The downward single wrist escape.
Name of Partner Date Commenced Upward Wrist Escape Downward Wrist Escape
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Make a check mark against each trick each day you practice it.
UPWARD SINGLE WRIST ESCAPE
Assailant seizes your right wrist with both his hands, with his thumbs above and his fingers below.
Step forward and drop down exactly as described in Book 1, so that your elbow is below his hands and bent in an acute angle with the Stahara behind.
With the weight of your body, force your wrist up and out of his grasp.
Besides being a valuable wrist trick, it trains you to put the weight of your body into any given movement. Always work with the strength of your body against the strength of Assailant's arms, getting him off balance while doing so.
After a little practice you will execute this trick so swiftly that you make the downward and upward movement before he has time to prevent you getting your elbow below his wrists.
DOWNWARD SINGLE WRIST ESCAPE
Assailant seizes your right wrist with both his hands.
He twists his hands around until the palms (instead of just his thumbs) are above your wrist.
This makes the previous mode of escape impossible.
With a turn of the body bring your elbow perpendicularly over your fist.
With the weight of your body, force your hand down through his fingers.
Push him off balance with your shoulder and his grip will still further weaken.
You may make a feint as if going to try to force your wrist up as in the previous trick and then suddenly change your tactics, bring your elbow above your fist instead of beneath it.
The two tricks taught in Lesson 10 train your ability further to play the strength of your body against the strength of Assailant's arms: to use your balance against his balance.
Every fresh step you make along these lines makes it easier to apply these principles in all other tricks.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that some of these lessons or tricks are superfluous or uninteresting.
A great many simple tricks are given here for the purpose of teaching you anatomy, not the anatomy of the college textbook which teaches you to name each part of your body, but the practical anatomy of the jujutsu man who knows what part of his opponent's body to seize, and how to use each part of his own body to the greatest advantage.
LESSON 11
This lesson teaches you: --
1. Escape when Assailant seizes you with the under grip.
2. How to reinforce the grip of the hands with the strength of the Stahara.
3. Escape when held with such a grip.
In Lessons 9 and 10, Assailants were above your wrists. In this lesson his thumbs are below your wrists.
Name of Partner Date Commenced No. 1 No. 2 No. 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Make a check mark against each trick each day you practice it.
UNDERHAND GRIP -- DOWNWARD ESCAPE, BOTH WRISTS
Assailant seizes your wrists with his thumbs beneath your wrists. (In the previous tricks his thumbs were above your wrists.)
Keep your wrists straight, use the sharp bone of wrist as a knife.
Come straight down on second knuckle joint of Assailant's thumb as if trying to cut it out.
Step back with one foot as you pull and cut. Draw your elbows down and in to your side. Keep your body erect and make the effort from the Stahara.
The first part of the escape comes from the weight of your body pulling your opponent off balance. The finishing part is the cut of the hands.
These are done simultaneously after the trick is mastered, but you will acquire the knack more quickly if you try to distinguish these two factors in your first practice.
WRONG METHOD
The wrong method is to hold the elbows away from the sides and try to escape by the strength of your arms.
(It is easy to dislocate a man's thumbs by vigorously doing this trick so in practice hold each other lightly. In this way you will save your thumbs and so be able to practice more.)
DOWNWARD ESCAPE -- CONTINUED
Seize opponent's wrists. Hold the heel of your hand beneath his wrists so that when he tries to cut down he is cutting against your palms instead of against your thumbs.
Reinforce the strength of hands by holding your forearms perpendicular, elbows resting on your Stahara, like the man on the left in figure 79. In this way you can hold him indefinitely.
Now, if you are seized in this manner, bring your wrists nearer each other until they almost touch.
Your sharp wrist bones are now directly above the second joint of his thumbs (instead of above his palms), and you can cut down as previously described.
Step back in such a manner that the mere strength of his grip on your wrists brings him on his tiptoes, thus unbalancing him. Then cut down and escape.
By unbalancing an opponent, you make him unable to bring more than 20% of his strength to bear.
By keeping your own balance (by paying attention to your Stahara), you can bring 100% of your strength to bear on him.
SUMMARY
Thus described these movements are absurdly simple. It is by studying each trick in its simplest component parts that you can master it without a teacher.
These photos show a great deal more than merely how to escape from a wristhold.
The first series shows how to play the strength of the body against the effort of his wrists.
The second shows how to sidestep, as it were, that strength.
The third shows how to use his own strength to unbalance him.
We are using these simple methods to train your body in the Stahara method.
A man seizes your wrists in one of two ways, his thumb is either above your wrist, or else his thumb is below your wrist.
Practice Lessons 9 and 10 until you no longer hesitate about applying the proper escape when your wrists are seized with Assailant's thumb above.
