SIDE HEADLOCK -- HAIR HAMMERLOCK
Description
This technique is composed of a headlock escape and comealong. A headlock works by controlling your head. "Control the head - control the body" is a common martial arts axiom. To overcome this, you have to use your body to free your head - generally, twisting and moving your head will not overcome a headlock (although biting has been known to).
After uke has initially applied a right-handed headlock on tori, the first and most critical step is for tori to gain an airway and prevent himself from being choked, by using his right arm to create some space between uke's arm and his windpipe. Usually the best part of uke's arm to grab is the wrist, as it will give tori the most leverage.
Once tori has enough space to maintain the oxygen and blood supply, tori thrusts his left hand up the right side of uke's back and over uke's right shoulder to bring it to rest on uke's forehead. (In a real self-defense situation, a small tuft of hair is grabbed - we use the forehead in the syllabus and the dojo because it's kinder to your uke, and because your opponent may not have enough hair). Tori must now step inside uke's right foot with his own left foot, and thrust his hips forward, while simultaneously pulling uke's head back. The feeling should be one of pushing your head free with your hips. The hips must be aggressively and suddenly thrust forward, while the left hand pulls uke's head back. The energy put into moving the hips forward and upward, along with the left hand dragging uke's head back, should combine to straighten uke up (usually a headlock is applied in a slightly bent-over position) and then bend him backward. The headlock should loosen completely.
Once the head has been freed, withdraw it backward, maintaining pressure on uke's head with the left hand. While withdrawing backward, rotate the left hand around the outside (left side of uke's head, while still maintaining control of it. At the same time, uke's right arm should be pinned to his back at the very base (coccyx). The transfer of the left hand from the right side of uke's head to the left can be difficult depending on the grip, but will prevent uke from spinning out of the technique by rotating right.
Once tori has uke off-balance to the rear, he controls uke's body to the left with his grip on the head, and controls uke's body to the right with the hammerlock (arm held low at the bottom of the back). tori should press down on the head, and push forward on the lower back, such that uke depends entirely on tori to keep from falling backward. In this position, tori may easily move uke around by moving himself - with care to be sure that uke is kept in the off-balance position that tori has placed him in. The force of tori's pressure down and forward on uke's right wrist is the motor that makes the uke move and the direction of force on uke's head is the rudder.
Steps
- uke attacks by applying a right-handed hammerlock to tori's head, bending tori over, and leaning forward slightly.
- tori secures an air passageway with his right hand, by grabbing on uke's right wrist.
- tori secures a grip on uke's hair - eye sockets - nose - chin - ear - whatever is handy and painful.
- tori steps with his left foot inside of uke's right foot.
- tori thrusts forward and up with his hips, while pulling back with his left hand, straightening uke, freeing tori's head, and forcing uke's balance backward.
- tori pivots his hand from the right side of uke's forehead to the left (if hair is initially grabbed in the center, this won't be necessary).
- tori pins uke's right wrist, palm out, to uke's tailbone, and pushes down on uke's head to acquire complete control of uke's movement.
Variations
This technique is called "hair hammerlock" because it is is often done by grabbing uke's hair instead of his forehead. The description given above is used because it is generic and works on anybody who has a forehead. When the hair or other handle is used, it may not be necessary to pivot the hand holding the head; conversely, depending on the handle, it may be very difficult to pivot the head.
The hair is the most obvious handle, as there is usually enough to grab, and this is most ideal for tori's with shorter arms, who cannot reach uke's forehead. If hair isn't available, and you can reach uke's face (reach around to the inside, don't try to reach around the ouside (left) of uke's head), then grab in the eye sockets, under the nose, or the chin. The chin can be a tenuous hold, and you put your fingers in uke's mouth at your peril. If uke has no hair, and tori's arms are not long enough to reach uke's face, or the headlock too effective, then a last resort is grabbing one of uke's ears, generally by inserting the middle finger into the ear canal, gripping the lobe sturdily between thumb and forefinger, and tighting the fist around the rest of the ear. It should be noted that uke will not be happy about this, and neither will anyone else, if you do it while practicing.
Whichever hold tori acquires, it needs to be good and strong, because it anchors tori's essential escape move. Take the rest of the technique as written above, except that pivoting on the forehead, eye sockets, chin or hair (if grabbed centrally) is much more effective than attempting to pivot the hand on uke's nose or ears, which should really be considered only as a last resort, although pressing on the sensitive nerves under the nose is a very effective escape by itself.
See Also
HEADLOCK DEFENSES
