Jailhouse Rock

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

Jailhouse Rock

Jailhouse rock or JHR is a name which is used to describe a collection
of different fighting styles which were practiced and/or developed in
US penal institutions. The "styles" of JHR seem to vary greatly, with
an emphasis on a free style governed roughly by underlying principles.
Some examples of the many styles of JHR are 52 Hand blocks, Comstock
Style, San Quentin style, Mount Meg, 42nd and Closing Gates.

Many of these styles of JHR are thought to have evolved regionally in
different penal institutions. Others assert that these are just
idiosyncratic variations of street fighting and not a "proper" martial
art.

For a long time, the existence of this martial art was hotly debated,
but near-mainstream media exposure, such as a magazine article
available in scanned form at Stickgrappler.tripod.com, have gone a
long way towards verifying the veracity of Jailhouse rock. The 52 Hand
Blocks aspect of JHR is featured in a true crime book called Street
Kingdom, published in 2002 and written by Douglas Century.

The name 52 may also be a reference to playing card games or 52 Pickup
and the expression to "let the cards fall where they may."

According to some researchers and practitioners, JHR is an indigenous
African American fighting art that has its origins in the 17th and
18th centuries, when slaves were first institutionalized and needed to
defend themselves. It is said to have evolved secretly within the U.S.
penal system, with regional styles reflecting the physical realities
in specific institutions. This theory relates JHR to the fusion of
African and American fist-fighting styles known as "cutting", which is
said to have been practiced by champions such as Tom Molineaux, and
also to the little-known African-American fighting skill known as
"knocking and kicking", which is said to be practiced clandestinely in
parts of the Southern US and on the Sea Islands.

Alternatively, other practitioners claim that JHR was not a product of
penal institutions but something which was evolved from one of the
many African martial arts or fighting games which was practiced by
slaves. Starting from the same artform but evolving separately in
different penal institutions. The art surviving and evolving on the
inside, while unfortunately being lost and forgotten on the outside.

Jailhouse Rock may be a modern American manifestation of the many
African martial arts that were disseminated throughout the African
diaspora, which may have fueled the evolution of other martial arts
including Brazilian Capoeira, Cuban Mani, Ladja of Martinique, and
Eritrean Testa.

Although modern versions of JHR allegedly exist (eg Bum Rush), it
appears that the original styles have become extinct in the current
penal systems, particularly as the influence of western boxing has
spread. Now JHR seems to be in the hands of the few, e.g. The 'more
senior' incarcerated and a few torch bearers on the outside such as
Dennis Newsome.

Elements of this art may also be seen in the 1987 film Lethal Weapon,
as taught to and choreographed for actor Mel Gibson by Dennis Newsome.

[Simba Nerevu]

http://www.malandros-touro.com/jailhouserock.html