Tag Archives: illegal

Grabbing the Leg is Legal Again

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In 2010, grabbing the leg in judo was made illegal, resulting in a disqualification. The exceptions are:

  • If the leg grab is part of a counter attack
  • If the leg grab is not the initial attach, but is part of a combination
  • If the opponent has an over the back cross grip (with or without the belt)

I just finished watching all of the 2010 Tokyo Grand Slam. That’s about 10 hours of footage with commentary. I did not see a single disqualification for a leg grab. Moreover, I did not see a single clear case where there should be such a disqualification. The international competitors have done a remarkable job of adjusting their game to the new rules. However, it appears that there were a lot of close calls that the refs ignored. One example is the following video:

I guess you could argue that Blue was countering an attack by White, but according to the rules the “attack” needs to threaten the opponent in order to count as an attack. I don’t think under that definition White makes any initial attacks.

There are many other such examples. I suppose the referees are erring on the side of not disqualifying judoka when it’s at all a close call. However, what was weird to me is that in those 10 hours of video, the commentators never once mentioned anything related to leg grabs or the changes in the rules. They talked about everything under the sun except that. Given how hot of a topic of discussion it was this year, it seems strange that they would not mention it, especially in the attacks such as the one in the video.

I titled the post “Grabbing the Leg is Legal Again” because based on the footage and commentary of the Tokyo Grand Slam, it is as if this major change in the rules has become a non-issue, because:

  • Competitors adjusted their judo
  • Refs are not at all zealous in enforcing this new rule
  • Commentators are not talking about it

Illegal Techniques Can Be Effective

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I stumbled across the following at-first-glance insane video of a guy defending the rear naked choke by biting. Moreover, he teaches how to prevent the attacker from pulling their arm away when you start biting, so that you can actually deliver damage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahzPKhRiMlo

A lot of people, in the comment section, are making fun of him, and certainly not taking the technique seriously. However, after thinking about it for a little bit, and letting the shock (and dark humor) of seeing someone actually teach biting as a self-defense technique wear off, it started to dawn on me that this may actually be a good defense against the rear naked choke in a life-or-death situation.

I won’t comment on it further, because I have very little experience with biting. I’ve personally never seen it attempted in a street fight. Of the illegal techniques, people usually resort to headbutts, strikes to the groin, or hair-pulling. I think that these techniques are illegal in MMA because they are dangerous and have an “aura” of unfairness. Those are precisely the reasons for why they should be used in a self-defense situation. Bottom line is they work.

MMA is a sport with rules that encourages safety of the fighters, as crazy as that might sound. Elite MMA athletes are great fighters. But I don’t think that they are the best street fighters in the world. The game changes drastically when the surface is concrete, no technique is illegal, and at all times your life is on the line. Put another way, it’s no longer a game or sport, and requires a drastically different form of training.