“The biggest downfall of grappling is that it can be defeated by biting, eye-gouging, blades and multiple opponents, methods forbidden in the systems which promote grappling.”
– Dennis Martin
Some people teach grappling as a complete fighting system. It’s not. It is however, an essential part of any martial art or self-defense curriculum. You should learn to grapple and recognize that ground fighting is something you must train in. It’s not everything, but then nothing is.
The above quote by Dennis Martin points out some of the weaknesses of grappling. Every system has weaknesses, and it is important to recognize them and learn options so you can deal with whatever might come at you.
Ground fighting is important because many fights end up there. I don’t believe the statistics that say 90-95 percent of fights end up on the ground, but I do know that many people take the fight to the floor, and many others end up on the ground during a fight unintentionally. So regardless of how you get to the ground, you must know how to survive there once it happens. But here is an important point: In a real fight, never voluntarily go to the ground.
Going to the ground in real fights puts you in a position where your adversary may have a great advantage if armed with a blade, or if his buddies decide to join in. Being on the ground when others decide to put the boots to you is a very bad place to be. Kicks and stomps to your head can be deadly serious.
I haven’t always followed this rule. In my book “Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks,” I tell of a time that I took a guy to the ground and his buddy then started playing kick ball with me. It was not the place I wanted to be. (The story also involves a steel bucket and my sweat pants around my ankles, check it out when the Revised and Expanded Edition is released in September 2013.)
The best use of your ground fighting skills is to get you out of a situation and back on your feet. So practice that way!
With that said, ground fighting and grappling can be a lot of fun, great exercise, and a way to toughen up. So I’m all for hard training on the floor or mat. Judo, Jujitsu and MMA grappling and wrestling all toughen a person up, and that is beneficial in a real altercation. The first formal martial art I studied was Judo, and things I learned and practiced there helped me in real situations later. So do learn and practice ground fighting, and get good at it.
Where can you learn? There are many options available, and I always tell people it is more important to find an instructor and fellow students that you like, respect, and can learn from, than a particular style. The ones I mentioned above are all good: Judo, BJJ, traditional jujitsu, wrestling, and many MMA schools all teach good grappling skills. For DVD resources, I really like the ones that Mark Hatmaker puts out. He instructs very well on DVD and I’ve incorporated things from him into my training and teaching. So there are many options, get out and find one that works for you and get to training.
Just remember that when it’s a real fight, I firmly believe ground fighting should be for getting back to your feet, not grappling for submission.
“Avoid going to the ground in a fight. The ground is where you can easily get stomped, kicked, and maimed, if not outright killed.”
– Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder The Little Black Book Of Violence