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.