in mind that while these are the guiding principles behind our core curriculum, the defensive techniques we teach may be harder for some people than others based on factors such as size, strength, reach, etc. We must always give ourselves the opportunity to make allowances.
For example, the “3-minute rule” might become the “10-minute rule” if a student is attempting a technique under more challenging circumstances, such as a bigger/heavier training partner. This is especially true for ground defense. They may need the extra time to learn how the mechanics work, and to make them work under more challenging circumstances. This is why it can be beneficial to first try things out with lower levels of resistance on someone who isn’t too much bigger. As for commonality of technique, someone may have prior training in a certain way of reacting to a particular attack. Even if it does not necessarily follow with this principle within our style, for self-protection purposes it may make sense for that person to use these previously trained skills because that is the way their body wants to react. When it comes to fine motor skill techniques, they can become equivalent in practical value to ones using gross motor skills when they have been trained enough. When they reach this stage of development, some people may be able to rely upon them as easily as simpler techniques.
When it comes to training and applying techniques for self-protection we try to remember the following maxim: “Never say always. Never say never.” There will inevitably be times when we break from the principles, so we must train ourselves to treat each situation as unique and to keep our minds open to alternative solutions.
Ground Defense Rules for Self-Protection
There are four general rules to follow when applying our skills for the purposes of self-protection and preservation:
1. Rule #1: Protect your head and neck. If an attacker is trying to immobilize you and eliminate your defensive capabilities, the most dangerous targets are the head and neck. While defending from the ground, you should maintain a protective guard to protect these targets whenever possible. To do this, keep your arms up to form a barrier around your head. Keep your chin tucked with the shoulders raised to help prevent strikes to the chin and jaw. This also protects against chokes. If being struck, try to keep your head moving to make it harder for your attacker to land a solid blow.
2. Rule #2: Find/create opportunities. Like in any defensive situation, you need to find, create and take advantage of defensive opportunities. When fighting from the ground, space is your friend if your goal is to escape. Space opens up more defensive options, allowing you to use more of your body, which is particularly important if your attacker has the size/strength advantage. Attacks to vulnerable targets, in combination with applicable body shifting techniques, can serve to create more space. The extra space can allow you to use more powerful strikes, apply body shifting more effectively, or simply give you the opportunity to escape.
3. Rule #3: Keep your limbs close. If an attacker can get control of your arm or leg, it decreases the number of tools you have to use in defense, also allowing them to more easily apply joint manipulation techniques. When your limbs are fully extended, it is also easier for an attacker to gauge your reach, further minimizing your ability to defend yourself. To keep this from happening, keep your limbs bent and retracted close to your body. This allows you to use your body as an anchor while still being able to use them to attack back.
4. Rule #4: Get off the ground! The ground is a dangerous place to be. You greatly increase your ability to protect yourself and escape a conflict by getting off the ground as soon as you have the opportunity to do so safely. As such, it is important to train yourself to get back on our feet once you have escaped a ground attack.
Challenges for Different Body Types
There is no “one size fits all” approach to ground defense. Differences in height, weight, and body type create different challenges for each person when it comes to ground defense techniques. The challenges also change depending on the size and body type of your attacker. Different techniques work better for different people. While in this book, we strive to present techniques that will work best for the widest range of people, inevitably there are exceptions that may necessitate an altered approach. Or you may find advantages that are unique to you that serve to improve your defensive capabilities on the ground. Whatever the situation, experiment and improvise using the materials in this book and any other useful resources to find what works best for your unique body type.
1. Petite Bodies. If you’re this body type, you are usually shorter, lighter, and weaker than the average attacker (for the purposes of this book, we assume that the average attacker is a man). Because your legs and arms are shorter, you are able to strike more effectively and move more freely when your limbs are not immobilized. If you try to use strength to fight strength, you will tire out quickly, making yourself less capable of mounting an effective defense. If you’re fully pinned and there is not an immediate and/or urgent need to escape, you may want to wait for opportunities in which you have more freedom of movement rather than fighting hard in a scenario that will exhaust you.
2. Tall and Lanky Bodies. If you’re this body type, may find it more difficult to use your limbs strategically because they tend to be longer and harder to manuever in the confines of certain types of ground defense situations. You’ll likely need to use strikes to create more space so that you can more effectively use your body. Fortunately, when you have the space, the extra reach that your body type affords can make it easier to access targets that are farther away.
3. Big and Broad Bodies. If you’re this body type, you probably won’t find ground defense very challenging when facing an average sized man without a skill advantage. You may not have the speed and flexibility that other body types are more likely to have, but you are more likely to be able to make up for that with mass and strength. Because of your breadth, you can more easily off-balance an attacker that is on top of you without using much strength. This is an ability that you should develop in your training whenever possible. Practice your ground defense skills against people who are closer to your own size (or bigger) whenever possible for the purposes of realism as this is more likely going to be situation on the street.
Safety Practices in Training
While we want to create as realistic an environment as practical when training, it is important to do so and still maintain the safety of all participants. No one wants to get an injury that will keep them from training whether it’s a small cut that interrupts their class in order to receive first aid, or a more serious joint injury that can keep them away for months. As such, we encourage everyone to follow the practices below to keep everyone safe.
1. Tap early, tap often. If your partner achieves a strong submission position, don’t delay in tapping in the hopes of muscling your way out. If they have superior positioning, you risk injury by trying to force your way out. The best way to tap is to tap the person’s body, or if that is not possible, you can tap the mat very loudly. If tapping is impossible, or simply not fast enough, you can do so verbally by saying, “Tap!” or “Stop!”
2. Stay relaxed and avoid using strength. When tousling on the ground, the tendency for an untrained person is to use frantic movements to fight the person off. This tendency should be avoided in training. Staying relaxed and avoiding the use of strength helps you conserve energy, makes you harder to move, helps you to see more opportunities, and keeps everyone safer as they train in ground defense. While this is a general training rule, and in a real self-protection scenario, there may be cases in
