I hear the word wristlock thrown around a lot when Aikido is being discussed. I’ve also heard Aikido’s technical syllabus called “just a bunch of wristlocks”. I think this is a commonly accepted misunderstanding, and clarification is much needed.
Wristlock is a description used for techniques that control an opponent through the wrist joint. They can be applied by twisting the wrist inside or outside (Kotegaeshi or Sankyo), by forcing the wrist inwards and sideways (Nikyo), by flexing the wrist (Gokyo) or by hyper extending the wrist (sometimes described in conjunction with Shihonage). The idea of the wristlock is to use these physical devices to control a person. This is done either through pain compliance or by locking the joint directly, linking to the subjects core, and physically controlling him . While many of Aikido’s wrist techniques do have some application in this area; thinking of them simply as wristlocks seriously limits their true potential.
People have a tendency to believe that wristlocks are either, more or less affective then the actually are. You’ll find many who have the belief that wristlocks are some mystical oriental way of fighting. Others believe that they are completely useless, and a waste of time. Wristlocks are not commonly seen in sport martial arts, which often leads the latter to believe they are useless, and the former to believe they are mystical and superior. There are many reasons for the wristslock’s lack of popularity in sport martial arts. These reasons range from their illegality in many styles, to their limited effectiveness. Wristlocks are not very powerful techniques for controlling a person, the reason for this is simple, they control very little of the body.
The larger portion of the body you can control the better your control will be. For example: the common “bear-hug”, when applied by a strong person is a very good controlling technique. This is because it controls so much of the person’s body. when talking specifically about control techniques, controlling a persons core (chest and abdomen) is always of the highest importance. This can be seen clearly in the positions used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or the common holds of many other wrestling styles.
As we get further away from a person’s core, our control over the person diminishes. After core control, head control is preferable, then hip or shoulder control, then knees, elbows, and finally wrists, ankles fingers and toes. When controlling only the wrist, you are very far away from the core of the body. This makes control from here much more difficult.
Beyond using wristlocks to physically control a person, wristlocks can be used to cause pain compliance. This is when a technique is so painful, the attacker will surrender in order to avoid the pain. When using Wristlocks to create pain compliance, they can be quite effective. However this will always be dependent upon the willingness of the subject to comply. For example, if a police officer is apprehending an average sized person who is slightly agitated and not being very compliant. Applying a wristlock might have great effect, as the pain may be all the suspect needs to put him back into a compliant mode. However, if the subject is extremely angry and believes he has the actual possibility to escape, he will fight much harder. The pain of a wristlock is very unlikely to make him comply. If the suspect is very aggressive, on drugs, or full of adrenaline, even breaking the wrist might not be enough to subdue him. Pain compliance may be completely ineffective in this type of situation. In this type of situation core control cannot be maintained through a wristlock either. If the opponent is willing to let his wrist be broken he takes away your vital link to his core, rendering your control ineffective.
This is a major reason why wristlocks are not extremely effective in sport martial arts either. Competitors are very driven to win a sport fight. Even facing great pain they will struggle to win. This can be seen time and again in Submission wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when competitors allow their limbs to be broken because they do not want to lose. This powerful mindset is caused only by the pressure of a sport match; a life and death struggle is going to be much more intense. Life and death struggles will cause people to go to great extremes, these extremes will likely render wristlocks useless.
Wristlocks will always remain a poor control when compared to full body holds, or other common “locks” like Headlocks, shoulderlocks, elbowlocks, kneelocks, etc. By understanding the limitations of wristlocks, Aikido might seem like a system with limited application, after all it’s mostly just a bunch of wristlocks; right?
No; the Aikido system does teach what can be used as wristlocks, however I would call what we find in Aikido’s syllabus wrist techniques, and not merely wristlocks. The distinction is that wrist techniques have a larger field of application. Aikido’s wrist techniques point to a very useful set of principles. These principles can be used to control, clear, disarm, unbalance, and damage. Controlling or “locking” is only one minor aspect of the wrist techniques found in Aikido. The major applications for the wrist techniques found in Aikido are clearing techniques, and disarming techniques.
Clearing is the ability to free your hand from a strong grip. This is an absolute necessity in armed combat training. At close range, if you have a weapon and someone is attempting to stop you from using it, it is very likely they will hold your wrist in order to control your weapon hand. The principles learned from Aikido’s wrist techniques allow you to quickly understand the best ways to escape, or “clear” your weapon hand. These principles are effected not only through pain compliance, but also through the mechanical inability of the hand to continue holding when taken to certain positions.
Disarming is another major application for the wrist techniques found in Aikido’s syllabus. If you have ever attempted to wrestle something from someone’s grasp, you know it’s a difficult task. Even a child can put up quite a struggle once they have a firm grip on something. In weapons conflict, being able to disarm quickly is perhaps the difference between life and death. Wrist techniques can help tremendously here. By applying a solid wrist technique you will greatly diminish the strength and functionality of your opponents grip. All good wrist techniques take the grip to it’s extreme range, making it easier to take something from someone’s hand.
If you consider Aikido’s syllabus as one dealing with armed conflict (as I do), then you can see why these wrist techniques are so important to the curriculum. Invaluable lessons are learned in these techniques. Lessons that, in a life threatening situation could perhaps mean the difference between going home that night, or never again. It is important to remember Aikido’s heritage. Aikido comes from Samurai arts. The Samurai were serious working warriors. They didn’t have time for extraneous technique. They were constantly engaged in armed combat; and in armed combat controlling your opponents weapon hand, and keeping yours free is absolutely essential.
By understanding that Aikido’s wrist techniques are much much more then simple methods of locking the wrist, your practice will open up tremendously. Not only will your ability to use what you’ve learned in Aikido increase, your understanding of the system and it’s goals will change. This will make your Aikido practice much more understandable, and enjoyable.
