Joint locks are an essential part of martial arts, but they are much more marginal in self defense disciplines, because as we have already said, they are hardly ever adapted to the context of a street fight.
Indeed, these techniques require too much precision, something we lack under stress and even more when confronted with a determined and tough aggressor.
Although locks are essential tools for security professionals who often have to control an aggressive individual without causing him too much harm, they are not as useful for ordinary citizens who have to deal with one – or more – aggressors and who cannot risk any mistake.
However, it does not mean that everything has to be discarded when it comes to locks. In fact, it depends on opportunities. As such, in some situations, a lock can be the right technique to use.
Since learning joint locks is not the primary objective of self defense disciplines, we will briefly take over in this article in order to explain how to improve a lock, beginning with the example of elbow locks. You might as well keep in mind that this concept can be applied to other cases.
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The dangers of a lock
If for some reason someone seizes you, whether it be at the wrist, collar, hair, etc., you may be tempted to chance a “joint lock”, especially if you have martial experience and are conditioned to do so.
Unfortunately, in the heat of the action, you won’t be able to act as you do when you are training.
That’s a huge mistake!
We have already made clarifications in this regard, including the absolute importance of hitting an aggressor before attempting a lock in order to divert his attention from the limb you are about to control. But this nuance is rarely made at the gym.
We must also remember that as many other techniques, locks involve weaknesses that the aggressor can use against you.
In the case of an elbow lock on the collar, the lock should be made by rotating the elbow upwards and then pressing downwards at the joint, using both hands. Now while doing so, you expose your entire opposite flank. Having no guard, your face is exposed to a hook, among other things.
This is typical of locks which almost invariably require the use of both hands. Using two such crucial limbs, you’d better be extremely fast in executing your lock! The slightest mistake is decisive, and remember that in street fighting, errors happen quickly, even when using basic techniques.
Finally, it is worth pointing out that the main function of locks is to control a hostile individual… But when he is energized by the adrenaline arising from the situation (or by narcotics), his sense of pain will be greatly altered, which will operate against the immobilization techniques. This is why these techniques are generally reserved for law enforcement and require two or more people to effectively restrain an individual without causing injury.
That being said, as always, if the opportunity arises to make one and it can be done seamlessly… Go for it!
Optimize your locks using pressure points
If the situation allows it, you might as well stack all the odds in your favor.
Let’s consider an elbow lock again. Things can go wrong in a thousand different ways, but most often the problem is simple: the aggressor tends to bend his elbow, and it becomes almost impossible to push him down by pressing on this point, which is the basis of the technique.
Normally, the situation is not at all conducive to use a lock.
You can reverse this with some basic anatomical knowledge, by acting on the tendons at the back of the elbow. But you still need to know this!
We often talk about pressure points in martial arts and self defense, but beyond disciplines such as Kyusho that understand the human body as a system where certain parts of the body trigger certain effects, there is always a correlation to look for with Western medicine.
In this case, we could talk about pressure points from traditional Chinese medicine to explain why the individual feels pain when we act on the back of the elbow. We speak of pressure points either in the western way (action on the tendons) or in the eastern way (action on the meridians), depending on context. Both visions translate the same effect, but we always explain from which angle we consider this effect.
Hence, to go back to business, if the aggressor’s forearm is at your collar, you must control it with both hands, turning it so that the elbow points up (exposing the tendons). The assailant usually flexes his elbow to resist pressure at the joint, so there is no need to strain at this point. To be effective, use the edge of your hand instead and twist inward, applying downward pressure.
Finally, for more power, don’t forget to use your body weight! The technique does require some strength. Rather than spending unnecessary energy struggling, use your own weight!
