Heh, I've never had a standing wrist lock work on me. You just leave yourself open to get punched in the face IMO.
This could be because you have not experienced one done properly. The wrist lock should not be done on its own. It is a response to what the attacker is doing when they attack you via a grab. Defence against a strike are an initial part of the wrist lock as is a confirmation of your position. When someone tries to apply a grabbing attack, you will initially need to put yourself in a position that reduces their ability to unstabilise or control you (we call these technique shuho). This should be achieved without directly challenging the attackers direction of force. While you are moving the way they expect you to, they will continue the attack. If they perceive that their attack is failing they will change it. During this process you should apply the lock considering pain and balance. Once the lock is on correctly and the balance taken counter striking by the attacker is no longer a threat. If you feel like exploring this concept head up to Salamander Bay (Port Stephens) and see Steve Clarke, I’m sure he will allow you to train with him providing you are open minded.
AndrewS: its a bit hard to punch somebody when your off balance or even worse your legs are in the air and i am sure it would take the sting out of you punch if your wrist was broken. People who do JJJ or other styles that do wrist locks dont just work over and put them on, they counter,off ballance and cause a lot of pain even in exucuting the wrist lock, What you said is like me saying you couldnt hit me with a right hook because its leave you open for a throw. No disrespect but i am sure if you find a good JJJ or similar style they will soon teach you the value of a wrist lock. Anyway i agree with 1Onefighting it would be difficult to slap a wristlock on an experianced grappler in a sub grappling fight.
I also believe it is very hard to get a standing wristlock in submission grappling. I have tried many time when working only grappling in free mat. I have only gotten it with very inexperienced people. They do work very well once you go to the mat if properly applied. They also work well is some control and SD situations against grabs of different types. This is especially true if they follow a distracting technique such as a palm to the face then you lock them down hard and fast.
Actually I would agree with the comment that wrist locks could be difficult to apply on a trained grappler. They do require a lot of experience and training to apply effectively. I’m just offering the opinion that they are not ineffective when applied by a well trained exponent.
