Restraint and Removal with Thambu sensei

I have been fortunate to attend two of Thambu Sensei's restraint and removal seminars as well as to practice aikido at his dojo in Melbourne, here is a review of one of those seminars

Sensei Thambu( www.aikidoshudokan.com) is a 7th dan Yoshinkan instructor.

Yoshinkan has a long history with law enforcement - well known for training

the Tokyo Riot police at their Hombu dojo in Japan. Joe runs the R&R

seminar regularly for principally security personnel though at this seminar

at least everyone was also a martial artist from many different arts.

What followed were techniques for pinning would be attackers ready for

cuffing, search or removal from premises. Pinning techniques were either on

the floor, against walls as well as standing immobilizations . Most of the

techniques were essentially a veneer of reality applied to more traditional

aikido technique. This included takedown/ approach tactics, street wise

positioning, working in teams and variations on classical aikido technique.

For me much of the information came almost as asides whilst teaching a

technique. Some favorite stuff in no particular order:-

Ikkyo variations

- performing ikkyo daitoryu style where hands are free to cuff.

- transforming ikkyo to a 'mount' type pin for cuffing.

- a nifty tieing up of uke with your belt so that they self choke if they

struggle against it.

- turning ikkyo(actually an elbow armbar) into a reverse sankyo and

kubishime?? choke out

sankyo variations

- sankyo to chicken wing arrest hold

- sankyo to shionage and pin to ground

- sankyo to a chicken wing behind back if they try to spin out of sankyo -

and a choke if they pop their head back

irimi nage/kokyu nage

- takedown to a simple choke

- use a knee strike to drop ukes head forward rather than putting yourself

out of balance (OK so not in many aikido sylabus but it works)

- pin ukes head to your hip and walk them out while they are bent over

backwards.

misc

- obvious info like don't stay out the front of a striker where they are in

control, instead move in (to shikaku) and cramp them up and take them down.

- a full body search technique using a kubishime?? choke takedown and

kaiten like pins and your head to roll uke over to search one side at a

time (i realise this makes absolutely no sense but I can't help having a go)

- frequent reference to what will and won't work with attackers under

influence of 'chemicals'

- frequent use of atemi and unbalancing shoves to prevent attacker from

countering your arrest holds by 'energising' the limb you are using to

restrain them

- working with artists from other arts - with my/their associated strengths

and weaknesses

- spending one hour of structured revision at the end of the seminar.

Sensei Thanbu was a real gentlemen who took time out to ask where i

trained, style of aikido etc... and if I taught aikido (flatterer). Many

thanks to Sensei David Dangerfield for hosting the seminar and making us

feel really welcome. He extended a warm welcome and an invitation to train

with him anytime. Of course today I'm a mass of aches and pains.