Defense From A Chair / Intro

Greetings, all!

New member here... Guess this can serve as my introduction as well as my initial question...

My name is Bert and I have been training in martial arts for 5 years. I hope to be testing for my 2nd dan in taekwon-do in August, should I stay on track with my training.

We also mix in a wide variety of things, so I also am quite familiar with kali, sinawali, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, hapkido/joint locks, etc. I'm the school's resident tank, standing at 6'3" and weighing a fire-plug-solid 295 pounds.

Anyway, my interest and specialty in teaching has always been those who need a little more than your "average" (in quotes on purpose ) student. That ranges from the 3-6 year olds up to children and adults with disabilities / special needs. My personal interest in it is my older son, who has been training for 6 years. He has several developmental delays and has some real difficulties with sequencing and motor planning. Add in some problems with sensory integration, and martial arts is a real challenge for him. But it's also been so very good for him as far as building strength, etc. Katas just kick his tail though He might finally test for his yellow belt (9th gup) sometime this year. This interest led me to do a report on teaching martial arts to those with Dysfunction in Sensory Integration as part of my testing for 2nd dan recommended last August.

OK, now to the questions. For my 2nd dan report, I am working on a color belt curriculum for someone who is a wheelchair user. There is such a wide variety of students there, as with any group, so I had to make some suppositions. Primarily, for the purpose of this report, they have adequate use of and strength in their arms, but are unable to use their legs for kicking.

Now, we don't have any wheelchair using students at our school, so you might be thinking, "Why?" Well, like Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams", I believe that if you build it, they will come. I am a firm believer that more people with disabilities would take martial arts, if only they knew that there was someone who would be willing to teach them. So that's the purpose, besides making sure I have an understanding of what I've learned, and how it might apply to others.

So as part of this, I am always looking for other ideas. I have some general thoughts about it, and I was hoping y'all (yes, I am from Arkansas ) could help me in fleshing these out. Some thoughts:

1) Wheelchair users have a lower base, so they have a natural leverage advantage
2) Upper body, and in particular grip strength, are critical as that will be the base of the core techniques.
3) When defending against an attacker, the level of response should be necessarily high. Sure, there might be legal ramifications, but to me, if you're attacking someone in a wheelchair, all bets are off!
4) When defending from punches / straight knife stabs, lateral movement is difficult, so rather than trying to move out of the line of attack, redirection, trapping and countering will be the norm.
5) Your wheelchair is a weapon! Foot rests, arm rests, wheels, handles... You name it... They're there, use them.
6) When responding, you must be conscious of your chair's natural movement in response to energy directed toward you. Unless you have your wheels locked, your or your attacker's motion could cause the chair to move.
7) A natural threat is an attempt to tip the chair. The ability to fall safely is very important.
8) As a corrolary to #7, you must be well-versed in ground techniques using only your arms.
9) Knowledge of sticks, cane and flexibile weapons (such as belts) provide you with an instant weapon that you can keep with you at all times. Another thought could be a neck-knife, dan bong, etc.

I know I've forgotten something. My notebook with my notes is not with me, so this is solely from memory... Hopefully I haven't left out anything major... Primarily I am focusing on joint locks / destructions, redirections / throws, and attacks to tender/vital areas (groin, throat, eyes, etc) of the body. This covers the first couple of belt ranks, and additions will include rear attacks, side attacks, defense from the ground, and weapons. I haven't really thought too much and developing katas for each rank, but should I do so, they would likely be comprised of techniques used in other curriculum areas of that belt rank.

Thanks for listening! I look forward to any suggestions or observations anyone might have...

- Bert in Springdale, Arkansas

 

http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/get_articles.php?cat=Martial%20Arts%20and%20the%20Disabled

Have you seen that?

 

Greetings! Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have seen that web site and have definitely taken that into account in what I'm developing...

Thanks for the lead!

- Bert

 

Hi Bert, I've been practicing Tai Chi for 23 years from a chair as well as Kali for 15. One thing you didn't mention was the heightened awareness of the opponent's weight distribution from foot to foot (he has to lift his leg to kick, that's the time to stop it, before it gets started if possible) or the use of soft targets like the nuts & the knees, for example. The use of weapons is crucial, I do a lot of them, mostly blades, but some flexible like the chakas, or rope. My new favorite weapon is a garden cultivator.
Ingat ka,

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I've definitely thought of some "nugget crushing" as part of the defense. I really had not thought of the opponent's weight distribution when kicking. Certainly would be a good time to intercept, should you have the opportunity. If you have foot rests, wouldn't that necessarily keep the attacker a little further away and make it harder to attack the knees while he's standing? Or are you talking about attacking them during the kick?

