Escaping Various Grabs/Holds (Defender Throws Attacker) G4

Against a pushing bear hug from behind, your arms are free. The attacker probably slammed himself into you … is pushing you with his bear hug. You should stop by responding as usually against the bear hug, meaning, moving forward with the upper body. Because of the push, usually you make a step. Falling forward is inevitable. Naturally, if it is possible for you not to move so much forward, to stop yourself with your legs not to be shoved and pushed, of course one can do this and then to continue with the appropriate actions to release one’s self from a bear hug. But because you are falling, what is remaining is to turn and to land on the opponent. The sequence of motions are bending forward … usually while making a step, grabbing both of opponent’s hands … usually near the wrists, and tightening your arms and forearms on his forearms. After bending forward, you must proceed with strong torque … strong body turn, while also acting on the opponents arm. Turning the opponent. Turning yourself, of course, about 180 degrees which brings you to the ground, falling on the opponent.

So the opponent fell on his back, and you’re on him. When you fall, you must lift your upper body, so your head will not get close to the ground … like in the basic break form. After hitting the ground, you should strike the opponent, hitting the groin with your palm, hitting the head of the opponent with your elbow. These are the first two reasonable counterattacks.

After these counter attacks, you should roll away from the opponent and get up, or turn yourself into a mount position, rotating inside the grip of the opponent, which is a very light bear hug that remained from his initial one. Counterattack more, get up, and move away from the danger zone. All as is possible.

One can train on this technique in front of the wall, making a small step and turning without really bending. This can be a good preparation. In the technique in falling on the ground, one should really pay attention not to bend too little and turn, so you’ll do more than 180 degrees, and you will find yourself again with your face toward the ground. And not to bend too much so the front of your body or your shoulder will hit the floor. Grab the opponent, turn and land on him. That is the basic in this technique.

Release from a pushing bear hug from behind … your arms are trapped. The opponent grabbed you and is pushing you. Your arms are inside the grip. You are being pushed, usually you make a step. Bend forward, and grab, press on the opponent’s hands. Usually both your palms, one on the other, are on the opponent’s palms. Continue to bend forward, and then turn, throw the opponent, and land on him. The opponent landed on his back, and you landed with your back on his chest. While hitting the ground, your head should be as high as possible, so crunch at the upper body … at the abdominal area. In a dry drill, you see the palms locking on the opponents palms in front of your chest, bending forward, turning and sort of sitting down and lying down on your back, simulating falling on the opponent. It is natural, and also important, to start with a step. Working with a partner, it is quite important for the safety of training … that this you will not land too strong on the opponent.

Dealing with a pushing bear hug from the front … The attacker probably slammed himself into you. You’re moving backwards, and you feel that you’re falling. Grab the opponent. Sit back, turn and throw the opponent over one of your sides. To which side to throw the opponent? The side he’s more pressing you. However, in the training, definitely would like to throw the opponent toward the side of his shoulder, not to the side of his head, to avoid injuries … especially for the partner. Start with a small step backward, bending forward, and grabbing the opponents upper back. You are sitting down, while turning, so practically you are sitting sideways. The leg that you are facing, here the left leg, is more or less straight. This is becoming a barrier to the opponents legs. He is trying to step forward, but your body is blocking him, and your leg too. Sitting down and turning is rolling the opponent forward and yourself backwards. Roll backwards over your left shoulder … this is the opposite side of the opponents head. Towards the last section of the roll backwards, you should lift the opponent, and protect your head the moment you feel that your head is rather close to the ground … the moment you are rolling more backwards than sideways. The opponent was forced to roll forward. You rolled backwards, and now seated on the opponent, should counterattack as needed, and then move away from the danger zone.

Filming from the back of the defender, one can see the step backwards, being pushed, leaning forward, sitting down and turning, and how the leg is creating a barrier for the opponent. In the dry drill you see grabbing the opponent, moving backwards, sitting down, turning as you sit down, and rolling sideways with a straight leg. While rolling backwards, your two palms can go to protect the head … like the roll backwards that we have.

