Ground fighting: do we really need it?

     For quite some time now there has been an ever growing trend in the martial arts to incorporate ground fighting techniques into training programs everywhere. From the UFC dominance by Brazilian jujutsu fighters in its early years, to the US Army modeling their latest Combatives system on BJJ, to the rise of MMA as the "hot" thing to do... martial arts practitioners everywhere hold many of these systems as the most "realistic" and "complete" self defense systems available. Many of these claim their superiority by the amount of fights won in a ring or match by their exponents, or how effective they have shown to be against one on one encounters. The effectiveness of "traditional" martial arts and their teaching methods are disregarded as ineffective, antiquated and time consuming. How are we to consider the claims made by both groups?

MMA knockouts of 2010

Brazilian jujutsu vs karate

From the Bubishi, note several grappling techniques

     My own martial experience has been primarily on stand up systems (TKD and Isshin ryu karate, gung fu,  aikido and defensive tactics) which rely on percussion techniques (strike/punch/kick) along with some joint locking and throws. Ground work consisted mainly on how to disengage as quickly as possible and stand up to continue the fight. Even during aikido training the emphasis was to use ukemi (falling and tumbling drills) to survive throws without incurring injury, even at fast speed.

     Yoshinkan aikido ukemi drills

     I have always known my ground fighting ability is very limited and unsophisticated by "modern" standards; elbows, knees, groin grabs and biting will not win any contest where rules are involved although they might save me on the street. Furthermore, my size and natural sense of balance has always made it hard for others to unbalance or throw me. Of course, that worked quite well against people not specifically trained to bring one down into the ground and take the offensive while there.  The couple times I tangled with someone skilled (a college level wrestler one time, a judo nidan on another) I was totally out of my element, and even though I could delay a takedown, it was only a matter of time before I was off my feet.

     The focus of my training for most of my life, especially during the years I worked corporate security, was to restrain and hold a person if necessary, or take them out if not.  Remaining mobile was paramount, what with the possibility of multiple attackers, weapons, having to protect another person, etc.  Going to ground was a big no-no in my strategic outlook, and it still is.  There is a big difference between knowing how to win a ground fight where it's only you and an opponent; on the street, where others might get involved, the ground could be littered with glass or debris and knives and sticks are being used I do not want to remain in one spot for any length of time. My #1 rule for the moment when your awareness has failed you and physical confrontation is imminent: mobility is LIFE. Whether to gain higher terrain, find an escape route or keep several guys to get a hold on you, you must be able to move, and unless you are very adept at chinese dog boxing (a specialized ground fighting style) being on the ground precludes all those options. 

     Gou Quan (Dog Boxing)

      That being said, my recent training in jujutsu has brought an appreciation for the usefulness of ground fighting skills, especially in one-on-one situations where a person might surprise you and manage to get you down to the floor.  I still prefer to do my fighting standing, but the chance of being thrown is always present whether you face an irate drunkard or a trained MMA practitioner. Jujutsu has many techniques for controlling and throwing a person, as well as locks and chokes to be applied while on the ground. I would recommend the Kodokan Judo Goshin Jutsu form as a staple of a short self defense program, along with some training to regain the initiative if thrown down so as to escape or control an attacker. For law enforcement officers ground techniques can allow control of a suspect without unduly injuring him/her while avoiding legal repercussions and excessive force accusations.  Same for anyone who has to deal with altercations of a one-on-one nature, whether in a hospital, a bar, or correctional facilities.  

    The problem is, how much do we need ground fighting skills? How do we determine what degree of proficiency is needed to accomplish our ends?  In my case, being that I do not work in an environment where I find my physical persona attacked on a regular basis, to invest a lot of time gaining superlative skill at fighting on the ground is not a necessity.  Rather, it is a sort of academic pursuit, learning for the sake of learning and improving current skills and adding new ones.  I might have learned new ways to defend myself on the ground, but I have not trained long enough to unseat behavior learned over several decades and if caught unawares I would most likely revert to rapid fire knees and elbows to get some damage in so I can regain a standing position. Being that I am no longer restrained by the necessity of controlling someone without causing excessive damage (not that it is ok to hurt someone if you are a civilian, but if you work in the protection or security field the liability issues add a new level of complexity to everything) the need for highly specialized knowledge of ground fighting is not as important as it might have once been.  

