– by Allen Pittman

Excerpt adapted from Martial Musings: A Portrayal of Martial Arts in the 20th Century by Robert W. Smith (Via Media Publishing Company, 1999).
Photos courtesy of Allen, except where noted.
Published in the Journal of Martial Arts, Volume 8 Number 4, 1999

Oh. East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgement Seat. But there is neither East or West, Border no Breed, nor Birth. When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth! — Rudyard Kipling

Photo courtesy of Dr. Geoghegam.

In the last twenty years much has been written on Asian fighting arts. There is a tendency to see the East as the primary source of martial traditions, but the East does not have a monopoly on fighting arts and Western fighting traditions remain to be uncovered. Recent scholarly research is beginning to examine the interconnections between Eastern and Western martial influences.

Of these Western traditions, wrestling is probably the oldest, the most unchanged and one of the clearest links between the fighting arts of the East and West. By “wrestling,” I do not mean the familiar Greco-Roman type or Free-style, but rather the lesser known traditional styles which are a part of community life from Egypt to India, across Russia, and throughout Europe. Specializations have formed: rules, techniques, and clothing vary. But many core techniques are transcultural. This becomes increasingly true when wrestling emphasizes the combative.

Lancashire, England, or Lancelot’s Shire – birthplace of judo pioneer E. J. Harrison – holds an old jewel of a wrestling style. It is not the popular version of Lancashire, but a lesser known style of combat wrestling kept alive by the Riley family in Wigan. In the United States, one of the few teachers of this style was Dr. J.C. Geoghegan.

Bom in 1922 in Leitrim, Ireland, Dr. Geoghegan started wrestling as a teenager in Ireland with Pat Gibbons (330 lb.). His appetite for wrestling evolved into a lifelong study of physical culture, medicine, and ancient religions. His research took him into many geographic areas, including parts of Asia. In England, he absorbed the Lancashire wrestling techniques as well as those of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Cornwall. “Tim” (as his friends call him) studied with the Rileys and their students. This rough wrestling is still taught in Wigan and at least one Wigan wrestler has been imported to teach judoka in Japan – completing the East-West circle started by E. J. Harrison.

Technical Section

The following Lancashire holds are some of those taught by Dr. Geoghegan. The potential dangers of using these holds requires that wrestlers have agreed upon signals for submission in order to avoid injury. “Tapping out” is probably the best signal. But this is not enough – slowness and precision must dominate practice. Speed will come with familiarity.

According to Dr. Geoghegan, there are three basic techniques in submission wrestling:

Lock: goes with the joint but limits use of the limb (hyperrotation, hyperflexion).
Bar: goes against the joint (hyperextension).
Compression: is usually on the spine and restricts flow of air or blood to the point of unconsciousness.

With the three techniques are three main principles:

Unity (of the body and mind; concentration).
Economy (no wasted energy; relaxation).
Sensitivity (knowledge of the pain of a hold; feeling).

In this article, entry techniques are not covered, but the following six holds will be shown:

Grip and arm lock
Front face hold
The Nelson
Overhead arm lock
Toe hold from the side
Wrist compression

Sequences

Grip and Arm Lock

Step back with your right foot and grab his left forearm (in the direction of his movement) with your left hand turning his left hand thumb down.

An opponent extends his left hand.

With your right hand take his left: your grip is like shaking hands. You can use your right index finger around his thumb. While holding his left hand squeeze it and keep his right thumb downward, beginning compression on his wrist. Release your left hand.

Pull your opponent toward you with your right hand and use your left elbow to his face as you reach over his left arm with your left hand.

Circle your left arm under his left arm. securing it under your left arm pit and grasp your own right wrist. Both of your palms are down. His is up.

Tighten the grip of both your hands, continuing the compression on his wrist.

Lift his left arm up. pushing it back into his left shoulder, and fall back, driving him into the ground.

