Jailhouse Rock Fighting Style

[505th.NM.Militia]

Jailhouse Rock is a name used to describe a collection of different fighting styles that have been practiced and/or developed within US penal institutions. The different regional ?styles? of JHR vary but share a common emphasis on improvisation governed by a specific set of underlying principles.

Jailhouse Rock if it exists is in fact one of two of the USA's only "Native Martial Arts", the other being called Rough and Tumble (that had its origins with the European colonists and is very lethal and is meantioned on the website The electronic journal of martial arts) and should take a more prominent seat in the world of martial arts. As such, Jailhouse Rock, the 52 Hand Blocks and their variants may be compared to savate, which was originally a semi-codified fighting method associated with an urban criminal subculture, which underwent a gradual process of codification before becoming established as a martial art accessible by the cultural mainstream.


Check out:

52 Blocks in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkcCc6VRSYI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc9XpqkURBg&feature=related

Wikipedia "Jailhouse Rock."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailhouse_rock_(fighting_style)

[sledge]

This is interesting.  I'm surprised they didn't show any below the the waist leg sweeps.  Maybe they just didn't make the video.  I like to watch boxing but never really applied it much.  If someone gets violent I like to get up close and personal. 

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer applies to a lot of different things."

[mountainredneck2051]

my martial arts are even more kick ass i call it
draw and fire foo

[southern patriot]

Never heard of jail house rock...awesome!

[RONSERESURPLUS]

Thanks all, I've not heard of this style of fighing as well? I'm also suprised it doesn't include more leg sweeps and Rolls as I have seen on Vids from Penal Facilities of fights and riots they filmed? I wonder how much of what we see is the whole picture?


RON L

[505th.NM.Militia]

The problem with something like "52 blocks" is its only for blocking punches, making it pretty ineffective for anything but streetfighting or boxing.   I blocked an attack from a wrench with my arm one time and got a broken elbow for my trouble.