Parking lot Jiu jitsu

Here’s another story of real world self defense when and where it’s least expected and some observations I had on things to consider as we train.

Over the years on my martial journey I’ve had the opportunity to show my dad some of the techniques I had learned. He was especially interested in seeing applied karate waza and bunkai because he had been in the Army and much of Army defensive tactics were taken from karate and applied to and taught to the infantry in basic training and then later to groups that had special mission requirements. However, what I had shown him this time was from the jujitsu curriculum (although there is a lot of jujitsu-waza that can be seen in kata) called Hane Goshi which is a springing hip throw, sometimes called a rice bale throw.

My dad’s story began in a parking lot one afternoon when, after getting out of his car, he was attacked by a man who was upset with him for getting a close in spot that the assailant believed he should have had. The man approached him with his right extended fully out in front of him with the intent of shoving him. For a little context, my dad was 5’9” and about 160 lbs, he said this guy was about 6’3” and about 280 lbs. My dad said that he stepped in (irimi) while grabbing his outstretched arm, pulled him in and pivoted him vertically on his hip up and over dropping him on the hood of a parked car denting it in. Hane Goshi, when done at least semi-properly, can create quite a bit of height on the part of the Uki as they go over the top. In this case apparently it created enough force to dent in the hood of that car. My dad’s said the throw was effortless.

The whole thing, from the assailants initial approach to the throw and afterward while my dad was holding him down on the hood of the car was witnessed by an off duty police officer who came over to help. He said he would press charges against the attacker and not my dad because he had seen that my dad was completely defensive.

There were two things that I took note of in the story. One was the ease of executing the Nage-Waza against an “honest attack” even with having very limited experience with that technique. The other was how mentally ready my dad was to act. He didn’t see the attack coming from very far and, therefore, had no time to make a plan. It was a real-life example of Mushin on the street, parking lot randori in this case.

As I train these are some things I plan to continue incorporating into class: the honest attack and training technique into the realm of reflex. Our students don’t need to be Yudansha to be effective.

Eric Good,

Yon-Dan Shotokan Karate, Yon-Dan KaJuKai Jujitsu