Back To Article Brief
Back To Article List
GROUND GUIDE
Author: David Meyer
Most martial artists recognize the importance of having
some grappling and ground-fighting skills. The difficult
question for many stand-up fighters then becomes, What’s
the best way to acquire these skills, and just how proficient do I
have to become? If you truly want to transform yourself into a grappler, you can join the nearest Brazilian- jujutsu, judo or wrestling club, take off your black belt and spend a few years developing expertise on the ground.
But if your goal is to learn basic skills so that if you’re taken down in a fight, you can get back on your feet and into the environment you know best, it’s more efficient to identify and practice grappling techniques specifically for that purpose. Once you possess those skills, you can expand on them if you wish, but you’ll always have the knowledge you need to survive most ground fights.
If you’re a striker who fits this description, you should focus on three skills: avoiding a takedown, escaping from the ground and returning to your feet, and striking on the ground. For all three facets, you’ll need the best grappler you can find to serve as your training partner.
AVOIDING A TAKEDOWN
It is possible to avoid being taken down—as any judoka or wrestler can attest. The problem is that because you’re probably not aware of the ways a takedown can be effected, you can leave yourself open without even knowing it. Devote some time to learning how to remain on your feet, and you’ll greatly increase your ability to do so in most situations.
The basic tools involved in this part of the equation are lateral movement, sprawling and the crossface.
Lateral movement is important because it enables you to evade your opponent’s takedown attempt and sets up your angle for counterattacking.
To practice it, have your partner pursue you around the mat and try to clinch with you. Keep your hands on his head and shoulders and move to the side, misdirecting him and following up with striking techniques.
Have him start slowly, then gradually increase the intensity.
This Drill will not only develop your clinch-avoidance skills but will also accustom you to grappling contact and what feels like to attack at close range. You’ll probably find that the most effective strikes are boxing-style punches, knee and elbow thrusts, and round kicks to the legs.
If you want to employ longer-range kicks, you’ll first have to move laterally, launch a quick counterattack and create more distance.
When someone tries to tackle you, you may not have time to move laterally and off-line. That’s when you need to sprawl. Sprawling is a method for countering an opponent’s grab by launching your legs backward and dropping your hips as low as possible. The movement will leave you lying across his upper back as he’s face-down on the ground.
To develop this skill, have your partner slowly dive in to hug one or both of your legs. Shoot your legs backward and lie flat on his upper back until it becomes second nature.
Then have him slowly increase the intensity until your reaction becomes strong and immediate. Each time you do it, spin to the side, disengage and counterstrike.
When an opponent manages to capture a leg and keeps you from sprawling, your last line of defense is to combine the best sprawl you have with an arm movement called the cross-face. That technique entails using your forearm or palm to pry his head to the side and make enough space for you to continue your sprawl and stay on your feet. If his head is in front of your stomach or next to your right hip, insert your right hand between your body and his and use your right forearm to leverage the right side of his jaw as you move your hips away and to the left.
To develop this skill, allow your partner to grab your legs, then use the cross-face to wedge his head away so you can complete your sprawl. Once you’re free, finish him with strikes. ...