Jujutsu in the old days, keeping it simple

     What about civilian self defense?  So many statistics have been mentioned on just how many fights end up on the ground, it is hard to determine exactly what kind of fights were involved in these. Were they drunken brawls, robberies or assaults? Were there only two persons involved, or many? Putting the numbers aside, the requirements for civilian defense are very different than those of law enforcement or protective personnel.  A civilian is concerned with getting away unharmed, and all tactics, strategies and training should focus on this as the main goal.  Most people will not have the time or inclination to spend a lot of time learning (or retaining for that matter) any overly complicated techniques. What looks so awesome on the octagon can be utterly impossible for someone to do when taken by surprise... 

Krav Maga has the right idea IMO when it comes to ground fighting

     Simple and direct techniques, easily learned and retained with a modicum of training should be the core of civilian defense systems.  Ground fighting techniques that should be a part of such a system would include how to maintain a top mount position as well as getting to it from disadvantageous ones such as being on the bottom or with your back taken; elbow and knee strikes to create space to gain your footing and run; front and rear naked chokes (only if one opponent is involved, don't hang around someone's neck when others are coming for you); some  leg and arm lock techniques for controlling or disabling a person so they cannot follow you easily as you make your escape. Groin grabs, eye gouges,spitting and biting, all the dirty but goodies... weapons like knives being part of the mix. Always thinking of the worst possible scenario... because that is just what you might get.  

     Jujutsu has immensely improved my defensive skills, not so much in a technical sense (too short a time training to be any good) but in the way I see how throws, locks and submissions both standing and on the ground should be incorporated with my self defense training and needs.  By being more cognizant of proper use of ground fighting within a street self defense scenario I can concentrate on what works best, rather than spend my training time on things more suited for a ring or the mat.  No matter what martial discipline you choose to study, cross training can only help improve your abilities and chances at survival; it is critical however that whatever you incorporate to your bag of tricks doesn't end up playing tricks on you... and leave you on the ground in a world of hurt. 

Thoughts on perception

From Wikipedia:

"Perception (from the Latin perceptio, percipio) is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs. Perception is not the passive receipt of these signals, but can be shaped by learning, memory and expectation. Perception involves these "top-down" effects as well as the "bottom-up" process of processing sensory input. Perception depends on complex functions of the nervous system, but subjectively seems mostly effortless because this processing happens outside conscious awareness."

     It is interesting that the biggest hurdle in changing our perception of things lies in the fact that we are often unaware of what influences it in the first place.  As explained above,  perception occurs outside conscious thought yet it can be changed through training and experience. Our perception is the product of years of development in the physical, mental and emotional levels of our being; it is affected by our environment, both physical and social; the people who we interact with; our schooling and religion or lack thereof.  Some of these things we might have some actual knowledge of their origin; some have deep relations with our childhood that we have forgotten yet a sole memory surfaces ever slightly, making us wonder where it came from and why does it make us feel in such a way.

     If we are not cognizant of what makes the nuts and bolts of our perception, how can we change it to our benefit? This is a tough endeavor, especially since many of the things that make our view of what the world is and what happens in it are rooted in our ego (never mind Star Trek, the ego is the final frontier and the toughest one to overcome).  As such, we might think we want them changed, while inside we scream to be left alone.  No scarier thing to face than the death of the self... But back to the problem at hand, recognizing gaps in our perception and how to bridge them somehow.

     Ronald B. Adler on his book Looking Out, Looking In states there are four steps used in matching meaning with our experiences: selection, organization, interpretation and negotiation. Selection deals with what stimuli we choose to pay attention to or ignore; organization entails  arranging these in some way we can use; interpretation of our perceptions to make use of the stimuli received; and negotiation which involves our interactions with others and their own perceptions.  Many variables can have profound influence on any of these.

     Applied to the study of martial arts, now that we have compartmentalized  the makings of our perception it might be easier to identify areas where our previous knowledge and experience is lacking. For example, let's look at selection: how do we discern a true attack from a feint, which techniques work for us personally, etc.  What about interpretation? Understanding and properly recognizing precursors of violence are largely based on our training and experience (or lack thereof).  Many steps of the development of perception correlate and fluidly evolve and change, like being kicked in the face in sparring (stimuli) can make someone ignore previous training (selection) therefore breaking down previously thought of and practiced responses (organization) and alter how that person continues the fight (negotiation). The process of effecting changes to our perception can be a result of long study and life experience, or something sudden and unexpected.

   Awareness in battle

  My friend Dan Djurdjevic wrote a great article on Legend and the martial arts  that describes the type of influence perception can have in our understanding of what we are learning or hope to learn.  The stories of past masters and their incredible feats notwithstanding, the real abilities displayed by some teachers can be perceived as "magic" or "supernatural" due to our lack of knowledge regarding what is really happening.  A person who trains 30 + years at doing one thing will be able to do it so effortlessly that it might seem almost impossible to someone who has no idea what it took to achieve such skill.  As Michelangelo said once, "If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."

