How a little stance can turn into something big [Step-by-Step Exercise]
Introduction
Figure 1: Use the wall as a weapon
If your heart flutters at the thought of being attacked against a wall, you’re not alone. In fact, this “gut” feeling is a good thing. Anything designed to keep you safe is positive, with moderation (more on that later). It doesn’t take an expert to see some of the inherent dangers of being pinned against a wall. Click here to jump straight to the video demonstration. Be sure to login first!
- Limited mobility makes your movements easier to predict.
- The wall can be used as a surface to strike you against.
- You could loose your balance and fall into the wall.
- Limited escape routes for you.
Against the wall; Cons:
Once again, if the thought of any of the above make your skin crawl, good! These emotions indicate that you are a normal human-being. However, as useful as these emotions can be, they can also work against us. When little hope is at sight, a form of paralysis can overtake us, rendering necessary actions unavailable to us. Is there a way to prevent this? Yes, perhaps contemplating what motivates a person to spend 20-60 years studying Sanchin-Ryu or any other form of karate is good place to start. 
Step 1: Look at the bright side
Now that we’ve looked at the negative parts of the scope. Let’s now direct our focus to what we can do. It’s first important to note that the list of benefits that the attacker has are also yours. Any of the above work as a two-way street does. In fact let’s go ahead and use the same exact list to point out the Pros of being backed-up against a wall:
- Limited mobility makes the attacker’s movements easier to predict.
- The wall can be used as a surface to strike the attacker against.
- The attacker could loose his or her balance and fall into the wall.
- Limited escape routes for the attacker.
Against the wall; Pros:
Amazing! Notice how all of those fearful thoughts just got tossed to the wayside? Why is that?! You’ve put yourself in control, being “in the driver’s seat” is a powerful state of mind!
Step 2: Hands Up and Stance
Figure 2: Present a "fence" to the attacker. Extend one arm three/quarters and the other one/quarter.
Notice in figure 2 how innocent I look. This is not by accident. I’ve placed open hands out, showing my hands to my opponent. This is a physical expression of my desire to avoid this confrontation. This type of body language is essential to keeping the peace. However, while I am showing that I don’t want to fight. I am also taking a strong posture, both with my upper and lower body. Not shown is the Seisan stance (heel-toe) I’ve taken. Also, notice how one arm is extended further that the other. This enables me to create the necessary amount of distance I need to react (or more appropriately, act ) when an attack is initiated. Extend one arm three-quarters and the other one-quarter. Note that your feet should be in a similar arrangement as the hands. Because of the wall behind us, it’s important to do the following:
- Find the wall (by touch).
- “Bump”-out about 6-10 inches into stance.
This gives us enough distance to pull angles on either side of our body. It also helps us to keep track of where the wall is, essential to the following steps.
Step 3: Incoming!
Figure 3: The attacker tries to move your leading hand out of his way. Quickly set-up for figure 4.
We’ve done everything we can to stop the fight, but the opponent isn’t having it. He’s initiating an attack. If you’ve put your “fence” up properly, he will either have to throw a long punch (to cover more distance) or we’ll have to slap my leading hand out of the way to try to get in-close (Note: I’m taking artistic liberties with this over-simplification, there are more than two things our opponent could do. I just find these two common in ego-driven attacks.). In figure 3 I’m countering the attackers attempt to get close. The video at the bottom of the page shows how this could work with an incoming punch as well.
Step 4: Take control
Figure 4: Now extend your "interior" hand. Strike with the elbow and grab opponent's collar
If everything has gone according to plan, we’re set to start our throw. First, we need to make sure we have control over our opponent’s center. With control, quickly move the opponent’s aggressive arm to the side. Simultaneously throw an elbow with your free arm, securing a sanchin-fist on the attacker’s collar.
Step 5: Tight-L Stance
Figure 6: Tight-L Stance
In comes a stance you probably haven’t payed much attention to: Tight-L. We’re going to use this stance as a means to conserve space (because the wall has allowed us very little). To get into this position, simply move your back foot up, connecting that foot’s instep to the front legs heel.
Step 6: Turn your hips 90 degrees
Figure 7: Tight-L after 90 degree turn
Here comes the big splash! There is a little void you created when you changed into the Tight-L. Fill-it with your opponent! To do this, turn your hips 90 degrees while moving your shoulders even further.
Step 7: End Result
Figure 8: End Result
Pow! Bang! Boom! Insert what ever sound effect you like here. If we’ve done all (or most) of the steps correctly, we’ve just used the wall as a weapon. Notice how in figure 8 I have my opponent locked against the wall. This is not necessary, but is a good way to make sure you keep the control you just earned.
Special Thanks
This exercise took place at the western Jackson Sanchin-Ryu Karate class. I had the opportunity to visit the class last week with Master Ben Dearman, Jake Biernacki and Jamie Thompson. We had a great time. Western class is held at Bean Elementary in Parma, Michigan and is instructed by Master Dave Shruga. If you’re looking for a good mix of beginners and advanced students, western has it. For more information about the Western Jackson class, feel free to contact us.
Related Exercises
This exercise inspires thought in many areas for me. Here are some places to go to keep going with these thoughts. This one is a must see. District Master Jake Biernacki and District Master Jamie Thompson discuss a topic very similar to this one: San-Ju trip and more from the chair. Chief Instructor Cataline’s video: “Campout Highlights: Basics of Hand-to-Hand” from last years Weekend Campout is a good source for hand-to-hand inspiration. If you’re looking for more advanced ways to get your opponent under control, check out: “Hand-to-Hand Tip: Move-in and Tie-up”.
Share this!
Please, feel free to share this exercise with anyone you’d like to! Also, don’t be afraid to follow-up with us in the comments section of the article. Your comments and questions let us know we’re making your workouts better, which makes us happy!
See it all in action, watch the video now!
How a little stance can turn into something big
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C.I. Joe – your video demonstration with a partner helped answer a question I had on sunday’s dojochat regarding the hips being involved. I was thinking hip rotation (and finding mine limited)instead of shoulders. Thanks for the articulation of how the shoulders “swinging” should feel.
You’re welcome Tim. I’m glad that was made clearer on the video here!
Master Dearman, This is such a cool workout! I never think to use tight L stance much during my hand to hand workouts! Not sure why. Seeing how it’s used to create the upper body rotation opens up so much for me. Thank you for posting this!!
Thanks Phil! I tend to forget about tight-l too. It’s neat to see how well it works in a situation like this. Makes me wonder what other stances I’m forgetting about. Now I know what I’m going to work on in my next class.
Master Joe. I took this work out to class and forgot to use the tight-l. But we were working on Geri. So we used the hidden foot against the wall. It was awsume. We worked the twisting with the stance change. It take no force of powering at all. The class loved it. Thanks