I know that many chairs have protection to keep them from tipping, but they don't seem to be geared toward preventing side-to-side tips. Any thoughts or advice on that?

Attacks from the rear also seem to be an area to consider. Especially pushes, forward / backward tips, etc.

Things to think about...

Thanks again!

- Bert

 

Hi Bert, I use the chair w/o footrests so I can double leg sweep with the natural stiffness my cp produceces, but it'd work just as well with leg rests, I think. I do get a little, okay, quite a bit more agressive when the attack is from the rear because my alternatives are a lot more limited, an elbow & a shoulder throw work well, or a a shuto & a version of a hip throw. The first thing is I release my breaks, so if a strike gets through the energy of it pushes you away so you can cut him off by using his weight to pull you into him. When I'm practicing solo the breaks are always if I'm not on my stool. Vectoring my practice to all directions helps too.
Ingat ka,

 

I feel weapons training(stick, knife, etc.) should be a major component. It helps keep your attacker at bay. You definitely don't want your attacker getting close enough to you so that you can get pulled out of your chair or pushed over. I always keep a knife on me and sometimes even an asp baton. Also, good ground work will help. There is always that possiblity of fallen or tipping out of your chair. Especially since a lot of people(like me) have "sporty" wheelchairs wihout anti-rollbars in back. Good luck with your program. I look forward to hearing more about it.

 

Welcome bert you have some interesting thoughts keep us posted on how you progress with your research.

Its good to see there are forward thinking people who are looking into these areas

 

Hello, again...

Thanks for the reply... I have a question regarding the use of brakes... If they are on, I can see where they could make you more susceptible to forward / backward tipping... But if they are off and you are being attacked, wouldn't your contact with them push you in the direction of their attack? Or is it more a matter of trapping the attacking limb so as the chair moves you can "take them with you" and get them off balance quicker?

Thanks for your help!

 

Thanks for the reply! Yes, I am definitely incorporating weapons training into the curriculum. As part of the base curriculum, I'm incorporating kubaton, stick, cane and knife. Of course, they will get exposed to others, and that will help the concepts fit together better. Some "traditional" weapons, such as nunchaku, don't make much sense, since you can't carry them with you for "practical" self-defense, and you can't use them very effectively in a chair. The others are not only things you can carry with you easily, but are items you would EXPECT someone in a chair to have, thus making their ability to defend themselves less obvious. This keeps the element of surprise with the defender.

As for ground work, when thinking of someone without effective use of their legs, I keep coming back to two things: chokes and joint destructions. Pain compliance techniques don't make much sense because the attacker would be able to attack again as soon as they are released so the defender can leave the scene, and the defender would no longer have the element of surprise. Any other thoughts in this regard?

Rest assured, when I have completed it, or it's in a state of flux and I'm wanting feedback, I'll let y'all know so you can provide constructive criticism.

Thanks for your time!

- Bert in Springdale, Arkansas

 

Hi Bert, Yes, but it'd help you get away from unseen strike, whether foot or hand, as long as you took control of the initial attack by cutting him off with an abrupt right or left hand turn, & combining it with a directed throw to the frame, preferably hitting his head against it while adding another tap of your own to the back of head or eye gouge with fingers. Here's where a good grip comes in handy to use whatever the opponent throws at you to your advantage.
Ingat ka,

 

1) Leverage for what? I don't think it's a leverage advantage, perhaps a lower sense of balance if anything... but, how can it be used with lack of mobility and the ability to get in real tight & close to the opponent?
7) Agreed, but assuming they can't move their legs/spine, that would be pretty hard?
8) Using only arms? I don't think even Royce Gracie is that good.

Agree with the others, especially number 3!

 

Thanks for the reply!

Your comment about grip strength is something I've thought a lot about too... Since upper body strength is the primary means of defending yourself, I don't see how you could not focus on it. Being one known for grip strength (I keep a squeezie ball at my desk and am constantly using it when not typing), I can vouch for its importance and effectiveness.

Does anyone have any suggestions for drills for increasing upper body strength while in the chair? I know there are threads here about grip strength, so I won't ask that... I had thought of things like rolling forward or backward as explosively as you can, then stop as suddenly as you can by grabbing the wheels. Things like that work the arms as well as the hands. Any other thoughts out there?

