How to win a grappler

[Iskrax]

What would you do? He grabs you and tries to throw you. Or he keeps distance and waits till you throw round house kick and when he catches your leg. What technics would you use to knockout or fight a grappler? (talking about Judoka or Sambo).

Personally I would use punches and maybe low kicks. I would never used Roundhouse kick or turning kick. If he catches me I would use my minimal grappling experience and try to use knee kicks.

[Harkon72]

All martial arts have what is called an effective zone or physical context. In this space or set of conditions, and against another person who works in this space in the same way, the system works, it looks very impressive. If you are confronted with an opponent outside this zone that you are used to, you can struggle to be effective. The same goes for the way you behave within this zone. For example, karate works in the middle distance area; if you step away from them, they will follow until they reach this effective zone that they are used to. If you step close to them, their technique has to change to accept your attack, if this is new to them, they will struggle to be effective. It's the same for a grappler, they are used to being in close contact and taking the fight to the ground, this is where their zone is. What you must do is move yourself outside this zone. In Aikido, they call it moving off line. They have movements such as irimi tenkan, or entering turn, where you move away from the opponent and their attack while remaining in control. Don't be where they are strong, step out of their zone and make them act in yours.

[bushido_man96]

Harkon72 makes good points about the zones. A grappler is likely to close with you and try to take you to the ground. This means you need to defend his grips and the takedown. If you have ever seen Loyota Machida fight, he is very good at using footwork to maintain his distance from someone, but still be within striking distance himself. He has grappling experience, but he knows his strength is in the stand-up game. So that is how I would try to do it if I had to fight a grappler, and didn't want to play their game.

Now, the hard part is negating their game. Grapplers are very adept at getting the fight to the ground.

[wildbourgman]

Iskrax, one thing that I've started learning since I've been taking Shorin Ryu is "tuite" or hand control, is that you can have a little more comfort when dealing with a grappler. In the big picture unless your sparring or competing in an MMA style competition you probably won't come across a true trained "grappler" on the street.

This street situation is where a basic understanding of tuite comes in handy, because let's face it if you let a Gracie Ju Jitsu blackbelt get there hands on you your going to have trouble anyway. As someone with a Shotokan background the tuite training is still new to me, but already I feel that in some basic situations I can deal with an attacker who gets his hands on me much better than before.

[Wastelander]

Since I actively trained and competed in judo for 4 years, and have incorporated it into my karate ever since, I'm pretty comfortable dealing with grapplers. Yes, there are certainly better grapplers out there, but I feel I can handle myself in a self defense situation. My advice would be to become as comfortable as you can in all ranges. Wildbourgman's comments about tuidi are certainly true, but I also highly recommend that you get some training in a grappling art. There is really no true "anti-grappling" method except for learning how to grapple.

[sensei8]

Transition continuously at all angles. Strike with force and with great intent when a grappler gets in close to you.

The grappler wants you on the ground; that's where they're the most comfortable, and you might not be so comfortable.

Sprawl them if you can't strike with greater intent!

As Wastelander points out...best to learn grappling! Not in a passing, but with serious intent! If one's not comfortable on the ground, then one must to all that is possible to stay on one's feet. If not, one better have more than a basic knowledge of grappling.

Grapplers aren't going to let you do anything, if they can help it. They're well and aware of what their risks are, but they're coming to get you to the ground. If you can keep them at bay, then that's half the battle, but it's not going to be an easy battle.

Grapplers are fast in transitioning from one point to another...aka, from where they are and where you are!!

Don't be afraid of grapplers...they're humans too!!

[jaypo]

I've been training more tuite thru Kyusho and some Hapkido with another instructor. It adds a little more to my karate training. And when used correctly, I can put anyone down. The man I train under is about 6'0, 215, and very strong. I'm 6'0 and 185 and fairly strong. And when he shows me the correct way to do things, I can put him down with little effort at all. Sometimes, with just adjusting the angle of a hand. And it helps to know a lot of pressure points as well, because even if you can disrupt his intent for a few seconds by hitting a vital point, it can create an opportunity to end the situation.

Grappling with my instructor feels weird because he's trained, and I'm not, but when I perform the techniques as he teaches them to me, it negates a lot of the advantages a grappler has over me.

[guird]

The best thing is obviously to be good at grappling yourself. Grappling knowledge is neccessary to stuff takedowns, control and escape the clinch where the risk of being thrown is high, and to survive on the ground and get to a position from which you can stand back up.

In MMA circles I think this strategy is called 'sprawl and brawl'. From what I hear, freestyle wrestling is the reccomended grappling art for this approach, because of it's emphasis on takedowns and position as opposed to submissions.

If you'll be fighting or sparring a grappler without having to opportunity to do some grappling yourself, I don't know how much advice I can give you. If you infight, it easy for them to clinch, if you outfight, they can shoot (I know my highest-success rate takedown is a double leg takedown while my opponent jabs, but then my stand-up grappling is pretty limited). If you punch, they can slip or parry and then close, if you kick, they can catch and throw you from there. It depends a lot on their specific grappling experience and what kind of striking(if any) they know.

[sensei8]

In the end, imho, it's about who wants it the most!!

[pers]

Against an experienced grappler or wrestler your chances are limited , I am speaking with 30 years of karate training , I never trained in wrestling myself but I come from a family of strong wrestling tradition .

You have one chance before he grabs you and 99 percent of the time he will win unless you are a very accomplished karateka and can use the small gaps in time to strike a decisive blow with your elbows or kness to his vital areas and knock him out .

Before he grabs you if you have the experience and skill to strike him with a front kick or hiza geri ... maybe when he lowers himself to luanch himself to grab your legs or maybe a powerfull punch to his jaw or if he is too close an elbow strike to jaw .....

but your technique better be good cause if survives them you are in big trouble !