Sunday, February 22, 2009

Going to the ground


90% of all street fights go to the ground. This statement has been repeated (with only a few mild variations as to the percentage) often on martial arts forums, magazines and post MMA, BJJ or Vale Tudo competitions. It has been said so many times that its precise origins are uncertain, although the Gracies are a commonly cited source. It has been repeated so many times that it has become what an MA acquaintance of mine in Chicago calls a factoid – something that is not a fact but has become such in the public consciousness.

There is a small element of truth in this fact. Most serious street fights do end up with a person on the ground; the loser. Most of the street fights of the original person who voiced the above statement probably did go to the ground, because that was where he took them and was good at doing so. But ask any military person who has used unarmed combat for real, any police officers or bouncers how often in their fights they have found themselves on the ground and the answer is likely to be below 10%. Look at the CCTV footage of fights that grace our television screens from time to time or study the Home Office statistics on violence on our streets and again you will find no evidence to indicate that groundfighting is common on our streets or inside our clubs. (Up to date statistics and research papers based upon data from police, social services, victims of crime and A&E units can be found at http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk/.)

So, when do fights go to the ground? In my opinion this only happens in the following cases:
1. When both fighters are so unskilled and/or intoxicated that they simply cling to each other and wrestle rather than manage coherent strikes. The event of one of them falling pulls the other down.
2. When one of the combatants, following a number of strikes, instinctively drops to the ground and curls into a ball to protect themselves (foetal position).

3. When one of the combatants is a skilled groundfighter who deliberately takes the fight to the ground.


Why shouldn’t we go to the ground:
1. The surface. Even for a skilled person, the risk of landing badly on tarmac or a surface with broken glass, chairs, ashtrays etc is high. You cannot guarantee that you will be the one on top.

2. Company. If you are on the ground you have even less chance of defending yourself against any bystanders who may or may not take your side than you do if you are standing up. Many people will not commit assault unless they have mates nearby who can back them up (who may appear to be just part of the crowd) – going to the ground increases the danger of a multiple assault and makes it harder to run away.

3. Weapons. Some people carry knives but are ‘decent’ enough only to use them if they feel that you aren’t playing fair by just taking a regular beating (for example those who deliberately seek a fight every Saturday night). Deflecting any type of stab while on the ground is harder than when standing up.

4. The law. The police will naturally treat both people involved that they find as aggressors. You will look far worse trying to choke a person beneath you (or hitting them in the face) than you would trading blows while standing. Even a choke or joint lock from below looks worse than any standing attack and puts you at risk of all sorts of floor related injuries.

5. Intent. Do you want to control your opponent until help comes? Do you intend to choke them and then walk away? Do you want to knock them out? Do you hope to deter them with some strong strikes?

Should we practise submission groundfighting techniques then? I would not consider them essential. It is more important to practice methods of getting back up and striking on the ground in order to do so than to practice applying controls on the ground. That being said, it does not hurt to have some of the latter techniques in your repertoire and you should really seek out a groundfighting specialist for some cross training rather than practice a few isolated technique from your kata in a horizontal position. At the end of the day, given the odds of meeting a professional groundfighter who wants to take the risk of going to ground outside the ring or dojo, it is your striking skills that require more work if you wish to avoid making the oft quoted factoid a reality.

This article first appeared in Traditional Karate Magazine October 2006.

Coach John Titchen teaches Defence Attack & Resolution Tactics to students, education professionals and corporate clients and can be reached via his website http://www.d-a-r-t.org.uk/, e mail jwt.dart@gmail.com. He is a Personal Defence Readiness™ Coach with Blauer Tactical Systems and is available to teach both self protection and Karate Bunkai seminars. The author’s new book, Heian Flow System - Effective Karate Kata Bunkai, is available on Amazon and through all good bookshops.