KerwinBenson.com Hidden Gems of Martial Arts

Adding in Damaging Techniques to This Equation

Once you have the "arm-on-shoulder" exercise down pat, it's time to turn this into a more useful, and more damaging, technique.

Did you see the early shin kick as he was reaching for your throat?

That's a beauty for you to start. Think kicks to the knee as well.

Let's continue ...

As those arms come over the shoulder, I bet you could control both of them with one hand and forearm. Wrap your arm around both of his, to trap him.

Since I am left handed, I would try to position his arms on my right shoulder. (If you are right handed, you might want to try positioning on your left shoulder.) Since his arms are on my right shoulder, I'd use my right arm to trap his arms.

This leaves my "better" hand free.

Do you remember the hair-grab in conjunction with the kidney punch? Only try it if you are able to reach that far :-)

Wrist Locks and Arm Bars

OK, two ideas:

1) Look at the position of your opponent's arms on your shoulder. That looks very similar to Wrist Lock #10 (Uncle Fred) from Chapter #4 of 'Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert.' After grabbing with your weaker hand, you could do the part that elbow strikes and wraps with the dominant hand. The end result would be two extra hits and you'd end with his arms trapped under your armpits. IMagine long arms stuck under your armpit -- because of your opponent's height, this puts him off balance.

2) With your opponent's arms on your shoulder, if you pivot so you are facing the arms, you are in the perfect position for an arm bar from Chapter #3. Sure, it will be a little high for the shorter person. No big deal. Just start the pressure from below, then pivot your wrist up and over, forcing his arm down with your direct pressure.

Now, that we have played with his long arms, start think about his legs on your own. (And look for controlling leg articles on this site.)