Cross Training and Self Defense

[pittbullJudoka]

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

Over the past few years I've been heavily involved in martial arts in general. This is something I enjoy greatly as it has brought me out of a very dark and dangerous time in my life. I am also a very avid mixed martial arts fan; here lies the basis of this article. I train in a traditional style yet our practices may be considered strange, weird, or wrong by most in today's martial art culture. We train in a style but are not afraid to learn new techniques from other styles and if we like them, we employ them into our own. This doesn't matter if it's from Tae Kwon Do, Judo, or Shorin Ryu.

My style is thrown out the window when our dojo opens its doors and everyone from every style is welcome. That's the only way we learn anything new. MMA has exploded in the past several years. I remember the first time I sat in front of a TV with a copy of UFC II playing. My brother had told me about it and we rented it on the way home from our Karate class. I was hooked. I also knew after watching Royce Gracie a few times it was important to know how to handle yourself on the ground. By nature, most fights seem to end up on the ground because we want to have the most dominate position. By chance or purpose it will get there if the fight goes on long enough. Also, I knew by watching this it was equally important to be able to stand and throw.

In self defense, you work to survive and escape - not win. Ask yourself these few questions. Am I comfortable on the ground? Can I get off the ground if someone puts me there? If not, do I know what to do if I can't get up? Can I realistically defend myself here?

In the dojo where I train, it is a must to be able to fight on your feet and from the ground. As a martial artist, we should be able to dictate where a fight takes place. If we are losing the fight on our feet, we should be able to take our foe out of their element and put the fight on the ground. If you find yourself on the ground and being pounded, you should be able to make your way back to your feet.

Everyone has seen t-shirts with such logos as “Tap or snap" and “Tap out before you black out". In a real fight, you must not concern yourself with submissions. You can use some holds to sweep or turn your adversary so you can escape. Your ultimate goal on the street is survival not submission. If you do lock an arm bar, you must either use it to somehow improve your position or sweep. If not, you must quickly choose to break the arm or let it go.

Your actions in a conflict may indeed affect your life from that day forward. Depending on the level of threat made to you and/or your family or friends who may be with you. Try this in your dojo sometime. Set a timer for two minutes, put one person flat on their back and another gets to take side control. The student on his back has the objective of getting to his feet. He or she can use sweeps, holds and striking but they are to be focused on getting to their feet.

The student on top is to hold them to prevent their escape. This student can use strikes, submissions and other means to keep the fight on the ground. If the bottom person gets up before time runs out, repeat the drill until time is up and switch roles. Mix up body types in this drill. Let them see weight and strength differences and see how fatigue also plays a role. This also lets a person know where improvements can be made for getting off the ground.

Training to have a well rounded arsenal of fisticuffs isn't so easy. You must be able to punch and kick as well as grapple. But it isn't as simple as learning to throw combinations and rolling on the floor looking for that sub you saw on The Ultimate Fighter episode last night. You have to take time to learn proper technique.

I have never taken a formal Judo, or Jujitsu class. I have visited some schools because a few friends were attending and I picked up a few things. I have studied several texts in depth and have a great training partner. This person could give me honest feedback about how things were working and if my adjustments were good or bad. My mind was naturally wired for both stand up fighting and ground fighting. Picking up ground technique is really easy for me. My brother picks up stand up techniques easier than I do, so everyone is different.

The most important thing most people don't realize is putting it all together seamlessly. You must to be able to transition easily from one set to another and back again. This is the most difficult thing to do out of all of your technique. You must be able to close from stand up range to clinch and secure the take down. In doing so, you must also have the ability to maintain a controlling position. If you can get to clinch and start the take down and end up on bottom, you have wasted a lot of time and energy. You have also put yourself in a bad position.

In learning ground technique you also need to learn to stop the take down. You'll need a decent sprawl, and the knowledge to stop other types of take downs. You will need to learn to stop and counter throws. Also you need the ability to be thrown and know how to properly land. Learning to land is very important. This will prevent injuries that could last a life time. Also, landing properly will keep you in the fight longer.

Another element one must learn to round this entire skill set out is striking when on the ground. First is striking from the top position. You must learn to control your opponent well enough to make openings so your strikes land effectively. Also, one must learn to control their weight so as to not make it easy to be over turned so your foe can make his escape. If you let your weight get high, you will be easily pushed off or swept. One needs to learn to defend against strikes and how to deliver them from the bottom position. Part of defending the strike from the bottom is controlling your opponent's posture.

To truly study martial arts one must study the art of stand up fighting and ground fighting. No one art style is going to prepare one to defend them self totally on the ground or when on your feet. These techniques should be trained separately and slowly put together. But, with the rise of the UFC in the mainstream more and more, guys will be trying to get you to the ground for some ground and pound.

So, for the sake of the arts, self defense, and because it gives us married guys another reason to train another night, take up cross training. In all seriousness, cross training can be the difference between life and death in the streets.

[Patrick]

Thank you for the submission.

[bushido_man96]

A very nice article. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Your ultimate goal on the street is survival not submission. If you do lock an arm bar, you must either use it to somehow improve your position or sweep. If not, you must quickly choose to break the arm or let it go.

This is a very good point. I have never really thought about it, but you are right; the longer you try to hold someone in a lock, then the more of a chance you run of them beginning to squirm out of it. Even if it does hurt them some, escape may be their priority. It can also get tiring to hold a lock for a prolonged period of time. I found this out the other night at work, when I had to work my thumbs out for a while before I could even write with my pen again.