How difficult is hand-to-hand combat inside a small car?
Jiu-jitsu or jujutsu – as it is called in Japanese – is in itself a rather strange martial art to look at for a casual observer: kicks and punches, sticks and knives are used, but only in the initial phase of the fight. The fulcrum around which the struggle revolves are feints and holds (nage-waza), which allow you to exploit the opponent’s kinetic forceregardless of the power of your body. From grappling we then move on to the ground fighting phase, the so-called grapplingin which the objective is to pin the opponent to the ground (osae-komi) or force him to surrender via joint levers (kansezu-waza) o strangulation (shime-waza).
Jiu-jitsu was born in the 15th century as a personal defense weapon bush (“warriors”) to defend themselves from larger and more powerful enemies. His name literally means “flexible technique” and bases its principles on the ancient motto “the soft wins the hard”, a concept not far from confuciano “The green reed that bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak that breaks in the storm.”
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A very successful offshoot of jiu-jitsu is Brazilian jiu-jitsu (henceforth, BJJ), born from the initiative of Mitsuyo “Otavio” MaedaJapanese consul between 1914 and 1941, pioneer and great promoter of judo as well as Japanese immigration in Brazil, whose biography deserves an article of its own. The main difference between traditional jiu-jitsu and its Japanese version – actually closer to judo, which is itself a derivative of jiu-jitsu – is that the latter focuses on throws and joint locks, while BJJ focuses on holds submission It is on ground combat. Although the rules on what is allowed and what is not are very clear, BJJ matches often turn in a few moments into inextricable knots of arms and legs in which even expert athletes, from the outside, struggle to understand exactly what is happening on the floor. tatami.
One day far back in 2019, a Russian fighter named Vik Mikheevblack belt in judo and BJJ and also active in the sambo and of theMMA, decided that the confusion of floor holds in the gym wasn’t enough. We needed something more extreme, even crazier and more confusing, which at the same time had a practical utility – let’s not forget that jiu-jitsu is a noble art of personal defence – and that was enough catchy to gather sponsors and organize large tournaments. Since the fights in the mud and those on trampolines and soapy inflatables had already been taken care of, Mikheev decided to fall back on something simple and accessible to everyone: the car which he had parked in the garage. From this ingenious idea, the sport we will deal with in today’s report was born: car-jitsu.
Highlights of the first three car-jitsu tournaments organized by Mikheev in his car
Il car-jitsu is exactly what it sounds like: a Brazilian jiu-jitsu match, which, rather than on a tatami, you fight inside a car, luckily parked. Although it seems like a stupid idea (and honestly it seems so to the writer too!), car-jitsu is enjoying more and more success, attracting crowds of curious people but also an expert public. This is not, however, an amateur project but a real circuit with precise rules, official referees, champions and belts and whose matches are filmed by video operators professionals. Wrestlers may wear the gi (what we inexperienced people ignorantly call “kimono”) or a wrestling suit and have the right to use any what is in the car as long as it is not used as a blunt object, but remains within the regulatory limits of holds, levers and various submissions.
Like many other absurd combat sports (among many, a special mention goes to phone boot fighting) He was born in Russiainitially in the garden in front of Vik Mikheev’s house, and then moved to gyms and even clubs, where rings, octagons or tatami are replaced from a car convertible. Initially, the car was a sedan owned by Vik, but since the public has become larger and observes from a distance, it was wisely decided to change the vehicle with one without a roof, so that something could also be seen from the front. external. Unfortunately, for now I am not aware of events organized outside Russia, but given the success that this sport is enjoying on YouTube (over two million views), I guess it’s a matter of time before the official tournament or some of its spin-off appears in the United States and Europe.
As we were saying, Vik Mikheev’s project was born in Russia in 2020, to be precise during the first months of the pandemicwhen different types of lockdown. His original idea was to develop a type of fighting that would allow people to use BJJ techniques within a narrow space, like the one in which billions of people found themselves forced. Furthermore, Mikheev rightly claims, jiu-jitsu was born for self-defense and, in the contemporary world, knowing how to fight inside a car has useful applications in the real world. Not surprisingly, also Rener Gracie – the last exponent of a dynasty of judoka among the best known coaches in the world – he invented something similar and proposed it in one of his videos from a few years ago.
How does a car-jitsu match work? Currently, as we were saying, the Car Jitsu Championship has moved from an old car parked with the windows open to a more presentable convertible car positioned in the center of a lecture, a room or place suitable for use. There are two referees left (one on each side of the car) and they monitor everything that happens very carefully, basically doing what referees usually do in this type of sport: check for irregularities and decide the end of the fight .
The latest evolution of car-jitsu.
The rules they’re pretty simple: both contestants start sitting in the front seats and swap places between rounds. There are two total rounds, each three minutes long. Points are awarded when you gain control of your opponent’s back (4 points) or a knee-to-torso submission (two points). The goal, as usual, is to submit the opponent completely via joint lock, submission or strangulation. If after two rounds no one has given up and the points are tied, the fighters move to the back seats for a four-minute “match”.
Everything that is inside the car – I would like to reiterate – included seat belts, steering wheel, mirrors, headrests and armrests, can be used to subdue/leverage/strangle. The key to winning, unlike traditional fighting, is creative use of the environment, a fundamental concept of self-defense in real life, very dear to Vik Mikheev. Athletes who compete in car-jitsu apparently train intensely (they will do it in their car or have a special one, perhaps in a gym) very different offensive and defensive moves and tactics depending on whether they are in the driver’s seat. or the passenger or even on the “comfortable” rear seats.
From what we read, seatbelts are the weapon of choice by everyone as well as the most effective to bring home the victory. Even the inventor of the discipline himself said so grapplinginsider.com: “the seat belt is very effective. It is very comfortable, even more than the jackets we usually wear. If you block someone with the belt you can pull it for a long time. Plus, you always know exactly where it is”. Also window frames they seem like a pretty effective weapon, used to enhance submissions or to give yourself better leverage to fire in the so-called triangle choke.
Even the use of space under the steering wheel, between the seats or above the dashboard is essential, because obviously there is very little room to move and starting by occupying the right areas is a big step towards victory. Whoever dominates the space and manages to position himself above always has a greater chance of subduing his opponent. Furthermore, when fights take place in “normal” cars, not convertibles, even i oxygen levels play an important role.
From the news found in the ever boring sea of the internet, however, the Russians have not stopped to patiently wait for car-jitsu to achieve the global success it clearly deserves, but are already working on its new media declinations. To date, the Car-Jitsu Championship has already organized a tournament in which female stars of the cinema for adults they fought among themselves (cringe You can say?). Another possible evolution, a little more serious and less sexist than that of porn actresses, is the car-MMA. I think you can imagine for yourself what this is about.
This article originally appeared in su Catenaccio, the Sportellate newsletter. To receive Catenaccio for free or read back issues, you can click here.
2023-11-03 15:00:00
#Carjitsu #work
