Elbow break
Elbow breaks are Goshin-Jutsu’s variant of the standing arm bar. Arms bars are a catch-all term for techniques which try to make an opponent’s elbow to bend the wrong way (i.e., to fold towards the triceps). Elbow breaks are not a technique per se; they are a combination of techniques which occurs so frequently that were assigned a name. Since elbow breaks are simultaneously an attack and a defense, they are also a Kūsankū movement. Goshin-Jutsu's elbow breaks are simple and do not require turning your back to your opponent.
The trick to elbow breaking is supporting the opponent's wrist from the other side. Striking an opponent’s unsupported elbow just turns them, with their center as a fixed pivot; that is how blocks work. Trapping the wrist prevents this rotation, and transfers the would-be rotational energy motion into the opponent’s elbow.
The elbow break has a slightly exaggerated name; while breakage is possible, hyperextension is more likely. However, this hyperextension can be more debilitating than a simple fracture.
The two variations of the Goshin-Jutsu elbow break technique are discussed below.
Outside elbow break
Perform the following motions simultaneously:
- Twist to the outside.
- Trap the inside of the opponent’s wrist with a variant of a rising ridgehand strike.
- Crush the opponent’s elbow with a hassō-shutō, downward hammerfist, or ude uke.
[Outside elbow strikes, from the side, front, and ideally, above, fast and slow]
Outside elbow breaks are more brutal than inside elbow strikes. Outside elbow strikes are safer to use against Pursuit punches, but riskier to use against haymakers. However, outside elbow breaks naturally setup follow-up techniques (e.g., arm lever, neck circle) which require an intact arm for mechanical compliance. While this would make a cromulent pain compliance technique, such techniques are not always reliable, and may be interpreted by witnesses as being needlessly sadistic.
Inside elbow break
Perform the following motions simultaneously:
- Twist to the inside.
- Trap the inside of the opponent’s wrist with a hassō-shutō or downward hammerfist.
- Smash the opponent’s elbow with a variant of a rising ridgehand strike.
[Inside elbow strikes, from the side, front, and ideally, above, fast and slow].
Inside elbow strikes are a safe way to defend against haymakers, but can leave you exposed when defending against pursuit punches without an immediate and definitive follow-up.
