I’ve heard it many times and I heard it today on the phone. He said, “My instructors just continue to neglect teaching us how to grip. They keep saying that the Japanese have great technique and that’s all we need. It makes me so frustrated.”

I understood his pain and I told him that I’m not sure what planet that his instructors are on, but the Japanese most DEFINITELY practice kumikata (gripping) and they all know how to do it well on the internatonal level.

As a matter of fact, I was having a discussion the other day about who would win between Yamashita and David Doulliet.

In my opinion, I believe that Doulliet would win, but that’s just my opinion.

The fact of the matter is this…

Judo has changed.

I’m not sure if it has changed for the better or for the worse, but it most certainly has changed.

And so have the grappling sports.

And if you want to have an inkling of a chance of being successful in the gi on the mat, then you must….

MASTER THE ART OF GRIPFIGHTING

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How To Master The Art
Of Gripfighting
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Well to be completely honest with you there are a couple of ways to learn how to grip fight. I’ll be so kind to explain it to you.

First – You can learn by the Immersion Method.

The Gripfighting Immersion Method is a method of teaching gripping in which the regular school curriculum is taught through the medium of the judo class and grippingis “learned” through randori with high level judo players in an intensive manner. Gripping is the vehicle for content instruction not the subject of instruction. Therefore, as students are “immersed” in randori they become  better grippers and gain a fluency (for lack of a better term) for gripping and gripfighting.  This method ONLY works when you have good grippers and good judo players in your school for others to work with.

Caveat: Improvement can be thwarted if the players and coaches don’t travel and continuously ”infuse” the club with new and/or sharper gripping techniques or strategies. 

Second – You can learn by the Whole-Part-Whole Method

The Whole-Part-Whole Method is a method of teaching gripping in which randori is initiated and the coach and/or coaches pull each player to the side when he or she is making gripping mistakes and then fixes these mistakes “on-the-fly”.  Often times these practices are performed at situational practices. Meaning you learn how to grip against tall lefties, short righties, two on one grippers, a hard core european style, etc.,. And you always end practice with randori.

Caveat: This makes practice quite long and really only works with seasoned judo players who can “catch” the instruction.

Third – The Alogorithmic Process

This is personally my favorite instructional method. This is the method where the student or learner is taught gripping by discrete  ”steps”.  In this process, the learner looks or views gripping as a problem which can be solved with the proper information and the learner views gripping as a system of iterations that can be understood, broken down, learned, mastered and implemented.  In a simplistic sense it is look at like the game of chess.  

This process is the way that gripping information is dissemenated and inculcated in Jimmy Pedro’s Grip Like A World Champion.  The Underground Gripfighting Secrets Package includes all forms  by not only teaching, but showing gripping situations and allowing you a peak inside of an elite level judo practice as well as how grip strength and functional grip strength is developed.  The Audio CD set of Grip To Win utilizes only the 3rd method in the most basic fashion by only introducing the user to gripping, the nomenclature and the basic grip fighting sequences in order to be successful.

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Closing
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The Judo Crusader certainly hope that this information was helpful. After traveling around and speaking with many people it is pretty evident that a lot of individuals *believe* that they know more about gripping than they think that they know. The honest truth is this…….. There is another level of gripfighting information out there that will greatly enhance your judo and that of your dojo. And it is always good to review the things that you think you know and the things that you do know.  Review is necessary and their is no better way to review than to get your own DVD library of gripping up and running with the best in class in gripping products.

Grip Like A World Champion Trailer
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Underground Grip Figthing Secrets Trailer
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Enjoy the video clips and most certainly, please continue to enjoy your time on the mat.

Up, up and away…..

Rhadi Ferguson (a.k.a. “The Judo Crusader”)