I know many of you may be interested in specific grappling/martial arts techniques and are wondering if they are effective or not. After years of grappling I would like to talk about a technique that many people other than wrestlers may not be familiar with, and that is the fireman's carry. In Judo, the fireman's carry is known as the Kata Guruma and is one of the meanest, most painful techniques in a Judoka's arsenal, mostly because it is performed from a standing position. Although a standing fireman's carry is awesome and powerful, it is usually not the most effective because it is difficult to pull off from a standing position. Despite this fact, the fireman's carry is easier and more effective from a kneeling posture and is an excellent takedown, especially if your opponent decided to sprawl when you went in for a leg takedown. Part of the reason for its effectiveness in this situation is that when a person sprawls their momentum is coming forward so all you need to do is forget about the leg, and keep a hold of their arm with your arm and squeeze with your head, pick up, and throw, soon after, you will want to establish either the side mount, full mount, or north/south position depending on where your opponent lands. Now of course, it is important to remember that any technique, even quite effective ones, can be defended against, and unfortunately, the firemans carry is no exception. One option that your opponent has is to lock up your arms and get you into the crucifix position where he can then apply a variety of offensive techniques, so keep this in mind, it is not 100% full proof. In any case, practicing the fireman's carry can be quite beneficial to your martial arts and/or grappling training, why not give it a try?
*The above photo came from Wikipedia.
