Kurumaisu Jutsu:
Wheelchair
Techniques
Part 3- Attacks From The Side
(Continued)
By Ronald van de Sandt
Defense Technique 5: If someone
tries to choke you from the side (here the right),
immediately counter with a punch or crane head strike
(back of wrist) to the solar plexus or groin. This will
accentuate the attacker's bent-forward position. Then
reach behind his head with your right hand and grab his
hair (or head if he's bald or has short hair) and pull
his face into your left elbow strike (this is not
shown). After the elbow strike you can continue to pull
your opponent forword in front of you with your right
hand behind his neck (your left elbow hand can also
grasp his uniform and pull) until he falls to the
ground.
Defense Technique 6: This technique is taken
from one of the Naihanchi katas: Assume the attack comes
from the right side (reverse hands if from the left).
Perform a palm up right ridge hand or spear hand to the
solar plexus if you can reach, to the groin or stomach
(here shown) if you can't. As he bends, reach behind his
head with your right hand and grab his hair (or head if
he is bald or has short hair) and pull his face into
your left elbow strike. Then take your left hand and
grab behind the head, pulling him toward you -
simultaneously slipping your right hand to his groin.
Lift up with the right hand HARD and yank down hard with
the left, squeezing the testicles as you lift for extra
effect.
Your opponent will probably fly right over the chair,
but if not he will land right across your lap - face
down, at your mercy. He may, on the way down, try to
escape by stepping sideways. But if he does, he usually
will get caught on the chair's arm rests or on the foot
rests.
Note that this technique comes from Naihanchi Sho in
particular, but really can be found in any of the
versions of Naihanchi katas or Seisan. In fact, most of
the techniques from the Naihanchi katas can be adapted
to work from the chair, including the side strike/blocks
to the sides. Just remember that because of your height
while in the chair, you usually cannot reach the throat
or head effectively. This means that you must usually
force the opponent to bend to you first by striking or
pulling targets from the solar plexus down. The old
Okinawan principle of "if you want to kick someone in
the face, take out his kneecaps first" really applies to
a wheeler.
Defense Technique 7: As in the technique
above, assume the attack comes from the right side
(reverse hands if from the left). Execute a palm up
ridge hand or spearhand to the throat if you can reach
that target, or if you can't, strike the solar plexus or
groin. As he bends reach behind his head with your left
hand and grab his hair (or head if bald), and grab his
chin with the palm of your right hand. Push up on the
chin while pulling down on the back of the head. (This
last technique is similar to one in Part II of this
series illustrating a defense against an attack from the
front.)
As you are doing the push-pull, pull him (with both
hands) toward your left and he will be forced to lie on
his back across your lap. If you do the push-pull with a
snap (very quickly), you could snap the neck, so if you
practice this technique with a friend, be extremely
careful and practice it slowly. After the opponent has
been laid across your lap, there is a myriad of follow
up strikes and techniques that can be done. This
technique is also from one of the Naihanchi katas.
Defense Technique 8: One of the simplest
techniques against someone coming toward you is a
wheeler version of a wheel kick or sweep.  Simply spin the chair toward the
attacker by pushing on one wheel, pulling on the other,
so the foot rests slams into the attacker's ankles. The
faster the spin, the harder the kick. Remember that the
footrest is made of steel -- usually much harder than
flesh and bone.
I've seen this technique actually sweep someone off
his feet. I even once saw one wheeler who was skilled
enough with his chair,(or foolhardy enough) to do this
technique as he popped a wheelie with the chair. It
caught the opponent at the knees very efficiently.
I do not recommend using wheelies, however, with any
wheelchair self-defense technique since the balance is
too delicate while on two wheels. Instead, by simply
moving toward the opponent, it is possible to intimidate
them by "chasing" them with your footrests, especially
since it is so awkward for them to get to you without
moving out of the way of the footrests. Keep your
footrests aimed at their ankles while you continually
"charge" them, moving as they do. After their ankle
contacts the footrests once, you'll be surprised how
hard they will try to stay away from them.
The Kurumaisu Jutsu described in these series of
three articles are only a small sample of what a
wheelchair person can do in the way of self-defense. But
these are also techniques that everyone else can do as
well with modification.
I would recommend studying these techniques from a
regular chair, or while sitting on the floor. Then you
can see how many ways you can modify them for differing
situations. Perhaps these techniques will lead you to
discover the many other applications found hidden in the
katas of each of our styles, and will help increase your
understanding of body mechanics as it did mine.
It is my experience that most people called disabled
really are not disabled at all. Instead they just have
to learn to modify their methods of mobility in order to
accomplish the same things everyone else does. It is my
sincere hope that this series of articles helps people
stop looking on those called disabled or handicapped as
helpless victims, but rather look on them as courageous
martial artists riding on rolling weapons, and
practicing a martial art form called Kurumaisu Jutsu.
Acknowledgment:
My thanks to Mr. Tim Schutte, a Dan
ranked Shorin Ryu "wheeler" who I've had the great
privilege to trade many wheelchair techniques with, and
who provided some of the techniques described in this
article. I would also like to thank Christopher Caile
for his editing of this article and Sara Aoyama who
helped me with the Japanese of the title and who
encouraged me to write the article.
About The Author:
Ron van de Sandt has been in the martial arts since
1972 and has studied American Kempo, Shorin Kempo and
Sholin Karate - a blend of Shorinji Ryu and Shorin Ryu
Karate. Mr. van de Sandt currently holds a Dan rank in
Sholin Karate, and runs the Sholin Karate Club, at the
Fairborn YMCA, Fairborn, Ohio.
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