AN ORDINARY THROAT-HOLD, ITS THROW-OFF AND THE SEQUENCE

A SCIENTIFIC " JIU-JITSU " THROAT-HOLD—OTHER METHODS OF SEIZING BY THE THROAT

When attacking an opponent men of all degrees of barbarity and of civilisation are prone to seize the intended victim by the throat. Nor is the reason for the popularity of this style of attack hard to find. It is hard to conceive of a man so ignorant that he does not know that, by shutting off his adversary's power of breathing, he thereby does away with the possibility of prolonged resistance.

So overmastering is a severe throat-hold that the victim, if he is an untrained man, rarely has the presence of mind to relieve himself of the oppression by a counter attack on some portion of his assailant's body. Instead, the victim involuntarily clutches at the oppressing hands that are choking off his supply of air and tries to drag them away. If the strangling hold is well taken it is all but impossible to force the attacking hands away in time, and the victim is reduced to submission.

Evidently strangling was as popular among the primitive Japanese as it has been in other parts of the world, for the jiu-jitsu adepts of ancient Japan have handed down to us the re­sults of much thought both as to the taking of strangle holds and the quick and efficient breaking of them. There are many styles of throat attack and of defence from it, and in this volume enough of this work will be described to apply to any possible problem in connection with choking as a means of combat.

In Anglo-Saxon countries few men will be found who have progressed far in throat at­tack. Almost invariably the attack is made merely by grasping the front of the throat with both hands and doing one's best to retain the hold until the opponent's resistance is stopped. Such a throat-hold is indicated in photograph No. 1. It will be well to study the counter of the intended victim carefully, and to verify and acquire it by considerable patient practice. The victim places his hands, with palms to­gether, under the assailant's arms, and with backs of the hands outward. With a quick upward movement the victim thrusts his joined hands between the arms of his assailant. As soon as the victim's hands have gone upward as far as they will go the joined hands are separated, and each is thrown violently out far to its own side of the body.

If this is not wholly clear, take another look at the illustration. Imagine that the victim's hands are a little higher up, and that the outer sides of his upper arms press against the inner sides of his assailant's arms. Now, imagine the victim's hands to be shot out suddenly sideways with all the force possible. His mov­ing arms strongly force away the arms of the attacking man, and the throat-hold is broken.

Where too much muscular strength is not needed for breaking the throat-hold this is the best method, and it is also the swiftest known to jiu-jitsu. Where more force is required, however, in order to break the assailant's grip, the method illustrated in the photograph oppo­site page no in my former work. Japanese
Physical Training, is needed. This latter feat is slower of execution, but supplies greater force in breaking a throat-hold. In this latter feat the victim clenches his hands, with fingers tightly interlaced, just before his abdomen. Both arms are given a violent swing to the left, up and over, striking the assailant's right elbow and carrying away the attacking arms by sheer force of momentum.

Returning to the defence shown in the first illustration, where the victim shoots both hands up between the assailant's arms, this feat can be followed up by a very effective piece of work that transforms the recent victim into the new assailant. It will be remembered that the late victim's hands, by the time he has broken the throat-hold, are in between the opponent's arms. From this position let the late victim, without an instant's delay, throw his hands around the back of the opponent's head, join­ing the hands—and interlacing the fingers— just at the base of the skull. Jerk the op­ponent's head forward and downward toward the ground. It is easy to bear him down, and at the same time the new assailant should dart backward two or three steps, dragging his bent-over adversary with him and forcing him to the floor with a quick jerk, stretching the man prostrate and face downward.

But if the man whose head is caught in this unpleasant fashion is versed in jiu-jitsu, and is quick enough, it is possible for him to escape being thrown face downward, and to be ready at once to resume the aggressive. American physical trainers have assured me that there is next to no possibility of defence when this back-of-the-head hold is well taken. It has been my pleasure to show several of these gentlemen that they were in error.