Then practice Lesson 11 until you act without hesitation, with the correct escape, when Assailant's thumb above.
You will then never be confused, no matter how your wrists are seized. A man might seize one of your wrists with one thumb down and your other wrist with his thumb up. Do not pay any attention to these variations until you have mastered the fundamental methods given here. You will then be able to take care of all the variations.
***
These lessons are built with a view to the cumulative effect on your manner of handling yourself. You will do all the other lessons better after you have studied Book 3, and will do Book 3 better after you have studied the others.
***
There are numerous other ways of escaping from wrist holds, but the object of this course has been not to dazzle the eye by an infinite variety of tricks, but to train you to do some essential tricks with the real knack of a jujitsu man, by using the other fellow's strength against him, and by reinforcing the strength of your limbs by the strength of your Stahara.
For this purpose you are made to do certain movements while Assailant is holding you in various ways, and the sum total of the experience you get will be that you begin to use your body properly.
The Secrets of Jujitsu, A Complete Course in Self Defense, Book IV
By Captain Allan Corstorphin Smith, U.S.A.
Winner of the Black Belt, Japan, 1916. Instructor of Hand-to-Hand Fighting, THE INFANTRY SCHOOL, Camp Benning, Columbus, Georgia and at United States Training Camps and Cantonments, 1917 and 1918.
In Seven Books.
BOOK FOUR
STAHARA PUBLISHING COMPANY
Columbus, Georgia, 1920.
***
This electronic version is copyright EJMAS © 2000. All rights reserved.
Contributed by Thomas J. Militello, a 15-year member of Astoria, New York's non-profit Horangi Taekwondo Dojang, which is headed by James Robison.
Readers interested in seeing film images should note the following film held by the National Archives and Record Administration:
NWDNM(m)-111-H-1180.
Title: Physical and Bayonet Training, 1918.
Scope and Content: Recruits at Camp Gordon, Georgia receive detailed instruction in boxing and jiu-jitsu. Wrestling and jiu-jitsu holds are used against a foe with a bayonet. Troops do calisthenics and play rough games calculated to make them physically fit.
35mm film, 15 minutes
See also Don W. Farrant, "Vintage Jujitsu: World War I Style,".
Judging from responses from the US Army historians at Forts Myer and Benning, little biographical information is available concerning Captain Smith. Therefore readers with additional information are requested to contact the editor at jrsvinth@juno.com.
SEIZED FROM BEHIND -- Fig. 82
If an assailant seizes you around the waist from behind, you may be able to get one of his fingers and so pry his grip open.
If he is a strong man, however, you will have difficulty in getting hold of a finger, and you will simply lose time making the effort.
Further, you will accomplish little, even if you break his hold, for he is still behind you and can strike you, or get a hold on you.
In a real fight if you broke his fingers he would kick, with more effect on you than breaking his fingers had on him.
LESSON 12
This lesson teaches you --
How to make the elbow blow to the solar plexus when seized from behind above the arms.
It also teaches you to keep your balance, and makes you expert in the use of the elbow blow under any circumstances.
Name of Partner Date Commenced Elbow blow to the solar plexus when seized form behind above arms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Make a check mark against each trick each day you practice it.
SEIZED AROUND WAIST FROM BEHIND ABOVE ARMS
"TAKE HOLD".
When an Assailant seizes you around the waist from behind the most effective defense and the quickest escape is the elbow blow.
"ONE"
If his great strength makes movement impossible, stamp with your heel on his instep or kick him savagely on the shin.
Such a trick will momentarily weaken his hold and in that psychological moment twist down and out.
In practice make the kick with the strength of your whole body, not merely with the leg muscles. "Put your Stahara into it," but stop a few inches from the mark at which you aim.
"TWO"
Slip down through his arms, turning the left hip forward, swinging on the balls of the feet, making the effort from the Stahara.
Simultaneously bring your right elbow directly in front and six or eight inches away from his solar plexus (the pit of his stomach).
"THREE'
Drive your elbow into his solar plexus. In practice put all your force into the blow but stop it three or four inches from the target.
This blow properly delivered will knock him out. If not, repeat it till he drops.
Assailant must hold you lightly. In a real attack he would hold you tightly but the kick you would give would loosen his grip.
In order not to forget this kick in a real fight always practice it, counting audibly:
"TAKE HOLD" Assailant seizes you.
"ONE" Simulate the kick with all your strength.
"TWO" Twist down out of his grip, bringing elbow forward.
"THREE" Drive elbow back.
You will soon acquire a Houdini-like expertness in wriggling out of Assailant's grip, if you practice steadily. This practice is a most valuable exercise as it reaches every muscle in your body and teaches you to coordinate your movements.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Name of Partner Date Commenced Upward Wrist Escape Downward Wrist Escape
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Make a check mark against each trick each day you practice it.
