Good point

Ok while were on the topic lets go over some wrist grab techniques. Cross grab, right to right, left to left hand, standing next to your uke, from behind etc. I will go first with a typical Hapkido cross grab. Uke cross grabs your wrist, his right to your right. Now that your zone has been enterd and your wrist has been grabed your uke grab hand is stabilized/held down with your left hand so he can not let go. Your hand/wrist now preforms a small clockwise motion and your hand execute a small circle sudo on top of your ukes wrist which is a wrist lock, your fingers should be pointed at your opponent. Most importantly your still holding your uke hand in place with your left hand. Your body can step back or from side to side to counter any kind of evassive movement. This technique is very effective and painfull, it will drop your uke to his knees in seconds. It's very difficult to accually explain a self defense technique over the internet without hands on.... bare with explanation.

Steve,
rather than concentrating on "wrist grabs", focus your study on "attachment and kuzushi", so that anywhere you're grabbed you are able to disorient your attacker and break their structure. Nobody likes to fight "off balance", and if you use whatever attachment you have with the attacker, from blocking a punch to being grabbed, you use it to disable your opponent and lead them wherever you want them to go.

Like I said, there are a million different ways to use that mechanical attachment, whether at the wrist, elbow, shoulder, etc. to off-balance and redirect your attacker's energy. Using that, and simple body mechanics, you should be able to handle most situations without effort.

"All techniques work sometimes... good techniques work whenever you use them"... and that's because you use the mechanical attachment, personal structure of your opponent, and his energy against him. We could write books about "wrist techniques", and still not cover them all, but it doesn't take much training to learn how to use "attachment" and "kuzushi" to keep someone off balance long enough to protect yourself.

The only reason I'm consentrating on the wrist grab is because it was the topic "Wrist grabs: how common are they?"

Although I understand your point completley and will heed your advice......Oss

If you make them the first thing you do, they're very common

Small circle manipulation. Ive been known to use it from time to time. Against someone with even decent training it tends to be little more than a dstraction leading to some other attack. With that said, Ive never been wrist grabbed outside of the dojo, in practice. Not something I actively train against either. Why should I when its likely that he will let go when I punch him in the face with my free hand?

Wrist grabs aren't that common IMHO. My instructor teaches us techniques by grabbing the wrist first so you learn the technique, and then you kind of have to learn how to apply it yourself.

Never experienced it in real life...but had a 'grab and stab' dream last...so vivid it woke me up yelling 'Help me!'

The scenario has been bugging me all day...and I keep trying to apply my limited knowledge to it. I'll certainly be asking for help in the next class to resolve the particulars....even if it never occurs in reality.

Motto: be prepared.

I can't say how common they are in violent situations, but I have had to use basic wrist releases many times in the past, and is probably the MA technique that I've used the most.

Situation: Swarm of kids in a pool... need I say more? lol

Laura

Two hands in motion...one a grab...the other a stab.

Having faced a knife before...it doesn't translate to a pool scene for me. Sorry.