Principles of War: Self Analysis – Chokes & Joint Locks

I’m analyzing my martial arts skills, capabilities, and personal style through the lens of the Principles of War. U.S. Army Field Manual FM 3-0 starting on page 4-11 defines the Principles of War. My commentary on these definitions can be found through the links below.

Mass
Objective
Offensive
Surprise
Economy of Force
Maneuver
Unity of Command
Security
Simplicity

I prefer to fight standing up. In a self defense situation you can’t know how many allies your opponent may have nearby. Your opponent may have concealed weapons and certainly has the possibility of picking up expedient weapons from the environment. For these reasons, I think it imprudent to be immobilized on the ground.

Nevertheless, sometimes going to the ground may be unavoidable. This is when choking and joint locking techniques become primary self defense tools.

My favorite chokes are nami juji jimi (a two-hand collar strangle), gaku juji jimi (one-hand on the collar and one on the lapel face to face), okuri uri jimi (one-hand on the collar and one on the lapel applied from behind) and two versions of hadaka jimi (naked choke – that is without using the opponent’s clothing to execute the technique).

By far, my favorite joint lock is juji gatame the classic Judo arm bar. Less effective but generally easier to get is a “chicken wing-like wrist lock or finger locks and knuckle jams.

Chokes and joint locks can be applied standing but rarely are. It’s difficult to immobilize your opponent enough to hold these techniques while standing and moving around on your feet.

Before I dissect my personal style using the Principles of War standard, I must address self defense weapons; those carried with you and the expedient weapons found on the field of the contest. That will be the subject of the next post.

Link to the Martial Arts Training Report: The Principles of War