Taekwondo Grappling Techniques. Tony Kemerly, Ph.D.

of the many weapons a soldier has at his disposal. Because of the use of weapons by the samurai, jujutsu was at best an ancillary skill utilized in a worst-case scenario.

      It was in the late 19th century that a slightly built man by the name of Jigoro Kano developed a system he called Judo. It is important to note that Judo is nothing more than another style of jujutsu and not a separate martial art. In point of fact, Kano was not even the first individual to use the name judo. Kano’s Judo was a system that he developed after mastering the Tenjin Shinyo-ryu, Kito-ryu, and Fusen-ryu styles of jujutsu. After his years of jujutsu training, Kano felt that that an underlying philosophy behind the jujutsu arts was lacking. It was because jujutsu was more a collection of techniques than a philosophical art that Kano decided to develop an art of his own that had some underlying principle on which the entire system was based. The principle that he decided upon was one simply to force your opponent to lose his balance, then attack. As simplistic as that may sound, it still is the base for the underlying strategy of Judo, which is to use minimal effort to achieve maximal efficiency.

      One of the most important contributions to the martial arts, and especially Judo and indirectly, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, was the concept of randori or free sparring. Randori is simply a method of sparring that allows practitioners to practice their techniques in a safe manner while performing them realistically. In the early days of Judo, the use of randori allowed Kano’s students to practice more often since they were not constantly injured or trying to recover from some injury as a result of an overly aggressive training session in jujutsu. Basically, randori watered down Judo so that it could be practiced often, without making the art useless for self-defense or sport endeavors. It is this type of randori that separates modern Brazilian jiu-jitsu from many other martial arts and allows its students to excel.

      The road that led Judo to be the foundation for Brazilian jiu-jitsu began late in the 19th century when a match between the older jujutsu styles and Kano’s new Judo was arranged at the Tokyo Police Station. Because of their use of randori and their ability to practice their techniques more often, the practitioners of Kano’s Judo successfully defeated the practitioners of the older styles of jujutsu. After the victory at the Tokyo Police Station, Judo grew in popularity as a result of more victories in tournaments and challenge matches. This seemingly invincible streak continued until around 1900 when Kano’s school, the Kodokan, challenged the Fusen-ryu school to a challenge match. The Fusen-ryu practitioners knew that they would not be able to defeat the Judo players because they did not posses the throwing skills that the judoka possessed. As a result, they took them to the ground and won the matches by submission. This loss was the first that the Kodokan had suffered in approximately eight years. Up until this time, Judo did not have a grappling component, so after the loss, Kano decided that that aspect of his art was sorely needed. As a result, he blended the techniques of the Fusen-ryu with his art of Judo.

      The loss to the Fusen-ryu dojo served to shape the style of Brazilian jiu-jitsu as we know it today. The implementation of grappling techniques to the Judo curriculum occurred shortly before Judo reached the shores of Brazil. This is thought to be one of the main reasons why Brazilian jiu-jitsu has such an extensive focus on grappling. In 1904 a Japanese judoka trained by Kano himself, Mitsuo Maeda, traveled to the United States with his instructor to demonstrate the art of Judo to the cadets at West Point as well as to the President of the United States who at that time was Theodore Roosevelt. After Maeda left the United States, he continued his travels to Brazil as it was at the time the largest Japanese settlement outside of Japan. One of the men that aided him in his efforts while he was there was Gastao Gracie. As thanks for his help, Maeda taught Gracie’s son, Carlos, the basics of Kano’s Judo. In turn, Carlos taught his brothers, among them, Helio Gracie. As a result, Brazilian jiu-jitsu was born.

      How to Use This Book

      Finding the grappling techniques in Taekwondo patterns may at first glance seem difficult, but with practice this is not so. Here are a few examples that may open your mind to a few new possibilities. Kicking chambers and re-chambers could be sweeps or ground techniques rather than kicking techniques. Do not assume that the attackers we are battling in our patterns only attack us with strikes. Try to imagine the movements performed horizontally or on some other plane rather than from a standing position. Do not assume that the labels assigned to techniques, such as “high block” or “middle block” apply to the techniques. Remember, these names were only added in the past 100 years. Remove the technique from the flow of the pattern and see if other applications could apply. Ask yourself why things are they way they are. For example: why a palm strike rather than a fist attack; why does a stance change from a forward to a back or sitting stance or vice versa; why all the different chambers for hand techniques? So, in order to find the grappling in your patterns, simply utilize some abstract thought and keep an open mind throughout the process.

      It is important to understand that many of the early masters we try to emulate were firm believers in cross-training methodologies. Those who excelled in striking arts often knew how to grapple and vice versa. When we fast-forward to the present, we find martial arts fragmented at best. Striking arts believe that they have the keys to the kingdom while grappling arts feel the same way. Furthermore, reality-based self-defense arts feel like traditional martial arts have lost their way during modern times and reality-based self-defense practitioners are the ones with the secrets of old. The purpose of this book is not to say with complete certainty that the grappling techniques in the Chang-Hon patterns are decidedly fact; rather that the movements within those forms can double as grappling techniques. It is by training in both striking and grappling that many of these techniques have presented themselves to me through the course of my training. So try to find some techniques in your own patterns and have fun.

      Grappling in

       Blocking Techniques

      Square Block

      TECHNIQUE

      APPLICATION

      The grappling application of the square block becomes evident when it is performed from a horizontal position. White has taken the side control position on Black. From this position, White will be able to control Black’s movement while setting up many different submission techniques. Black places the high block portion of the square block under White’s chin and the forearm block portion under his hips. By doing this, Black does not let White lock down the position on him and he is able to move his hips away and escape.

      Ridgehand Block

      TECHNIQUE

      APPLICATION

      The ridgehand block utilizes the radial bone of the forearm as the blocking surface. The block covers a great range of motion and can be used to defend both low and high attacks. To perform the block, start the arm angled downward with the fingers pointed to the ground and the palm facing your body. Point the tip of the elbow at the target and sweep the blocking arm in a circular motion. When completed, the shoulder is dipped slightly and the elbow is bent at approximately a 90 degree angle with the knuckles in line with the eyes.

      1. White attacks Black with a cross-side wrist grab. Black’s arm and hand are in the starting position for a ridgehand block. White can use this attack to pull Black off balance, preventing him from mounting any type of counterattack.

      2. Black sweeps his arm downward and clockwise which mimics the correct range of motion for a ridgehand block. This sweeping circular motion results in White being taken off balance allowing Black to counterattack.

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