"90% of fights end up on the ground"?

[ckdstudent]

In the case of most fights, if both of you hit the ground the fight's gone on too long. The majority of encounters are over in the first three seconds. This isn't to say that groundfighting is unnecessary, far from it, you should learn everything you can to defend yourself.

 

 

[Knuth]

All things being equal I am more confident with my standup skills but if I encouter a situation where an assailent looks like he knows how to strike on his feet than I will try to take him down.

 

I've been in very few real fights, thank god. Two of them ended with joint locks (while standing) and the other three all ended with a quick jab to the face. None of them lasted more than two minutes.

 

 

[tsdstud]

I'm a stand up stylist. We do a little grappling because we realize that many fights go to the ground. I wish we did more, that's why I started wrestling at school. Of course, 3 weeks in I dislocated my shoulder. Anyway, I'd prefer to stand up in a street fight, Cuz once you hit the ground you can't usually see what's going on around you.

[ckdstudent]

When you fight three people locks can be very useful. Fold their arm up behind them to position them between you and the others, then release and step back with a hard linear kick to drive them into each other.

 

 

[Sinbad]

That statistic is from the LAPD about officers apprehending suspects. Since it is easier to cuff a resisting suspect when he is pinned to the ground, it is not surprising the % is so high.

 

What % of fights not involving LEOs go to the ground? Who knows. On the street it is clearly best to stay on your feet. Sure, you need to know some groundwork for if you end up there but it is even more important in my view to master strikes and throws particularly from the clinch so you avoid going to the ground in the first place.

[monkeygirl]

It's good to have experience in both areas. Being small, a fight will probably result in me being on the ground, since it wouldn't take much to get me there. I'd have to say in a self-defense situation, I'm better at ground fighting. I think it's also safer for me. I can't really generate a lot of power while standing up, but a bigger opponent could. Having my opponent in close to me, I can do a lot more, and s/he can't really get away.

 

Learning how to get up quickly is also very important, as well as a good pair of running shoes

 

Thank God I've never been in a real fight, if I did, even with ground fighting I'd probably be dead meat. :dead:That's why I also practice my negotiating skills

 

 

[Sinbad]

Hey MonkeyGirl,

 

you say you do groundfighting as well as TKD. Is that part of your TKD syllabus or do you cross train in another art?

[three60roundhouse]

Hey, I'm not monkeygirl but I also train in TKD! My instructor is a blue belt in BJJ as well as 5th deg in TKD, so as a part of our TKD training he would introduce really basic stuff, like upa and elbow escaps and a sweep or two, and then how to stand up...he wanted us always to end up standing again.

 

A few months ago my instructor and some other blue belts from his academy decided to start up a beginner BJJ class at our TKD dojang once or twice a week - and it's really cool...the BJJ has added a whole new dimension to training. My instructor's instuctor, a brown belt under Royler Gracie, came and taught a class, too.

[Sinbad]

That's fantastic. Very open minded of your instructor to see the weaknesses in a pure striking style and complement it with a grappling art.

 

Personally, I think we live in a shrinking world where it is increasingly easy for martial artists of all types to communicate and discuss their respective art forms. Surely there is much to be said for learning from each other and not sticking exclusively to one pure style just because of tradition.

[--]

Although taking it to the ground is the last thing you want to do in a street fight, ground fighting is necessary. Shuai Chiao is a powerful and brutal ground-fighting art that deals with both grappling and hard strikes, as well as pressure points and such. It is an ideal style to learn if you want to take your opponent down, thrash them into pulp, and get back on your feet quickly.