Groundfighting and Taijiquan
Although it is desirable for the Taijiquan fighter to remain on his feet there are times when this is not possible, especially when meeting a more experienced and highly skilled opponent who specialises in taking fights to the ground. In addition to this it is automatic for most people to grab and hang on when being thrown or tripped and so can take the thrower down with them as they fall.
At the early stages of a Taiji fighter's career he will not have sufficient power, ability ad experience to withstand takedown attacks.
For these reasons it is necessary to be able to understand the principles of groundfighting.
The essence of groundfighting is bodily awareness. When falling to the ground it is essential that you land in a good position. Being able to rotate in the air is necessary to ensure this. The stamina rolls training is good practise for this.
The best defensive position is to be on your back, with you hands in front in a seven stars guard position with the knees up. The attacker will attempt to prevent the defender from breathing by lying on the chest and applying choke holds or will attempt to get a submission by gaining locks on either the arms or legs. In order to create the openings to apply these strategies the attacker will also strike to the body and head.
The Five Step Path of Tui Shou really proves its efficacy in groundfighting as they emphasise relaxation, fluidity, sensitivity , softness and adaptability.
There are five key skill areas in order of importance to the Taiji fighter
- Evading the take down.
The ideal scenario is to be able to prevent all take-down attempts
Moving Takedown Counter
Intercepting and remaining in contact with the arms is a prerequisite of this defence. Once the attack has his arms around your legs or body then it is too late.
- Going to the ground in a superior position
If taken down then it is essential that the superior position is attained
Smother the Takedown
When forced to the ground it is advantageous to achieve the superior position. Keeping your weight forward and thrusting your legs backwards will prevent you from from being thrown over onto you back.
- Regaining your feet
We do not train for prolonged grappling on the ground so our objective is to regain our feet as soon as possible.
Regaining your feet
Other styles specialise in fighting on the ground so all we need to do is protect ourselves and regain our feet. Because we are not trying to win on the ground we have a much simpler task.
- Defending while on the ground
If we end up in an inferior position we must be able to protect ourselves from knock-out or submission
Ground Wrestling
Rob and Niall continue wrestling on the ground to submission.
- Applying the Submission
If the occasion arises to end the fight quickly with a submission it needs to be taken.
SBRM to Armbar
Step Back Repulse Monkey with immediate continuous change to an armbar
