Chinese strategist Sun Tzu wrote “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy, but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.”
Until this point, you have been focussed on learning about yourself and developing basic skills. You will soon turn your mind to learning about different types of opponents you might face. Another focus will be considerable knowledge retention and consolidation. This might take some time. Be patient.
| Standing | Clinch | Ground | Self defence | Partner drills | Solo forms |
| Combos | Judo sets 1 – 5 | Ground kicks | Ground knife attacks | Ground kick drill | |
| Counters | Counters | Ground strikes | Reflexive defence | Keri waza applications | Keri waza |
| Distance mgmt | Strike & throw combos | Submissions and defences | Blindfold defence | Choke drill |
Stripe 1
Combinations
By this stage your combinations will be more creative than the default combinations that everyone practices. Your combinations will reflect your fighting style and your physiology. And they will be well-tested, effective and reliable.
Judo sets – review all
Up to this point, the focus has been on learning a few new throws at a time, and mastering a small arsenal of core throws. Now it is time to ensure you understand all the judo throws. You don’t need to master them, but you do need to understand the concepts behind all throws. You should be able to execute all under ‘ideal’ conditions. You should also understand the self-defence applications of many of the throws.
Ground kicks
This section looks at the skills of fighting against a standing opponent when you are on the ground, and will incorporate a number of kicks, sweeps and safe methods of quickly getting back to your feet.
Ground kick drill (Nekeri waza)
This section includes a basic drill (below), pad-work and partner exercises.
- Back breakfall
- Crab walk left 3 steps
- Crab walk right 3 steps
- Crab walk back 3 steps
- Crab walk forward 3 steps
- Crab spin anti clockwise
- Crab spin clockwise
- Right knee stomp
- Left groin kick
- Right round kick
- Forward roll
- Right back kick
- Left spinning hook kick into side breakfall
- Right hook and front kick
- Back roll
- Forward roll
Knife defence – ground attacks
If you are on the ground with an armed attacker, you are in extreme danger. This segment tests your ability to control the weapon hand, prevent the attacker from switching weapon hands, mitigate the danger of secondary strikes and explore rapid escape tactics. Rather than drill fancy techniques, this lesson is rough and raw and will teach you a lot about the realities of violence. An instructor or advanced student may bring a concealed training weapon to regular grappling sessions unannounced in order to develop awareness and preparedness.
Sparring
Testing authority choice.
Stripe 2
Counters
Counters are retested at this level to ensure continued development and to reflect the importance of counters.
Clinch counters
Demonstrate that you have effective counters against all clothing grips and clinch forms, using any methods necessary, but in consideration of the use of force matrix – only using minimal necessary force for the situation.
Ground strikes
Develop your use of strikes on the ground in order to set up opportunities to stand up, escape, sweep, pass guard and submit an opponent.
Reflex defences
Instantaneous defences against random attacks. The testing authority may specify a certain violence level for appropriate response.
Keri waza & applications
This form has a solo and two-person drill to teach applications of kicking techniques including throws that use movements similar to kicks.
- Bow
- Step back, break lapel grip and hammerfist into neck
- Clear hands, clinch and knee
- Osotogari
- Maegeri
- Block and uraken
- Block shoulder and leg kick, spinning backfist
- Yokogeri, 180o turn and kakeuke
- Ushirogeri
- 180o turn and kakatootoshi
- Double flying kick
- Downward elbow
- 180o turn, double body punch, clear hands and double slap to ears
- Elbow, clinch, knee and ankle pick
- Sweep, turn 180o and kakatooshi
- Ageuke (to headlock), mikatsukigeri, hammerfist
- Push head down
- Bow.
Sparring
Testing authority choice.
Stripe 3
Distance management is such an important skill that it has been allocated its own study. Revise angles, footwork, grips, wedges, braces and ground positions in order to learn how maintain a safe distance.
Strike and throw combinations
This is another opportunity to research some clinch combinations of strikes and throws – the combinations are greater than the sums of their parts. Using strikes to set up throws is an obvious tactic, but don’t forget that feinted or failed throws provide great opportunities for unexpected finishing blows.
Submissions and defences
Demonstrate examples of the following submissions from each ground position, and make sure you know how to defend them too!
- Naked choke
- Gi choke
- Arm bar
- Arm lock
- Foot lock
Blindfold defence
Defences against attacks with reduced or no sight. Limited to grappling techniques.
Choke drill (Shime waza)
Chokes from front
- Escape arm bar
- Trap arm and grab throat
- Jujijime
- Okurierijime
- Side choke
- Guillotine choke
- Ryotetsukomijime
- Naked cross choke
- Head-butt choke
- Katagatame
- Cobra choke
- Reverse cobra choke
- Armbar transition
Chokes from rear
- Uchiuke choke
- Collar choke with armbar
- RNC with wrists
- Chinte choke
- RNC x 4 variants
- Turn and chokyu nage
- Collar choke head press
- Okurierijime
- Katahajime
- Jujijime
- Sodeguruma
- Chinte choke with head
- Upside down guillotine
- Uke turns counter with sumigaeshi
Chokes from ground
- Guillotine choke
- Sodeguruma with chin in eye
- Jujijime
- Step over armbar with collar choke
- Spin to back, RNC
- Uke to kesagatame, sankakujime
- Ryotetsukomijime
- Sankakujime
- Collar choke with shin press
- Uke rolls to knees, punch and jigokujime
- Belt choke
- Gi choke
- Collar choke with head
- Clock choke and roll
- Jigokujime x2
- Uke escapes to north-south
- Ryotetsukomijime
- Sodeguruma
- Roll to top, uke comes to knees
- Roll under anaconda choke to mount guillotine
Sparring
Testing authority choice.
Brown belt test
Brown belts have the technical capability of black belts, and are just rounding off their knowledge or developing the maturity and insights to wear the coveted black belt. You will need to demonstrate that you have a good grasp on all the basics and ranges of fighting, that you have developed your own fighting style and have started to understand some of the more advanced concepts and techniques. Up to this point, you’ve been focused on developing a fighting style that suits you. Now it is time to think about fighting styles for other people. To pass this test is a serious achievement.
Sobukan Dojo 