-tsurikomi-ashi: these ashi-waza are really practical in self-defense but there are better version of these foot sweep in Muay thai. By the way I add a picture that show a position to employ this waza. Let me reiterate that you must practice these techniques in your striking regime as well.
B) Kata-guruma: Only Tsukuri (entrance) phase of this waza is useful for self-defense. When attacked with a sword you can use the entrance phase of this waza to dodge the sword and then to punch in or seizing testicles and once the enemy lean forward you have to imminently grab or squeezing the larynx.
To wrap up, grappling arts like wrestling, judo, and sambo are very fun to train and make you fit and strong miles better than weight training. To be candid, not only do they not help you in real violence, they instill in you bad habit that are dangerous in real violence. If you love both street fighting and grappling art, the least harmful one is shaui-jiao.
The books I used their pictures
- Shaolin Chin Na Fa: Art of Seizing and Grappling
- The Secret of Kyusho
- The Complete Kano Jiu-Jistu (Judo)
- Get Tough! How To Win in Hand To Hand Fighting