Nelson Family Reference

Mat Manual companion guide to "The Full Nelson, Taught Safely." Print it. The article sets the frame: the full nelson is a control position, pressure beyond the control standard is knowledge-level only, and release is the graded skill. This reference puts the whole nelson shelf in one book, quarter, half, and full, with control standards printed before any pressure standard on every card.

Name: ______________________________ Gym: ______________________________ Current level: ______________ Coach who cleared my stage: ______________

BEFORE ANYTHING: SAFETY LEADS ☐ PASS/FAIL: Release is instant. A tap, a word, any sound of distress, or a coach's call ends any nelson in the same motion it is heard or felt. A late release fails the rep, the set, and the session's grade, whatever the technique looked like. ☐ PASS/FAIL: No pressure beyond the control standard in Parts 9 and 10 is applied in training, ever. The historical finisher's drive is knowledge-level only in this book. A holder who exceeds the standard is stopped and removed from nelson work that day. ☐ PASS/FAIL: No surprises. The holder names the hold, the stage, and the dose out loud before every set, and the partner confirms. A set that starts without the naming did not happen as far as this book is concerned. ☐ Neck, arm, or hand pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, dizziness, or vision changes end all nelson work for the day for that student, and follow medical guidance, not the training plan. ☐ Students with a neck history of any kind tell the coach before the first session of this book, and work only at the stage the coach sets after hearing it. Silence about a neck history is a fault in this book, not a private choice. ☐ Standing full nelson work is coach-set only, kneeling and mat-based work is the default, and no stage in this book is self-cleared. If your coach has not cleared the stage, the stage does not exist for you yet.

Part 1: The Family Card

Read the shelf left to right as a risk ladder as well. Each step adds an arm and removes one of the bottom player's easy exits: the quarter nelson's mistakes cost a position, the half nelson's cost a turn, and the full nelson's can cost a neck.

Your coach's settings for your pair, written before the first drill: starting stage: ______________ Settings allowed (kneeling / standing): ______________ Partner restrictions: ______________