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Old 12-01-2009, 06:27 AM   #32
DonMagee
Location: Indiana
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,311
United_States
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Re: Full Speed Randori and Self Defense

I've spent the last few months boxing. I can say that wearing headgear and getting hit in the face with a boxing gloved fist hurts just about as bad as a ungloved fist. The difference is I'm not getting cut or my nose broken.

It still jolts my head back, forces me to close my eyes, takes my balance, knocks my block off, etc.

That said, I've always believed the best type of self defense training is one where your attackers have a well defined goal. Tell 3 ukes to do whatever it takes to tackle you to the ground and hold you there. It will be 100% different then any normal randori you have ever performed.

In jiujitsu we do a drill where we put one guy in the middle. Everyone walks in a circle around the edge of the mat. The coach touches each person as they walk by him. If he squeezes your arm, then you can attack the person in the middle (attempt to take him to the ground) anytime you want at full force before you reach the coach again. The person in the middle can use any of his training to defend this. As the person continues to succeed, then the coach will tag two, three, sometimes even four guys. Whatever it takes until the nage eventually fails. You can't "win" this form of randori, all you can do is hope to survive until the coach yells time.

I remember the first time I tried it. I had no problem dealing with the first guy. Then as he was keeping the pressure on me, a guy I didn't even see can behind me and football tackled my legs right out from under me and I basically did a backflip and landed on my belly. It was a huge eye opener for me. The game changes massively when your ukes are not just trying to give you an attack, but actually trying to succeed at a goal.

- Don
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein
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