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Old 03-11-2008, 03:12 PM   #62
d2l
 
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Dojo: Purple Dragon School Of Self Defense
Location: Florida
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 42
United_States
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Re: Modern Army Combatives

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. Work has been brutal. Anyway, I was going to discuss how Aikido/Jutsu has helped in an environment such as mine.

Imagine if you will, that you are in a 100 percent criminal environment. The gate behind you slams shut, you have to walk to your post with no weapons with 2000 inmates around you in some fashion. You are locked in there with them. If something happens, theres no where to go. If you're lucky, you might be issued a can of O.C. spray as a defense measure. But this has it's draw backs. You have to pop a little seal that is used to determine if you used the gas in an indiscriminate manner. Then you have to fight to get the can out of the pouch. Aim it at said target. Flip up the little safety, and push the button to release the gas. If you do gas an inmate, the paper work is aggravating at best.

So, you're on your way to your post. You arrive untouched. You are having a pretty good night, when all of a sudden you get the call to report to the dress out room. You are on the cell extraction team, and you are the #2 man on the team, which includes 4 more individuals. As the #2 man, it is your job to control the arms so handcuffs can be applied. So, you are briefed about the situation. There is an inmate in a confinement cell that has broken a sprinkler head and has a shank (prison term for homemade knife) stating he will kill anyone that enters the cell, and if he gets past all of us, his word is bond.

While we dress in riot gear, some of it impedes our mobility in tight spaces. So, we are forced to dispose some of it in order to accomplish our assigned tasks.

The door rolls open upon the command of the Capt. and we enter..

Earlier in the year, you had to attend Inservice Training. A 40 hour class of B.S. Most of it had to do with so called "rights" of those who would aim to kill you. You also have to qualify with rifles, pistols, and shotguns (I highly enjoy this. Almost to the point of being arrogant ). Finally you reach the day everyone hates, including the instructors. DEFENSIVE TACTICS.

Why is it hated so much? Several reason exist. Most of it is due to individuals that are "afraid it's going to hurt". Well duh! It's supposed to. Anyway, There are some of us who attend the class that would rather just sit out, but are forced to participate to cover the state's butt. Some of us are Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, and Krav Maga practitioners. We sit there and laugh at some of the techniques being taught, because they either depend on the inmates cooperation, or are too complicated for someone to learn in just an 8 hour session. Some of us have been in the service as well and tend to pffft at it.

We are "taught" this crap in order for the state to say that we were taught the accepted way of dealing with a violent individuals and to place the blame of an inmate being hurt squarely on our shoulders if any of the techniques are deviated from. You know, the whole liability thing. If anyone thinks Aikido is a watered down version of Daito Ryu, than our defensive tactics are a watered down version of Aikido. Joint manipulation is a no no unless the inmate is fighting. And then if you do break something, you will be talking to prison inspectors, the F.B.I., and possibly be taken to court. Never mind the inmate has a weapon (in prison, unlike the street, any and everything can be used as a weapon).

We enter the cell. I am the #2 man, and the inmate has a shank. I am in the mindset were I am not thinking of anything. My mind is clear. I notice were the inmate is standing. I notice what hand he has the shank in. I notice how he is holding it. I also notice were my team members are in relation to myself and the inmate. As the #2 man, I will be the first to engage the inmate. The inmate is standing there with his shank in a downward stabbing stance. I throw all the state crap out the window, because now we have entered the gray area. Life and death. His shank is capable of penetrating our body armor. Or at the very least, the neck and groin area. I use a punch to the jaw as a means to distract. I then go for a Sankyo. Once I have total control of the arm that has the weapon, I proceed to take a slight step behind him and bring him to the ground. I then transition the Sankyo into a Shihonage in a split second as he is face down and I am on my knees. However I don't pin his hand to his back, I keep his arm straight up, elbow away from me ( his right arm) and cross my left arm through the back of his arm gripping my right forearm and with my right hand, force his wrist forward while keeping his shoulder locked as I am slightly leaning forward. Making sure the knife point is away from me. Once he has let go of the weapon, I can then go back to the typical Shihonage so he can be cuffed.

Now, none of this is taught in D.T. I don't know why, as they are relatively easy techniques compared to what is taught. And a whole lot nastier to the individual they are being applied to. However, I can hide some Aikido techniques with in the use of force matrix taught to use. This is how Aikido has helped me. I can hurt without hurting. Hope that makes sense.
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