 Breaking concrete is one of those "magical" karate skills

     The martial arts in Japan have several methods to achieve clarity of perception, rooted in such terms as zanshin (combat awareness), mushin (no self mind) and fudoshin (immovable mind). All the methods to augment our capacities of perception and find these lofty states of being we sometimes try to emulate from our instructors, but without having put in the time to develop the experience and understanding necessary to really make them a part of us we end up with an incomplete picture, or worse still deluding ourselves into believing we have gained an understanding. Even teachers can be guilty of this, which does not bode well for the students who might follow...

 Zanshin, "remaining mind"

      During training as well as in everyday life it is important to maintain awareness (zanshin), and let any situation at hand develop while keeping an objective mind so as to best perceive as many factors involved as possible. Hard to do with all the things that threaten to disrupt our mental and emotional balance each day; but practice and study can go a long way to filter the stimuli we receive into a more cohesive and useful pattern of perception to aid rather than hamper us.

     Perception... it is all pervasive yet we go through life mostly oblivious to its grip on what we do, think and feel.  Let us not forget that during our waking moments anything could bring about a momentous change in how we perceive ourselves, others and the world around us, be it through providence or our own efforts.

                                   

Starting the year with a "gasp!" On chokes...

     One of the techniques we have been working on in jujutsu class is hadaka jime, or naked strangle (the naked designation used because it does not require the gi or uniform to apply it as other techniques do).  It is an ancient technique for sure, used in early Greece's pankration (competition combining boxing and wrestling, MMA of the classical times).  It is a staple of jujutsu and judo, made its appearance in WWI and WWII combatives manuals, and a modified version is taught in almost all law enforcement restraint systems as the Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint as a court defensible technique to subdue resisting suspects.

 

Early grappling & striking techniques of Judo

Pankration techniques

 Standing hadaka jime in Judo

Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint used by police officers

     What makes this hold so universally practiced?  Well, I would say that first and foremost, it works quite well when properly applied, causing unconsciousness in as little as 3-5 seconds when the carotid arteries are sealed, and a bit longer when the windpipe is compressed.  The carotid choke is especially useful against larger opponents, as it requires less strength to apply, although somewhat more refined skill to pull it off.  It can be used from the rear or front; standing, kneeling or on the ground.

Some variations of the naked strangle

     My own experience with the technique prior to jujutsu was as part of self defense technique sets in tae kwon do, and later on as a component of defensive tactics training.  After all, if something works so well it makes sense that others would assimilate it to their own ends.  Yet I can honestly state that until now I had not experienced the strangle as it was meant to be applied.

 

     So, what's different you ask? For starters, I always thought that if someone tried to apply the strangle to me I would have time to respond appropriately.  Guess what? While there is usually time to do something about the choke before it is completed, the time is definitely less than you might think... a lot less. What this means is that a lot of the preconceived notions you might have about what you can do are gravely mistaken. The entire sequence of grabbing the attacker's arm and throwing him/her over your shoulder might not work out so well if you are still gagging from their forearm striking your Adam's apple, quickly followed by blinking lights...

     A skilled person can have you cold in no time, even when you know the strangle is coming. How can this be? I've experienced this as a subtle manipulation of my incoming attack, where a firm pull on a limb, a nudge against the side of my hip, or some other seemingly unrelated body twist/push/pinch/etc. gets me moving inexorably towards the completion of the strangle by the instructor without him having to work too hard at getting there. Such sensitivity skill can only be acquired through close body contact work, much like chi sao and push hands.  Martial arts like tae kwon do and hard styles of karate do not spend a lot of time on this, as their strategic framework does not require them to do so (their main tactic to forcefully break down incoming attack structure followed by percussive blows to end a threat). Grappling systems, on the other hand, cannot accomplish their goal otherwise.  

     Another thing I learned: it is somewhat easier for a person with a slimmer or smaller build to effect a strangle (especially a carotid strangle) than a larger one.  One of my partners in class is a small frame woman about my age, 5'5" or so and maybe 100 lbs.  You'd be surprised how fast you can start fading out once those slim arms are in the right position around your neck!  A larger person might react forcibly against someone their size or larger if they feel the choke coming, but a smaller person's arm somewhat snakes along so quickly it might take a second or two to make the connection... a second or two is too long a time space when it comes to a choke IMO.  