UPWARD SINGLE WRIST ESCAPE
Assailant seizes your right wrist with both his hands, with his thumbs above and his fingers below.
Step forward and drop down exactly as described in Book 1, so that your elbow is below his hands and bent in an acute angle with the Stahara behind.
With the weight of your body, force your wrist up and out of his grasp.
Besides being a valuable wrist trick, it trains you to put the weight of your body into any given movement. Always work with the strength of your body against the strength of Assailant's arms, getting him off balance while doing so.
After a little practice you will execute this trick so swiftly that you make the downward and upward movement before he has time to prevent you getting your elbow below his wrists.
DOWNWARD SINGLE WRIST ESCAPE
Assailant seizes your right wrist with both his hands.
He twists his hands around until the palms (instead of just his thumbs) are above your wrist.
This makes the previous mode of escape impossible.
With a turn of the body bring your elbow perpendicularly over your fist.
With the weight of your body, force your hand down through his fingers.
Push him off balance with your shoulder and his grip will still further weaken.
You may make a feint as if going to try to force your wrist up as in the previous trick and then suddenly change your tactics, bring your elbow above your fist instead of beneath it.
The two tricks taught in Lesson 10 train your ability further to play the strength of your body against the strength of Assailant's arms: to use your balance against his balance.
Every fresh step you make along these lines makes it easier to apply these principles in all other tricks.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that some of these lessons or tricks are superfluous or uninteresting.
A great many simple tricks are given here for the purpose of teaching you anatomy, not the anatomy of the college textbook which teaches you to name each part of your body, but the practical anatomy of the jujutsu man who knows what part of his opponent's body to seize, and how to use each part of his own body to the greatest advantage.
LESSON 11
This lesson teaches you: --
1. Escape when Assailant seizes you with the under grip.
2. How to reinforce the grip of the hands with the strength of the Stahara.
3. Escape when held with such a grip.
In Lessons 9 and 10, Assailants were above your wrists. In this lesson his thumbs are below your wrists.
Name of Partner Date Commenced No. 1 No. 2 No. 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Make a check mark against each trick each day you practice it.
UNDERHAND GRIP -- DOWNWARD ESCAPE, BOTH WRISTS
Assailant seizes your wrists with his thumbs beneath your wrists. (In the previous tricks his thumbs were above your wrists.)
Keep your wrists straight, use the sharp bone of wrist as a knife.
Come straight down on second knuckle joint of Assailant's thumb as if trying to cut it out.
Step back with one foot as you pull and cut. Draw your elbows down and in to your side. Keep your body erect and make the effort from the Stahara.
The first part of the escape comes from the weight of your body pulling your opponent off balance. The finishing part is the cut of the hands.
These are done simultaneously after the trick is mastered, but you will acquire the knack more quickly if you try to distinguish these two factors in your first practice.
WRONG METHOD
The wrong method is to hold the elbows away from the sides and try to escape by the strength of your arms.
(It is easy to dislocate a man's thumbs by vigorously doing this trick so in practice hold each other lightly. In this way you will save your thumbs and so be able to practice more.)
DOWNWARD ESCAPE -- CONTINUED
Seize opponent's wrists. Hold the heel of your hand beneath his wrists so that when he tries to cut down he is cutting against your palms instead of against your thumbs.
Reinforce the strength of hands by holding your forearms perpendicular, elbows resting on your Stahara, like the man on the left in figure 79. In this way you can hold him indefinitely.
Now, if you are seized in this manner, bring your wrists nearer each other until they almost touch.
Your sharp wrist bones are now directly above the second joint of his thumbs (instead of above his palms), and you can cut down as previously described.
Step back in such a manner that the mere strength of his grip on your wrists brings him on his tiptoes, thus unbalancing him. Then cut down and escape.
By unbalancing an opponent, you make him unable to bring more than 20% of his strength to bear.
By keeping your own balance (by paying attention to your Stahara), you can bring 100% of your strength to bear on him.
SUMMARY
Thus described these movements are absurdly simple. It is by studying each trick in its simplest component parts that you can master it without a teacher.
These photos show a great deal more than merely how to escape from a wristhold.
The first series shows how to play the strength of the body against the effort of his wrists.
The second shows how to sidestep, as it were, that strength.
The third shows how to use his own strength to unbalance him.
We are using these simple methods to train your body in the Stahara method.
A man seizes your wrists in one of two ways, his thumb is either above your wrist, or else his thumb is below your wrist.
Practice Lessons 9 and 10 until you no longer hesitate about applying the proper escape when your wrists are seized with Assailant's thumb above.
