Q: Experienced Ground Fighters

[Maxx]

Heard an interesting story once involving Paul Vunak and Rickson Gracie. Don't know if it's true but it illustrates a point I think is important to consider when trying any biting, eye gouging, pinching or any other self defense techniques against an experienced grappler.

I guess Paul used to train the ground relatively extensively with Rickson but Paul would often times experiment with biting and other nasty little things. I guess at one point Rickson had him in the mount and Paul bit him... probably in the inner thigh. Rickson got mad, shifted position and leaned in real close and said, "You're not the only one who knows how to bite!!"

Lot of schools and systems in the world advocate this course of action against a wrestler or grappler, but I don't recommend them in most cases. A well trained wrestler, or just about any wrestler for that matter, is not going to jump off of you in suprise if you bit him. He's going to shift position... and then he's gonna be pissed.

I'm not saying that these types of techniques don't work, but you definitely need to have an in depth knowledge of the range and how to take advantage of the momentary opening you're going to get. And one thing is for sure... if you want to know how to handle a grappler, you have to train in grappling... not rely on theoretical concepts suggested by someone who had probably never wrestled.

[darrianation]

First of all, the ground in a street fight should never be your primary goal, a boot party by the guys friend, or a knife in your back by the guys cousin who you didn't notice before comes to mind. But the ground grapple teaches you some very important things for instance “The best counter grapplers are grapplers” and fights do end up there (on the ground).

Also many folks are under the false assumption that if you know how to bite and eye gouge (and other dirty little tricks) is all you need…wrong. It certainly can work but it can also fail. A good grappler can put you in a position where you may not have an opportunity to gouge, bite, etc. And pain compliance may not work on a crazed drugged up feigned.

Remember, the nasties are only a tool to assist in getting to your weapons i.e. knife, gun, your feet, or to help open up some other option. But to think because you know some stand up grappling and a few nasties will be all you need then I have some swamp land in New Orleans to sell you.

The ground and pound is a great tool but you have to know how to escape, control, and submit (strikes, chokes, and joint manipulations. But remember while you are going through your ground progressions to some type of submission you might be better served to pull your knife and gut the mother fucker. Your weapons are a much more high percentage solution. But that said, get some grappling training.