Just about all fights, in almost any context, end up on the ground. It's natural to grab when overwhelmed and that often leads to the fight going to the floor, both in the street and in sport. The difference is, in sport we can train to work from our back and try to end the fight with a submission or wrestle for a dominant position. It's a sport so there are rules and we can afford to commit to getting tangled up down there or work a submission slowly and strategically. On the street, however, it's not quite the same. Outside of the controlled chaos of combat sports, going to the ground often means working with a hard surface, getting kicked in the head or mounted, the possibility of other attackers jumping in or getting trampled in a crowd. If you've ever seen any footage of real life violence it pretty much never ends well for the guy who goes to the ground early. It's not to say that all is lost, it just means that you've got some extra work to do. Both in sport and on the street, staying still on the bottom is tempting fate and a race against time. The person with the dominant position will inevitably solve the puzzle given enough time, so get moving. There are three alarms that should go off in your head when on the bottom: Submit, Sweep and/or Scramble. These are responses to the context, each with an arsenal of techniques that can be implemented. Staying goal-oriented on one or more of these three strategies can get you off your back and up on your feet before it's too late.
1. Submission
Submissions are great in sport fighting and translate well into restraint and breaking techniques on the street, but not necessarily from the bottom. It's hard enough winning this way in a sport context when your opponent has both gravity and leverage on their side, but could be deadly on the street. Submissions from the bottom are some of the harder ones to achieve in competition and the least effective response in a self defense scenario. Not impossible, of course, just more difficult. It is important to be trained in this, should the opportunity present itself, but I wouldn't be too quick to volunteer for this approach in either context. In training I do enjoy fighting from the guard position, but I'd prefer to sweep or get back up from the bottom instead of committing too much time and energy seeking a submission.
2. Scramble
Getting out from underneath is a major priority for many competitors and anyone who goes down in a bar fight or riot. That's often referred to as "scrambling", mostly because of the frantic haste that comes with getting out of the bottom position. A lot of sport fighters who are more adept to striking often just train in grappling enough to know how to get the fight back to where they're comfortable. For anyone training in self defense or combatives it's important to know enough to get back to a standing position where it's easier for the defender to restrain, escape or just be more aware of their surroundings. There are many techniques to getting out from the bottom that require training and pressure testing. They require the bottom person to create distance between the two bodies to thread the legs free and get back on their feet. This involves quite a bit of practice and is, quite literally, an uphill battle.
3. Sweep
A sweep is a reversal of positions. Using leverage, the person on the bottom can sweep the dominant person onto their back, reversing their positions. In some positions, this is more difficult than in others, of course, but when sweeping is a realistic option I tend to prefer it because it gives me more options. By reversing positions, I can choose to get back to my feet or stay on top. In either case, being able to switch positions allows the defender to take back control of the situation.
Just Be Familiar
No matter what the context, training from the bottom will increase familiarity in the appropriate responses. Depending on the position of the bottom and dominant person, different reactions will be more or less realistic. Only training and practice can accommodate someone on which of the three main responses make sense. In any position where someone can choose two or more, they have regained control. It is one of the more frustrating and tiring aspects of training, but if you can get back to your feet when someone has mounted you for a ground and pound, a lot of things will seem much easier. Stay busy down there, never stop moving and get the hell out of there. Good luck!
Fight or Die
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