     I definitely have a better understanding of the dangers of the strangle now, and thankfully have not soiled myself in the process of learning about it (although the void did come close a few times so far).  I would not say it's one of my favorite techniques (although I've had used it successfully twice on the street), and definitely would not recommend it in most self defense situations (where tying yourself around another person might not be advisable if there might be more than one attacker). Still, it is a common attack (if somewhat improperly executed most times) and what better way to defend against it than knowing how to apply it? 

The 6th dimensional paradigm of self defense: societal violence dynamics

A friend on the TFAF site commented on my blog post regarding the multi dimensional paradigms of self defense, specifically how the premise of the 6th paradigm seem incomplete and vague. Link to the blog post is below:


http://mdpofsd.blogspot.com/2011/10/6-dimensional-paradigm-of-self-defense.html


While I cannot speak for the author (but hope to contact him soon to get further explanation on his thoughts regarding this), I can make some observations based on my own understanding and experience... I think the author is trying to use a sociological model to explain how self defense situations are affected overall by deviance inherent in acts of violence. That is to say, in some instances a threat or violent act might seem justified under a specific set of beliefs held by a majority of people, whereas such beliefs would be untenable to others in a different social or cultural strata, whether the division be religious, racial, gender or ideological bias.


Thoughts, opinions? Feel free to comment!!

From Eric Kondo's The Multi Dimensional Paradigms of Self Defense, the 6th Paradigm

Awesome blog on paradigms of self defense

This has to be one of the most comprehensive articles on a model to understand the various dimensions of self defense I have ever read. Written by Erik Kondo, the author cites many of my preferred authors on several aspects of self defense, from Col. Jeff Cooper to Rory Miller, Massad Ayoob and "Animal" MacYoung.

http://mdpofsd.blogspot.com/

This makes a very nice framework for examining several aspects of self defense, from the physical application of martial arts and systems to legal ramifications on use of force as well as societal dynamics involved in violence both social and asocial.  I for one have always believed that while in the actual instant when violence is occurring there is very little time for analysis, all things leading to the moment when it happens should be deeply thought about a priori... Yet many people remain locked in their viewpoints due to lack of experience (or in some cases, too much experience), personal preferences or belief systems.  Putting our own beliefs and prejudices under clinical examination is easier said than done, but what is a greater loss to you: the death of a part of your ego, or the possibility of an actual physical death due to a hard headed refusal to be critical about your own understanding of whatever knowledge you might think you possess?

Absorb what is useful, eliminate the unessential... to do this we must maintain an open, objective mind. Otherwise, how can we know what to keep and what to discard?

End of a year, start of a year...

So, here it is again; another New Year's Eve day... a chance to reflect on what I've learned, what I failed to learn and what I should focus on learning this turn around.  Notice a pattern? Yes, I am keen on learning, for good or ill; knowledge is neither, it just is. Like Master Oogway tells Master Shifu : "Ah Shifu, there is just news. There is no good or bad".

What have I learned this year, then?  Many things, when I take the time to slow down and think about it... most important has undoubtedly been that I am not as healthy or able to abuse my body as I did when I was 20 than I can now at over 40.  Such an easy thing to forget amid the hustle of raising kids, working nights and sleeping little... a minor stroke made me aware that my Superman-wannabe days are over, and a new approach to, well, everything  was in order.  There has been some success, from quitting smoking, losing weight and reducing my medication dosages to better sleep patterns and more energy. These have in turn allowed me a chance to resume martial training, which I missed greatly.  It's so much more enjoyable and productive to work with others than doing solo practice; we all need to do this, but man it can be such a chore to get yourself up to doing it...

Other things I've learned is how having the right person beside you can make all the difference in the world... celebrating my first wedding anniversary with Amy (after seven years of living together) was a reminder of just how easier things can be in tough times (and there have been many of those) with a partner that understands and supports you.  Watching my oldest son grow and walk into adulthood with tentative steps while trying to be supportive and not judge his choices... realizing now my job is to tell him what I think, not what he should do.  My daughter soon to be a teenager, still sweet but getting some bite in her words sometimes. My youngest boys not so young anymore, glad to see them enjoy their martial arts training and smiling inwardly as their mom yells at them to stop playing video games for a while and get some fresh air (hard not to, avid gamer myself).

At the lighthouse in Cape May with Amy, Celeste and the boys

Chris and Patrick with their new heavy bag 

My son David ("Junior") and his Xmas present from my mom

What else? It is detrimental to one's health and happy outlook to dwell on the past, regardless of how bad or good things were. Rather we ought to learn what we can and fuel our efforts in the present to make ourselves a better future...  Not all things should be said or done, there is a time and place for everything (a lesson in timing)... thinking you are right almost all the time can make one callous and unkind.

