Why you need to know ground fighting

[lungs]

ankle rigs suck, regardless of what position you are in. If you have the needed 2 full seconds to draw and hit anything from an ankle rig, you would be better off either just running for cover or charging-hitting the guy with your natural weapons.

[Briar Wabbit]

Lord! ... I am getting WAY too old, for this stuff ! ... Just kneeling down to tie my boots hurts all over!
Never mind TRYING to get back up. I still need to get myself a pair of knee-pads, so I can set up my camp and maintain/repair my Motorcycle (Motard) .

In MY mind, there are many other training priorities which come FIRST ... Learning to identify and treat various injuries and medical conditions ... learning how to actually USE all my gear, efficiently and training to carry it long distances. ... Learning how to repair and maintain my motorcycle and even how to change-out a bycycle inner-tube, faster. Learning natural food sources. Escape and evasion, etc.

To my mind, all that comes before learing how to wrastle a guy with a knife.

I HAVE, (used to) actually trained, formerly (knife-fighting, PMAB, etc.) ... Have taken over a dozen sutures, in the forehead, catching furniture, while wrestling violent mental patients (yes, I was a staffer on a violent dorm) and got several citations (meritorious).

But, I must say ... tho hand-to-hand combat, with and without weapons, IS likely to come into play, at SOME point, in a RWOL scenario ...
... There (in my mind) are much more pressing skills and strategies, which I must master FIRST, before I spend a whole lot of time dealing with training for violent physical conflict.

I also studied under a Tai-Chi master, for some months, who encouraged me to sense trouble, miles and days away, and to "steer around it", altogether (if/whenever at-all possible).

Once I figger all that out, and how to keep my bike running, with tools/parts-on-hand and even get faster at changing a bicycle inner tube and actually trapping critters, with reliable efficiency ... then ... (only then) ... I just migh catch up to you guys and practice how to effectively deploy my .410 derringer, while lying on the ground with an ape on top of me.

Not to diss you guys for taking this as seriously as it SHOULD be ... I'm just sayin'

I still need to learn how to be a super-camper, better-medic, mechanic and super-trapper BEFORE I start training at being a SpecOps Super-Soldier !
I am not trying to take-over a Latin-American country ... Or engage any Rambos, tho I'll concede that the skills can and may save one's life, in WROL, and even just in "regular times", on the road or on the trail or in your own home.

[Lowdown3]

Riiighhht. OK then...

Yes ground fighting, grappling, etc. is different, without a doubt. Important skill though, you betcha.

And I don't remember any latin american country that was taken over by ground fighting. Though one could argue the Gracies could do that in Brazil. LMAO

Re-watching "The Road" last night, I kept thinking to myself- "THAT half a wooden chair could be a weapon" "THAT could be used as a weapon", etc. He skated through the movie with 2 rounds in his revolver. I'd want to have something outside of those 2 rounds.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Got me a heavy ground bag this week in trade for doing some work on a gun for a guy and went today and Academy was closing out TAPOUT MMA gloves for $14 a set so i got and the boy some!
Tai-Che isnt that what it is, sterring around , peace, harmony? don't remember one violent thing when my Mom made me take it as a kid.
Deploying that 410 derringer can be done easier if you understand the concepts of moving ur hips and sweeps etc. It will allow you to get to it.
This is something we could do a vid on maybe, i dunno, anyone else interested?

[barfife]

I have always been a "hands on" kind of guy. More so when I wore a younger man's clothes. Now I am more of a "shoot you, cut you, bite you, hit you with a brick" kind of guy. Now, when I spar with either of my sons (ages 24 and 26), I can't win without cheating! Though I still enjoy the grapling practice.

[WiseOwl]

Best thing to know....SPRAWL BABY SPRAWL!!!!!

[Lowdown3]

Re: sprawl-

Their is a guy here on staff that I think used to be the head tackle for the Idaho PAWtriots professional football team. Being an ex football player, he used the bumrush in approach a couple times when we've sparred together. He's a strong dude and knows how to put and keep the pressure on.

A lot of football players and people like that are going to try to take you down in this manner. When you think about it a tackle bumrush isn't all that different from a double leg takedown. The drive through them type, not the lift and dump them over to the side type.

You gotta know how to sprawl and be QUICK with it and/or you gotta know how to wrap up a guillotine and pull guard. The other option the "early defense" if you will, would be to use their movement/momentum against them. We might not always catch it early though. Always good to have multiple options IMO.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I have always been a "hands on" kind if guy. More so when I wore a younger man's clothes. Now I am more of a "shoot you, cut you, bite you, hit you with a brick" kind of guy. Now, when I spar with either of my sons (ages 24 and 26), I can't win without cheating! Though I still enjoy the grapling practice.

Aint no doubt!!! mines 21 and him and his buddies all got me in strength, weight and size. Put me in one of them fancy cage ankle/knee locks and just see if you dont sing soprano the next week. and if i get that kershaw open on your achilles tendon you wont never be right, hang on to my leg and i'll cut yours off there gimpy, snatch them dumb looking crocs off a boy and seperate me some toes and send a little piggy to market we we we all the way home i will! LOL

The other option the "early defense" if you will, would be to use their movement/momentum against them. We might not always catch it early though. Always good to have multiple options IMO.

Even with the "let the force pass" motion you will get triped or knocked down and still end up on the ground which can leave you on your back. Even with Akido and Judo things become a tangled mess and everyone falls. All of which means you still gotta know how to defend or agress aka ground fighting in order to win, not look cool, not gain points, but win!

Let me sprawl and i'll show you where your head meets the neck and read just your spinal discs with the point of my elbow! hehehe

[Lowdown3]

Having received an straight downward elbow just to the side of the spine at a seminar recently, I can tell you that it was definitely no fun. Actually probably the most pain I've been in. It wasn't in sparring, I just happened to be the "training dummy" :(

[Briar Wabbit]

Working (directly/daily) with the most violent of adult-male mental patients (clients), I am/was PMAB certified ...
Make no mistake, this is a true fighting course but, it also focuses on the subtleties of human communication ... How to read and use body language and various stances that do not denote a physical challenge, to a potential agressor.
... Yes, ... a good deal of such courses does deal with de-fusing a developing conflict, and reading signals and not broadcasting signals of threat or challenge ... BUT ... it does get very deep into violent physical contact, and techniques to break holds and to estabish various restraining holds, and maintain them ... take-downs ... escapes, etc.

These are the sorts of clients that will kill you with a pencil, any chance they may get. One of my co-workers is prolly still in a coma from an attack with a stapler, etc. ... I have caught a few sofas and garbage cans up-side my own head.

The main point is to use human psychology and communication to "manage" a developing incident and it is truly amazing how effective simple things such as stance and expression can be ... even when your advesary is "heil-bent".

Of course ... When working in that space, you must always be on your guard ... You must never take anything for granted ... Never turn your back, etc.
These guys would smile sweetly and say, "good morning", and hit you over the head with a television, when you bend down to pick-up a candy wrapper.

(just a few rather obscure institutional links that google regurgitated)

http://www.fultonschools.org/dept/studentdiscipline/pdf/agenda.pdf

http://aacap.browsermedia.com/galleries/PracticeParameters/S_RFINAL.pdf

[wipeout]

I'm getting ready to start a BJJ program that has a gym here and I'm actually really excited about it. I took 12 years of traditional karate when I was younger and thinking back, I really can't believe they never really taught much in the way of ground fighting