The attacker grabbed you with a headlock and is trying to take you to the ground. Go with the motion of the attacker by directing the way you want it to be. As soon as possible you should try to strike the opponent at the groin, and with the hand close to him, press and pull a sensitive point in his face, such as the eye. Probably, it was not successful. Either you didn’t reach on time, or you didn’t reach at all. Go with the motion of the opponent, but continue with a stronger pivoting action. Pivot strongly, inserting your knee between the opponent’s legs. With your weight, pull the opponent down. Turn down in a rotation action, rolling together with the opponent. Both your legs … your thighs, are tight around the opponents leg. On the ground, continue with counterattacks. Then get away from the danger zone.

It is possible that your far leg didn’t rotate, and your knee didn’t come between the opponents legs, but from the outside. No problem with that. You can do the whole technique, and you will find yourself on the ground … on the opponent, striking him. Try not to hug the opponent with the hand close to him. Try to insert it between the heads. This will prevent your elbow from hitting the ground. If you are able to pull the opponents head, and push it towards the ground, put that hand of yours and his head will be the first thing to hit the ground, of course this would be an advantage. In the dry drill, you see the turning. You see how the legs are usually being crossed … two legs, two knees are tight together, simulating the grab of the opponents leg. This is to prevent of the leg of the opponent to land between your legs and hit your groin. Sitting down in a rotational manner and continuing to rotate, turn until you are in sort of a mount position, striking the opponent.

Release from a headlock from the side, while the opponent is trying to manipulate and put leverage on your neck. With a grab, the opponent is moving his body forward and is trying to sit down by putting pressure on your neck. Lifting your head up, lifting your chin, and sinking your back and sinking your neck. To avoid such pressure, one should advance a bit forward and get under the opponent. As you sit under the opponent, your leg close to him should be straight and behind him, and you should sit down and backwards. This will prevent the opponent from putting pressure on your neck. You will fall backwards, on his back. You’ll be under the opponent. You pull his head as much as you can. If you manage, like in the basic technique, to strike the opponents groin and pull his head backwards, of course easily he will not be able to do his plan and put the leverage on your neck.

If you are a bit late with your strikes, still you can do the more advanced technique which has been shown here. Advance and sit down with a straight leg behind the opponent, and turn. Practically, you are trying to turn your chest towards the opponent. The aggressor falls backwards, and with this turning action, you are climbing on the opponent with more counterattacks. If you will manage to pull his head backwards and shove it towards the ground, this action will be by itself an attack the moment his head is hitting the ground. You do it at the correct timing, his head will be the first thing that is hitting the ground. This neck manipulation is extremely dangerous, so one should tighten the neck muscles, lift the shoulders up, and of course do the technique that is being shown here so the opponent will not be able to execute his intentions.

In a dry drill, you see the advance forward, turning sideways toward the opponent, putting a leg behind him … of course using both hands for striking the groin. Pulling his head backwards. Sitting back. Lying back rolling, and then climbing on the opponent with counterattacks.

Escaping an arm twist from behind … The opponent managed to grab you, bent your arm behind your back, and hold you. Naturally if it is possible to avoid this by moving away, escaping the grip, attacking … Naturally this can be done. We assume now that you are late and you are already in this position. This release involves mainly going to the ground, and we are doing here a soft solution. Meaning because the opponent tried to control you, you are less aggressive to him.

There are variations on this technique that will use more counterattacks, and not the leverage on his leg. There is a pressure on your shoulder. Go with the pressure, bend your upper body sending your uncaught shoulder to your diagonal knee. When your body is more or less horizontal, you’re pushing your caught hand, straightening it upwards towards the opponent. This will push the opponent backwards and will prevent him from falling on you. Continue turning and going to the ground. Land on your side, partly on your back. In the last portion, while you are straightening your arms, still going with your torso downwards, you should straighten the opposite leg … here the left leg, behind the opponent. And then as you sit down, you find your low leg behind him. In a scissor action, your low leg is pulling at the Achilles tendon area of your opponent, and your high leg is pressing just below his knee. This will create a leverage on the knee of the opponent, and he will fall down.

Again, the idea was to have a soft solution. If it was not possible, or needed, or advisable … of course you can use kicks and not leverages. After the opponent is down, get up, move away from the danger zone. Don’t forget to scan the area. So overall, you start with a sort of a body defense, bending diagonally forward, then the hand goes into action more or less when your body’s horizontal, pushing the caught hand upwards and backwards, and going with the body to the ground. You straighten your hand and your opposite leg at the same time. If it is needed, especially in a dry drill, you can put the opposite hand … the one’s that not caught on the ground, so you will be landing on the ground more softly.