Ask the Wise Grappler
July 31, 2008
Dear Wise Grappler,
"I have read all about avoiding young punks, but don't you condone beating them at their own game? What I mean is scratching & pinching & fighting just as dirty as they do. Another thing you mentioned was grinding the forearm across the face is a dirty move, but similar tactics were taught as techniques at a school I went to. What do you think of nerve holds & pressure points? A lot of people make excuses that you were digging your fingernails in if you try these moves."
The Wise Grappler writes:
This is an interesting question that has come up more than once as to where I stand on this topic. So, I figured here's a good time to deal with this now and render clarity on my position.
I'm an advocate of being able to adjust to the situation as it occurs. My position is that OGs should be the ones that display more control on the mat when training with mat bullies that tend to think everything is fair game. At the same time, I realize that you can only be kneed in the crotch so many times before you get tired of that chit and fight fire with fire! So, my position would be to NOT fire the first shot in anger, but be prepared to fire them when necessary to ensure that you're not run off the mat and tagged a wimp. However, you need to be aware of the potential consequences when you decide to "beat them at their own game." If you're willing to give a series of elbows after you've received them, things could get out of hand quickly and create a training environment that's not very fun for anyone. Never presume because you scratch someone after they scratch you that it's over. That may be just the beginning and you need to ask yourself if you're prepared for what may be an endless session of beating the crap out of each other every time you train.
Yes, I do think that grinding the forearm across the face is a dirty move and I don't appreciate it when it's done to me. At the same time, if it happens twice (I'll give you a pass the first time), I know how to play that game as well. As for how it's taught in a school, every instructor's within their right to teach what they think works (including nerve holds and pressure points) and I think it's necessary to show some dirty tricks from time-to-time, even if it's only to show your students some crap moves that someone may try to pull on them to make them aware. Again, the problem becomes controlling when they are used and what happens if someone doesn't like having it done on them.
The comment about "people make excuses that you were digging your fingernails in if you try these moves"confused me for a minute. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have to dig your fingernails into someone to pull off a pressure point or nerve hold technique? If that's part of the teacher's curriculum and everyone knows what's legal on the mat (and what's not), that's fine. But if you're the ONLY guy in the school that knows or does these things (without your instructor's consent), then those techniques should be avoided. And even if it is part of the curriculum, everyone doesn't want to be subjected to those tactics because the stuff hurts... me included! Again, I won't do it to you first, but once you start us down that path... brotha, I hope you can take it as well as you dish it out!
Bottom line: if you're going to do those things and you're initiating them, make sure that your partner's ok with them so that he has as much a chance as pulling them on you as you on him. And if you can't control and submit an opponent without using a technique that's suspect, that tells me that you need to spend more time working on your technique and less time working dirty tactics into your gameplan.