Firs

A fourth method of immobilizing your opponent's lower extremities is illustrated in Figure 98. Your opponent's body, as in Figure 97a, is bent in the form of a lobster under the pressure of the lower part of your abdomen. He cannot use the force of his lower extremities or his waist and abdominal region. You advance your body by taking advantage of his immobilized condition.

When you advance from the posture shown in Figure 98a to that shown in Figure 98 &, the momen¬tum mv is produced. Although it is not large, this momentum is induced in your opponent. The fifth method of immobilization, shown in Figure 99, differs from the other four. Move quickly and advance your body, avoiding the resistance of your opponent's lower extremities. Grasp his trousers at the knees, as shown in Figure 99a.

Then, as Figure 99b illus¬trates, you advance your body to the right side by putting your right knee on the right side of his abdomen and continue into the holddown. Defense methods in grappling Suppose you are placed in a disadvantageous position like the one shown in Figure 100. How can you then defend yourself from your opponent's attack ? Since a large force is necessary in grappling, you must first regain your balance in order to make use of the force of your lower extremities.

Then you can use the force of the waist and abdominal region most effectively and make all parts of your body cooperate as one force against your opponent's attack. You must be careful in both offense and defense to keep the source of power in your waist and abdominal region, which produces both momentum and muscular force. The movements of this region are activated by the help of the lower extremities.

Look at Figures 101 and 102. In Figure 101 your opponent (B) can neither strangle you (A) by the neck nor hold you down on your back, because you hold him between your legs. On the other hand, you can use both legs to push him back, rise up, or turn over to either side by making use of the force of the waist and abdominal region.

In Figure 102 you (A) put your left foot against the lower part of your opponent's abdomen while pulling him forward by the sleeve and lapel.

He cannot move freely to the right or left. On the other hand, you can attack him by pushing him down on his back or making him roll forward. The key to defense in grappling is to keep your posture so as to be able to use at least one leg whenever it is needed. Let us make the experiment demonstrated in Figure 103.

Put both your hands and knees on the mat in order to take the posture of A in Figure 103. In this posture you can use the waist and abdominal region at will to defend yourself from an attack from the rear. Now have someone straddle your back and attempt a strangle from the rear, as shown in Figure 103. He probably cannot succeed as long as you hold this posture, since all your muscles will cooperate to defend you from the back strangle.