Then practice Lesson 11 until you act without hesitation, with the correct escape, when Assailant's thumb above.
You will then never be confused, no matter how your wrists are seized. A man might seize one of your wrists with one thumb down and your other wrist with his thumb up. Do not pay any attention to these variations until you have mastered the fundamental methods given here. You will then be able to take care of all the variations.
***
These lessons are built with a view to the cumulative effect on your manner of handling yourself. You will do all the other lessons better after you have studied Book 3, and will do Book 3 better after you have studied the others.
***
There are numerous other ways of escaping from wrist holds, but the object of this course has been not to dazzle the eye by an infinite variety of tricks, but to train you to do some essential tricks with the real knack of a jujitsu man, by using the other fellow's strength against him, and by reinforcing the strength of your limbs by the strength of your Stahara.
For this purpose you are made to do certain movements while Assailant is holding you in various ways, and the sum total of the experience you get will be that you begin to use your body properly.
The Secrets of Jujitsu, A Complete Course in Self Defense, Book IV
By Captain Allan Corstorphin Smith, U.S.A.
Winner of the Black Belt, Japan, 1916. Instructor of Hand-to-Hand Fighting, THE INFANTRY SCHOOL, Camp Benning, Columbus, Georgia and at United States Training Camps and Cantonments, 1917 and 1918.
In Seven Books.
BOOK FOUR
STAHARA PUBLISHING COMPANY
Columbus, Georgia, 1920.
***
This electronic version is copyright EJMAS © 2000. All rights reserved.
Contributed by Thomas J. Militello, a 15-year member of Astoria, New York's non-profit Horangi Taekwondo Dojang, which is headed by James Robison.
Readers interested in seeing film images should note the following film held by the National Archives and Record Administration:
NWDNM(m)-111-H-1180.
Title: Physical and Bayonet Training, 1918.
Scope and Content: Recruits at Camp Gordon, Georgia receive detailed instruction in boxing and jiu-jitsu. Wrestling and jiu-jitsu holds are used against a foe with a bayonet. Troops do calisthenics and play rough games calculated to make them physically fit.
35mm film, 15 minutes
See also Don W. Farrant, "Vintage Jujitsu: World War I Style,"
Judging from responses from the US Army historians at Forts Myer and Benning, little biographical information is available concerning Captain Smith. Therefore readers with additional information are requested to contact the editor at jrsvinth@juno.com
SEIZED FROM BEHIND -- Fig. 82
If an assailant seizes you around the waist from behind, you may be able to get one of his fingers and so pry his grip open.
If he is a strong man, however, you will have difficulty in getting hold of a finger, and you will simply lose time making the effort.
Further, you will accomplish little, even if you break his hold, for he is still behind you and can strike you, or get a hold on you.
In a real fight if you broke his fingers he would kick, with more effect on you than breaking his fingers had on him.
LESSON 12
This lesson teaches you --
How to make the elbow blow to the solar plexus when seized from behind above the arms.
It also teaches you to keep your balance, and makes you expert in the use of the elbow blow under any circumstances.
Name of Partner Date Commenced Elbow blow to the solar plexus when seized form behind above arms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Make a check mark against each trick each day you practice it.
SEIZED AROUND WAIST FROM BEHIND ABOVE ARMS
"TAKE HOLD".
When an Assailant seizes you around the waist from behind the most effective defense and the quickest escape is the elbow blow.
"ONE"
If his great strength makes movement impossible, stamp with your heel on his instep or kick him savagely on the shin.
Such a trick will momentarily weaken his hold and in that psychological moment twist down and out.
In practice make the kick with the strength of your whole body, not merely with the leg muscles. "Put your Stahara into it," but stop a few inches from the mark at which you aim.
"TWO"
Slip down through his arms, turning the left hip forward, swinging on the balls of the feet, making the effort from the Stahara.
Simultaneously bring your right elbow directly in front and six or eight inches away from his solar plexus (the pit of his stomach).
"THREE'
Drive your elbow into his solar plexus. In practice put all your force into the blow but stop it three or four inches from the target.
This blow properly delivered will knock him out. If not, repeat it till he drops.
Assailant must hold you lightly. In a real attack he would hold you tightly but the kick you would give would loosen his grip.
In order not to forget this kick in a real fight always practice it, counting audibly:
"TAKE HOLD" Assailant seizes you.
"ONE" Simulate the kick with all your strength.
"TWO" Twist down out of his grip, bringing elbow forward.
"THREE" Drive elbow back.
You will soon acquire a Houdini-like expertness in wriggling out of Assailant's grip, if you practice steadily. This practice is a most valuable exercise as it reaches every muscle in your body and teaches you to coordinate your movements.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17