Allow the companion with whom you are practising to secure this back-of-the-head hold and to bend your head as close to the floor as is shown in photograph No. 2. Make a slight feint of " ducking" and of wriggling your head out at the left. Almost unconsciously your assailant will throw his clasped hands over to the same side in order to prevent your escape. Follow this feint instantly by a decided " duck " and a wriggle-out at your right side, and you will escape and bring yourself erect. It must be remembered, however, to make the feint to the left not too pronounced, and to follow it up instantly by the more vigorous effort to the right. Of course, if preferred, the feint may be made to your right, and the escape to your left.

Now, for a scientific jiu-jttsu throat-hold that is not broken easily. It will have to be per­formed slowly at first until the theory is mas­tered. Begin the attack by extending your hands palms upward. Force the hands under the opponent's coat-collar on either side of his neck, and with the fingers take a forcible grip of the collar on either side of the neck and well back. Now, twist the hands over to the inside so that the backs are up and the tips of the thumbs against the throat. At a point on either side just below the level of the "Adam's apple," and an inch or so back from its per­pendicular line, press the balls of the thumbs severely in. This exact spot of contact for the thumbs can be found by experimenting on one's own throat until the place is located where the pressure accomplishes strangling most effectively.

Practise this feat over and over again until it is possible to seize the opponent by the coat-collar and to apply the strangling pressure with the balls of the thumbs with great speed and effectiveness. It is all but impossible to break this hold when it is well taken, for the fingers grip the coat-collar so tightly as to make their dislodgment no easy task, and the balls of the thumbs accomplish the strangling with certainty.

Still another scientific throat-hold is depicted in photograph No. 3. Here the assailant's arms are crossed. With his left hand the at­tacking one grips the victim's left coat-collar well forward, and with his right hand grips the victim's right coat-collar—and further back on this side. With the grip of both hands tightly maintained the fists are drawn closer together across the front of the victim's throat, and in such manner that severe pressure with the as­sailant's right fore-arm is applied to the right side of the victim's throat just back of the "Adam's apple." With a little experiment­ing, a very effective strangling trick is secured, and one that cannot be defeated by either of the counters already described.

When employing either of these strangles the assailant can, if he wishes, strike one of his knees smartly into the crotch or abdomen of his victim, and thus bring the attack to a sharp culmination. The victim, of course, if he be equally quick, can counter this last blow by raising one of his knees to block the attack.

For either of the two strangle-holds just de­scribed there is but one useful style of defence. It requires presence of mind and the quickest of action, and, for both reasons, this counter should be practised persistently, and always with all possible speed, until it becomes second mature, and is performed all but automatically. This style of defence calls for a solar-plexus jab. Failing in touching the plexus, the attack may be delivered full in the abdomen and with emphatic force. If this defence is well made the assailant may be depended upon to let go his throat-hold with alacrity.

The jab in the solar plexus is delivered with the points of the first and second fingers, and with the forefinger uppermost. At the instant of striking the hand is turned quickly to the outside, so that not only is the blow delivered, but a sickening "dig" accompanies the act. If, however, the two fingers are struck against the abdomen, the "dig " need not be added, as it accomplishes little or nothing in this instance.

Naturally the question will arise:

"Why may not the blow be given as well with the fist as with the tips of the two first fingers?"

The answer to this query will be apparent after a moment of thought. The blow with the fist distributes the shock of impact over too extensive a surface, and the effect is much less than when the shock is confined to a very small surface by striking with the tips of two fingers. It is for the same reason that the Japanese adept does not employ his clenched fist against an adversary's bone, but always uses the little finger edge of his palm to admin­ister a sharp blow.

Patient study should be given to the few feats of attack and defence described in this chapter, and this remark applies with equal force to all of the feats that are to follow. First of all, grasp the idea, and then perfect theory by slow, analytical practice. Once the theory has been mastered, work for gradually increasing speed until, at last, it is possible to perform the feat with the utmost quickness and with never a fumble. Much depends upon thorough acquirement of the theory, and as much more depends on slowly and studiously increasing the speed until it has reached the limit of quick performance.

Nothing is gained by hasty and careless study of jiu-jitsu work. He who takes it up in this slip-shod manner will find that he has added little or nothing to his expertness in personal encounter.

BE THOROUGH—PATIENT—PAINSTAKING!

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