- Bert in Springdale, Arkansas

 

Greetings!
Leverage for throws and sweeps primarily. Perhaps I'm choosing the wrong word. That happens when I'm tired. Since most attackers will have the majority of their weight above areas you could use for a fulcrum (knees, foot rests, arm rests, etc.), you have an advantage.
As for falling, yes, it would be hard without the use of legs / spine, but that's the point. You need to be comfortable falling from the chair, and know how to do it without breaking a wrist / arm or hitting your head on the ground, etc. It's a legitimate fear (being pushed from the chair or having it tipped), isn't it?
Groundfighting with only arms: I'm not wanting them to be able to fight UFC here, I'm wanting them to be comfortable on the ground and not freak out. Whatever they can grab onto they can twist / torque / tear and use it their advantage. If you know you have options, even while on the ground, it will prepare you for whatever might happen.
Thanks for the suggestions!

- Bert in Springdale, Arkansas

 

Hi Bert, I used to spend a lot of time going up & down a hill repeatedly, the steeper the better. You can't let go unless you turn your chair crossways, even then you have to continue up or go back down, but wear gloves as the rims get warm as you use your hands for coaster breaks. Ramps can double.

 

Hi Bert--

Great post. Something you'll need to be aware of is the variety of physical handicaps that can leave someone in a wheelchair-- we had a student who had only one leg, for instance, and another who had some sort of nervous system disorder.

Another thing to be concerned with is the plethora of different wheelchairs that exist out there. Unless you expect your students to buy a new chair so that they can conform to the system you design, your system is going to have to be flexible enough to handle, for example, racing chairs, motorized chairs, chairs with hand-brakes, chairs with foot-brakes, etc.

My soke has worked with a number of handicapped students. If you would like his email, pm me and I will send it to you.

 

Hi Coyote, Good point, people with varying degrees of mobility need different chairs; some can't use their arms as well as others, so they need to use the chair more, as in the case of an electric chair. I have a low back, but I also have a high back, & it's a lot easier practicing with the low one because I can get more reach behind.

 

Greetings!

Thanks for the post...

I have actually thought about the variety of wheelchairs. In fact, I have been scouring the Internet to get pictures of a bunch of varieties of wheelchairs. I will have some of them as part of my report, under the heading of "Your Chair Is Your Friend... And A Weapon" or something like that... Seriously, I've showed someone how you can trap and redirect a punch, bring it through a gap between the arm rest and the side of the chair (about 5 inches wide). Once you feed their arm through it, you can lift up hard on their arm from the other side, doing some nasty damage to it...

Do I need to include a picture? I'm confusing myself with that wording... LOL Not good... Must be a Monday... Was that as clear as mud?

Anyway, that was the point of that section in my report. Talking about how the curriculum would be naturally varied at some points, due to the difference in chairs a person might have. There will be some standard curriculum, but there will by nature be some that varies from person to person. Again, this is a starting point, not an end-all solution.

Thanks again!

- Bert in Springdale, Arkansas

 

2nd Dan / Thesis

Greetings, all...

I tested for 2nd dan over the weekend... Don't know the results yet... Maybe in a week or so...

As many of you know, my 2nd dan thesis was a basic curriculum for students in a wheelchair. Some assumptions had to be made for the sake of simplicity (little / no use of the legs, good use of the upper body / arms)...

Anyway, I completed my thesis, although it's admittedly a work-in-progress... I will always have more to add. It's not meant to be an end-all document, but mostly an exercise to show I understand the construction, application and combiantion of techniques I've learned. I still have more I want to add, such as patterns (kata), groundfighting techniques, and more defenses from side / rear attacks... And of course, more weapons (primarily cane and knife)...

The curriculum goes from 10th gup through 4th gup... Since I am not even qualified to promote someone to 1st dan at my school, it didn't seem appropriate to do a curriculum that is purely educational theory that high... So I will also work on 3rd gup through 1st gup, should I pass my test...

If anyone wants a copy of it, let me know, and I'll be happy to e-mail it to you. Maybe one of the admin folks might like it and even want to have it posted somewhere here... Who knows...

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions on this project... Hopefully it will get me going in the right direction. Maybe it will even inspire someone who had never considered it to take martial arts...

**bows**

- Bert Edens
Springdale, Arkansas

 

Sounds like a good concept. I think it would be great to teach not only people in wheelchairs, but poeple, especially children, with disabilities and children at high risk for drugs/violence. I have a long way to go before I can teach anyone though. I won't test for 1st dan for another year.