Pragmatism is usually defined by perception.

Not a bad year, not at all!  Changes have been made and more to be made for sure, but glad to be here to still make them. In my martial arts practices physically I can get better, technically as well... but my mind is more prepared now IMO than it was even at the height of my physical skill (30 years old, no less than 20 hrs a week at the dojo).  Time is definitely elastic, and I feel I can make richer gains in my development as a martial practitioner now that I understand the nature of what I've learned so far a whole lot better.  I have time also to be a better father, husband, and friend... to slow down some and remind myself of Ferris Bueller's famous words :

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Happy New Year everyone!!

East Coast TFAF meet 2011

I had the great pleasure of having Ryan and Jeff, fellow martial arts aficionados, over at my home for some talk about the arts, bunkai play time, and black beans & rice.  I've met Ryan and Jeff at the Traditional Fighting Arts Forum run by our Aussie friend Dan Djurdjevic, check out the forum at this link: http://www.traditionalfightingartsforum.com.
We've had many online exchanges on everything related to the arts: self defense, traditional kata, techniques and tactics of modern and classical systems, history, videos, etc.

I had met Jeff once a couple years ago for coffee at a Starbucks in PA, and had a nice chat on an outside deck with a small lake for a view. We talked about Higaonna Sensei, how Jeff doesn't get aikido, knife defense training... also talked about our families, Filipino and Spanish culture similarities, and of his upcoming symposium held at Susquehanna University (which I've managed to miss twice already, hope to change that in 2012).  As for Ryan, this was our first face to face; last time we were supposed to meet I got awfully sick and had to call out my trip to Jeff's symposium.  His nom de plume on TFAF, Kumaken, is most apt; wonder if anyone on the forum got the Tekken reference to the bear...

We spent a long time talking while Jeff's kids had a fun time with my two boys; running around, playing Wii and arming themselves to the teeth with all sorts of weapons to play war out front and in the house. Boys... Between coffee and snickerdoodle cookies we shared views on Jesse's writing style (funny guy, so much great material intertwined with his humorous look at karate) and his book The Karate Code (getting e-book soon), and made fun of my vintage Ashida Kim publications Secrets of the Ninja and Ninja: Secrets of Invisibility (I have mastered the knowledge of the books already; hopefully next meet Jeff & Ryan will be ready to perform the deadly Hands of Death so we can make a video of it).  So funny the things we believe when we are young... We pumped Jeff for info on his upcoming book on Zen and Budo, Ryan talked about his experiences as counselor, groaned at mukashimantis diatribes on the forum and shared opinions on a martial artist's responsibilities when faced with a situation that might end up being volatile.

Afterward we recruited my wife Amy (thanks honey!) for some video recording of an idea for bunkai Jeff had on the opening move of seiunchin kata to share with forum members.  It was an awesome impromptu session: three guys, with a similar kata on their background studies as base, working something possibly new (and even if it isn't it was new to us).  Such "A-ha!!" moments are way better when shared with people who appreciate what they mean, both as a personal possibility of growth and a pathway to development of karate study as a whole.  Who would have thought I'd be part of showing the world a potential new kote gaeshi application (to be known from today forth as Jeff Mann kote gaeshi)? So cool...

Following the bunkai recording, I asked Ryan to show some chi sao drills; he is quite good at redirecting force while remaining stationary. I've had similar experience but always while being able to move in/out or around with circle stepping, a lot harder when you can't use movement to redirect incoming force or to get off a line of attack.  After we had a most satisfying lunch courtesy of my mother (Puerto Rican rice & beans with chicken is just the best!!), we took some time to work on some arnis sinawali and redonda as well as some single stick disarms for angles 1, 3, 5 and 7. While I am fairly practiced on solo baston technique from my cinco teros studies, only recently have I done any serious work with double stick drills; so Jeff and I tried our best to not bungle the drills too badly... Ryan has had minimal experience with Filipino arts so I showed him how to do a single sinawali drill with both empty hand motions as well as the sticks, and he got the hang of it after a short time. Jeff and I exchanged stick disarms variations, and I showed a couple that follow the disarm with an entry and knee push against the attacker's knee to collapse him rather than moving away from the opponent after the disarm.

I have to say, this was one the best times I've had on the day after Xmas. What better way to enjoy the holidays than doing something you love with friends who feel the same way?  Finding common ground over differences is the basic ingredient for harmony, and that is what Christmas is all about...