Keep your weight on his upper back, secure your grip and adjust your body perpendicular to his to increase leverage. The initial grip and wrist compression is essential for this hold to work. If your hands are too small, try it with your opponent's fingers. Champion Lou Thez used a similar hold, stepping behind his opponent's left leg with his left leg, sweeping him onto his back.

Frontal Face Lock

Your opponent tries to pick up your front leg.

Slide your left forearm across his jaw below the cheekbone, turning his head to the side.

Secure his head under your left pectoral muscles.

Put your right arm on his left shoulder and your left palm on your right biceps or forearm. Use your right hand to check his left elbow.

Carefully stand up while compressing his head and begin to bend his neck.

The Nelson

Your opponent is on his hands and knees and you are to his left.

With your left hand, go under his left armpit and past the left side of his head, turning his face to the left.

Use your right hand, bringing it under his right shoulder and behind his neck. Hook the fingers of both hands together, but do not interlace them

Use your wrists/knuckles against his occiput, securing a turning action and pulling his head downward. Rest your abdomen and hip against your opponent's side to reinforce the hold with your whole body. This hold is difficult on a large opponent.

Overhead Arm Lock

Your opponent swings his right fist wide.

You deflect with your left forearm from the inside as you step to his outside with your left foot.

Place your right palm on your left hand and. keeping your opponent's elbow at a right angle, rotate his arm back against the joint. To further secure the hold, you can hold your left wrist with your right hand.

To prevent your opponent from throwing, insert your right foot behind his right leg.

Toe Hold From the Side

Your opponent throws a right cross. You duck to your left, using a left lunge, and drop your right elbow behind his right knee.

Use your left hand to push his right heel outward and place your right knee behind his right knee.

With both your hands, turn his foot inward, slide your right tibia behind his right knee.

Lift his leg and lay your body against him. compressing your tibia in his knee joint. Remember: have your tibia centered in his knee joint and turn his foot inward (outward will tear the joint).

Wrist Compression

Your opponent punches with his right fist. Slap his right elbow inside with your left hand and step out with your left foot so that his right elbow is guided inside your right shoulder.

Place your right hand over his right fist and use your left hand to secure the point of his elbow inside your right shoulder.

Compress his right wrist by pushing his fist in and down, forcing his elbow against your chest. Once his elbow is secured, you can use both hands on his wrist.

This hold works well from above or below and can be used as a disarm.

A Postscript

by Robert W. Smith
Irish poet James Stephens mused that “No good luck is good until by good luck you see.” To do that John Masefield advised us to “always keep a bright eye looking, so that when the thing is there the heart will be glad.”

After a lifetime searching for and finding a few real warriors, I came south to the mountains of North Carolina for repose. I had no intention of becoming a xian (Daoist mountain sage) nor did I expect to find fighting experts beyond the level of American media portrayals.

But I did find one. And not only the best combat master I ever encountered in America, but one of the prime anywhere in my time. His name was Dr. Charles (“Tim”) Geoghegan, a broth of a battler from Ireland but with none of the blarney usually associated with the old sod.

With his great energy and ready intellect, over the years Tim was able to get degrees and certificates in osteopathy, physiopathy, hypnotherapy, psychology, Hatha and Raja yoga, and jujutsu, among other disciplines. Among his teachers was the esteemed Maurice Nicoll who did the seminal work on Gurdjieff. Like Zheng Manqing, he had many interests which he turned to good use. He knew as much about arcane skills geared to reconciling oneself with one’s body as anyone I ever met.

Poets have called April the cruelest month. It may be so. Wife Alice and I were with him just hours before he died. On April 29, 1998, Tim Geoghegan, noble athlete, doctor, and man sauntered into the next room. For more than a year, Tim had grappled with cancer only to be pinned by it in the end. Pinned he may have been, but never defeated. Now he plays in some El Dorado among the stars.

Bibliography

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Combat Wrestling: Geoghegan’s Blend From East and West