Five Animal Kenpo: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane.
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01. Wings of Entanglement. Full Nelson Attack.

7/30/2011

1 Comment

 
We have been placed completely in a full nelson and folded forward like a pretzel.  If he arches us backwards instead then time for "Plan B" because this technique would be exactly the wrong response.

Lesson 1:  Don't let a guy fold you forward like a pretzel.  Once you are familiar with what a full nelson feels like in its approach, far better to react by pulling your elbows in close to your body and he will not be able to set the hold.  Meanwhile a few head butts and heel clips to the groin should offer deterrence.

If you do get folded forward, you are screwed so this technique teaches that if you are going down don't fight it but at least go to the ground on your terms as much as possible.  We accentuate the circle of the fold and with our right arm pinning (I hug that my right arm tight to my own body trapping his right arm) we roll and become the inside of the circle while our opponent becomes our crash pad.  Everything after that is just to mop things up and go home safely.

Thus the principle of nonresistance is applied, demonstrated, and drilled in this technique.  To go with their momentum, to not fight against their energy but to add to their directional momentum and thus take ownership over their energy by adding to it!  It would be like somebody gave you a check for $250 that would not clear because their account was $5 short.  Deposit $6 in their account and now that $250 is yours.  Better to have walked away with $244 than a just a bad check.

Controlling Animal Theory:  The full nelson is a snake attack (all grabs are)  the defense is a crane action (folding our arm into the crane wing for the initial counter throw and the elbow, hammerfist, elbow action once on the ground is more of our wing folding, unfurling, and refolding.

Methods of Drill:  
1. Definitely practice different ways to stop your opponent before having to resort to being folded and flipping down to the ground with him.  
2. Practice a stand up version where you use a spin instead of a flip to redirect their folding energy and thus drive them into a wall, a nearby opponent, the bank atm machine, etc.
3. Lay a bag (kicking shield, heavy bag, few extra layers of mats) on the ground and practice generating striking power and follow through from this prone position.  Leveraging is a little different when horizontal and not vertical!
4. Take the principle of non-resistance and freestyle drill being pushed, pulled, etc. and how you can move their energy and by adding to their momentum and vary the directional vectors of their force slightly you can take control over their position.
5. The "elbow, hammerfist, obscure elbow" combo can be applied in a variety of different contexts in both stand up and ground points of reference.  Drill a variety of attacks and see when you might be able to make practical use of this combination.

Safety note:  If the attacker (dummy) is considerably smaller than the one applying the technique than the attacker (dummy) will get crushed!  Don't do it.  Besides, how often do little guys try to put huge guys in a full nelson? 

What's in a name?  Their arms are folded in our arms which are like wings that are entangled.  Just like two birds whose wings get all tangled up we too end up spiraling down to the ground (but with them on the bottom as our crash pad.)

1 Comment
Michael Ernst
8/27/2011 05:16:55 pm

I’ve always felt the controlling animal of this technique is snake rather than crane.

The immediate trapping of the opponent’s arm so that he goes along for the ride makes your initial response more about controlling the opponent (constricting snake) than creating distance. Once you hit the ground it is just as important, if not more so, to maintain control of the opponent. The fact that the opponent chose a constricting snake attack and was able to execute it well enough to bend you over is an indicator that he may be skilled in that strategy. If he is a skilled grappler and isn’t incapacitated by the throw, his next action may be to attempt a choke. Continuing to maintain control of his arm prevents this, allows you time to regain your wits, and eventually use the elbows and hammers to create distance and make your escape.

One alternate method of drill is to perform the technique in a way where you don’t trap the arm. I’ve found that simply going for the roll often is enough to break the hold, allowing you to roll forward while leaving the opponent behind. This variation fit much more squarely into crane strategy, and depending on how much time you’ve devoted to practicing your forward rolls can be a good or bad thing. The best case is you perform a picture perfect roll, right up to your feet and sprint away as the opponent just stands there mouth agape. Alternately you could smash yourself into the pavement and have a now angry opponent standing above and behind you.

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    Author

    Trevor Haines is the founder of Five Animal Kenpo and is a 6th Degree Black Belt in American Kenpo.  He has been a student of Kenpo since 1977 and an instructor in Kenpo since 1986. He currently owns Dojo Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tn.

    Picture
    Sketch of Sijo Trevor Haines by Leslie Harrelson

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