Self Defense Tips With Shintaro Higashi
If you haven’t yet, DEFINITELY check out Shintaro’s YouTube page, because it is FULL of game changing details across multiple martial arts. Shintaro is a black belt in multiple martial arts, but is mainly known as a Judoka. Across his martial arts experience he has gained a unique look in terms of Self Defense.
Regardless of the goals you have with your martial arts training, one of them should be the ability to adequately defend yourself in a reasonable scenario. By reasonable we mean, a one on one situation where retreat is not an option. Shintaro has a unique approach that will assist you in limiting the attackers options while maximizing your own. Let’s check out a quick video from his YouTube Channel!
Street fights are unpredictable. This is one of the main reasons to avoid an altercation in the real world, because of the unknown. Does he have a weapon? Are there other people who could jump in? For these reasons it’s always important to address this in any Self Defense tutorial.
That said, some assumptions can be made based on some statistics. The fact is MOST people are right handed. Another common fighting fact is that the "hay maker" is one of the most utilized tools of the UNTRAINED. Combining the knowledge of this insight, Shintaro addresses this situation first with his feet.
By keeping his hands up and circling AWAY from his attacker’s “power” hand he LIMITS the options the aggressor. You can tell which hand a person’s “power” hand is in most circumstances because they will take a staggered stance. The back hand is typically a person’s dominant hand. By circling away from this hand Shintaro affords himself the time needed to safely close the distance.
Closing the distance is easily one of the most important concepts for ANY grappler. Higashi enters into his attacker’s space safely by keeping his hands up as he enters. Reaching for a person’s hands to protect yourself is not a wise choice. The goal is to control the attackers head and arm, from here you are in Judo Territory.
Once the distance is closed the options start to open for you. Any situation where you limit your opponent’s options and increase your options is a step in the right direction. Shintaro briefly covers two quick options from here. The Kouchi Gari, and Harai Goshi are both manageable from these grips. Also if a person is wearing a coat or even a hooded sweatshirt, grips can also be used to assist in your throw.
The next option Shintaro utilizes a level change to close the distance. This approach can be used against wide looping strikes OR linear strikes. Timing is everything here. Once Higashi’s partner plants their front foot to throw their strike, he immediately is level changing and closing the distance into a waist grab.
Once again the options of his opponent are severely limited, ESPECIALLY if they are untrained. A simple drag to the ground would work to keep yourself safe, or if you can lift an adult like a sack of potatoes you can perform the technique shown at 1:54. Ouch…..
While you wait for Shintaro’s instructional for JudoFanatics, be sure to check out more content from his YouTube Channel. Also don’t miss out on the deals over at JudoFanatics.com! Click Learn More!