This short video lesson introduces what we call Players to the Game. These are used to make each and every technique much more effective. The example here is a lock, with a couple of pressure points added to it.

It is for anyone who trains locks, holds or control techniques and finds they work well in the dojo but struggle against a strong or resisting partner.

What Players To The Game Means

A technique on its own is one thing happening. Players to the Game are the extra things you add to it, so that several things are happening to the other person at once. A pressure point, a change of balance, a distraction or a strike can all be players.

The more players you have working together, the less any single one has to be perfect. That is what makes the technique more reliable.

Why Locks Benefit So Much

Locks often fail for simple reasons. The other person is stronger, tenses the arm, or simply pulls out before the lock is on. A couple of well-chosen pressure points change that:

  • A point on the arm can weaken the limb so it stops resisting
  • A point can make the person move in the direction you want
  • The pain or shock gives you a moment to set the lock properly
  • With balance taken as well, they cannot use their strength against you

So the lock itself has not changed. What has changed is that the other person can no longer fight it as easily.

Common Mistakes

The first mistake is trying to muscle a lock onto someone stronger. The second is adding a point but hitting it at the wrong angle, so it does nothing. The third is pausing between the point and the lock, which gives the other person time to recover. Players work best when they flow straight into the technique.

How To Practise It

Take a lock you already know. Practise it plain first. Then add one pressure point before it, at low power, and notice how the arm feels. Then add a second player, such as a balance change. Work slowly with a cooperative partner and apply locks with control, because joints are easy to injure.

Take It Further

The principles behind Players to the Game run through the Pressure Point Fighting Course, which shows how to add points to the techniques you already know. For more advanced work, see the Pressure Point Black Belt Course.