"Slam Jam Breakface"

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Like a Grand Slam breakfast with eggs, pancakes and bacon - TRMS has some basic ingredients for making its own self-defense platter. Okay, so I can't tempt you with some honest to goodness home cooked pancakes. But, I can offer up something to shove down the throat of your opponent. Something that will stick like peanut butter and work like jelly - I mean JAM.

The focus of this article is on a Martial Science defense concept called "Jamming the Attack"

What will happen if you shove a stick into the spokes of a moving bicycle?
What will happen if you put a solid concrete wall in front of a moving train?

Both of these questions help to answer the question "what is Jamming the Attack?"

I'm only going to teach two techniques that apply the principle of jamming, but this will be enough to give you an idea of how it works. 

Okay, think of that train again, "choo, choo." Imagine it hitting that concrete wall - not a pretty site. Well, the face of your opponent is that train. If your attacker is moving at a fast pace toward you - then all you have to do is put something in his way. Granted, it would be nice if we could pull out a concrete slab and drop it in front of a charging opponent, but this isn't a cartoon. So, we will have to replace the wall with the palm of our hand. 

Basically, the concept of jamming is simply moving in or toward your opponent. But how you move, is the key. Let's work with a defense from a hook punch or haymaker. Below is a simple list of responses to follow to help build up the defensive reaction.

1. Your opponent pushes you back (offers a few words of profanity) and then steps forward to swing his powerful hook punch.

2. You realize that this guy is big and that this punch is going to hurt, so you immediately throw up your JAM BLOCK and step forward.

Before I go on, let me explain what a jam block is. First we need to define the parts of a Jam Block so we can help you understand why we call it that. The Jam is the part where you move forward and place your hand in your opponents way, allowing him to run into it. The block is the way you hold that jamming arm and the use of your other hand for security. Try it with me:

The Jam Block:

* Reach out your left hand and hold it there, as if you were to be saying, "STOP!"

* Now bend your elbow slightly to the outside - your hand will pull back about an inch or two.

* Now bring your head closer to the shoulder - simply lay your head into your arm a bit. You may need to lift your shoulder up and make sure nothing but your forehead is above the arm.

* Finally, bring your right hand and rest it on top of the left arm protecting the face

The idea behind the Jam Block is to provide a jamming strike while protecting against the attack. The curve in the elbow is what actually does the blocking (try it) and the hand is extra protection. Your head is low so that you don't get a blow to the nose and if your opponent does contact - it will be to your forehead. The cranium is the hardest bone in your body - much harder than your opponents knuckles. The jam is a palm heel and a finger gouge to the eyes. You won't actually be able to really gouge out the eyes with this, but you can poke or scratch the retina. Many of the techniques in the Martial Science attack to the eyes. If your opponent can't see you, he can't hit you. Great against bigger assailants. 

Okay, back to the attack situation. The defender (you) stepped forward with a Jam Block response - from this point on, it is up to you to decide where to go. You can continue to break up the opponent, attempt to escape, go for a take down or manipulate his body. Just be sure that when you practice Jamming, you apply all of your other tactics. For example, be sure and keep a low center of gravity - if you step forward and don't drop into a combat stance, you are likely to be pushed over. 

The Jam!

Now think back to that bicycle. You jam a stick into the spokes and the whole thing is going to shut down or flip-flop down the street.  We call this, "shutting down that attack" - but more simply, "The Jam."

The next technique really kicks butt and I mean that literally. It is our world famous defense against a spinning heel kick and it uses the Jam. 

Simply put - when your opponent spins to attack with his nice and fancy spinning kick, you simply step forward with a front thrust or even snap kick to his behind. This creates a sticky situation and will not only jam or stop the attack, it will most likely knock your opponent off balance.

This technique is great in sparring. You don't even have to kick for this technique to work. Ask your opponent to throw his best spinning kick while you simply step forward. You don't even have to attack. Just step into the kick. You also don't have to wait for a spinning kick to use this technique. You can also just jam a leg forward against a hook or round kick. 

The idea is that your opponent must commit that attack and he expects to contact at a certain distance. When you move in and close the gap (or jam that attack), the attacker has no time to adjust, since a body in motion stays in motion. Most people are taught to move away from an attack. Not only is this dangerous, but it only helps to set you up. If you move back, one of two things can happen:

1. You can trip and fall down (unless you have eyes in the back of your head).

2. Your opponent will just throw another kick - until you either, fall down or the foot actually contacts and you feel the agony of de-feet (pardon the pun).

Your opponent also expects you to move back, so when you jump forward, it not only works, but it confuses your opponent. Sometimes you will need to fake as if going back and then jump forward, or even program your opponent by moving back a few times as a reaction to his movements and then change up the response.

Jamming is an effective and realistic response to a situation. It is one of the few primary tactics that we use when teaching our self-defense course. So the next time your opponent throws a wild attack - just think of adding some jam and make a sticky sandwich, with your hand and his face or both?

Good luck in training!
 

Sensei Tew
 
RTMS Head Instructor