As stated in my last post: Staying on your feet in a real fight, the double leg and some wrestling takedowns are inherently dangerous. You typically fall to the ground, if you are untrained in takedowns, they are easily defended against, and they can take a longer time to execute. That being said, it is still one of the best takedowns for MMA and grappling. This post is going to be about the ranges in a street fight, what range is the optimum range and how to achieve it.
The double-leg takedown and leg takedowns can work in a street scenario though, but it has to be modified and used in certain scenarios, range and positions. To be in the right position, you first need to be comfortable and WANT to be in that position or range. Most martial arts are striking martial arts. The practitioners are accustomed to working in the long to medium range, rarely in the short or grappling range. When presented with a self-defense scenario they typically like to work on the outside and strike. I personally think trading punches or kicks with a person in the medium to long range, in a street fight scenario is also wrong and ill-advised. It takes too long and there are too many variables. The more you back away and try to evade, the more opportunities you are giving your opponent to hurt you. For a street fight scenario, the short / grappling range is easiest place to defeat your opponent. Remember though - that comes from my personal training. I’ve always been a grappling martial artist, so its very natural for me and makes a lot more sense to me. But, if you are going to try and fight in the medium to long range, use disabling kicks and techniques. Aim for the grion and knees, use stomp kicks…. don’t kick above the knees, unless it’s a front kick, but even then you’re asking for trouble.
To get in the short range is actually easier then one might think. We use (kobukai ju-jitsu) ,and other fighting martial arts use a technique called “crashing”. There maybe other terms for it, but I think you get the premise. It basically involves using your elbows and forearms as a shield, while your hands cover and defend your face. A variation on this that some boxers and MMA fighters use is the crazy monkey defense by Rodney King. I really like this method of defending. Since I don’t like to stand and strike, it makes a good defense and allows me to get into my range.
To crash into someone, you either need to have them attacking you, and then you crash. Or you need to crash and drive them towards a wall, pole, car etc which prevents them from backing up and evading you. If you are not able to pin them against something and you’re opponent is a decent puncher, it sucks and can be very difficult to do.
I have commonly sparred against Oz Pariser, a professional MMA fighter and an excellent striker. If you give Oz enough space and try to crash into or tie up with him, you are unable to because he can use his jab and footwork to evade you. The key to tying up with Oz or other good strikers (when they have room to move) is getting him to engage you.
It is advantageous to crash while your opponent attacks because the punch never has a chance to reach it’s full power. You are cutting the power of the punch off. Think about a baseball bat swing. At what point is the swing have the most power? When it hits the ball! And when does it the ball? At the end of the swing, where the bat and hips are fully extended (all power comes from the hips). The same thing is true with a punch. The power is at the end. So, if we prevent the punch or bat from ever reaching its apex, then we are preventing or lessening the damage we will receive.
On a side note: I want to try and release short videos on these concepts. I have a couple video cameras, but not the time to do all the editing, but I am looking at some other solutions.
Another way of crashing in and getting in on your opponent is changing your levels while the person strikes. This typically works well when you are being attacked with a haymaker, a hook punch, or a straight right. Any punch that is committal (meaning their body weight and power is moving towards you) and the punch is aimed at the head level. Jabs typically don’t work for a couple reasons. 1, if the person is jabbing you to begin with, they know how to box and move (use an object to pin them against). 2, The jab is a quick punch that is more of a spring step then a commit. Your hips don’t engage as much during the jab, and it’s very easy to move around and fire jabs out. The uppercut also doesn’t work well. If there is one punch that can be difficult to deal with during a crash attempt, it is the uppercut. I’ve personally experienced this a few times. You still get it in and the crash works, but you take some damage. This does not happen all the time though. A good crash defense position should have the elbows tucked in tight so it is hard for the uppercut to come through. When I have experienced damage, is when I transition from the crash to the tie-up. The main thing is, the power of the punch is negated or lessened because the punch never has a chance to fully extend.
During the committed punch, you will change your levels. This means bending at the knees and being in a “explosive” position. Almost like a sprinters stance. But not on the ground. From this position, spring into your opponent. Typically you can go for a body lock or underhook(s) from this. I personally like the body lock because my takedowns from this position are quick and effective.
Once you’ve gotten in that range, you need to tie the person up. Tying someone up basically means you are controlling their arms and ability to strike you. Sometimes, and ideally you would like go from crash, to a quick tie, which is the setup for the takedown. Example - My opponent throws a straight right, I change my levels and shoot in, I sink in a deep lower body lock which forces my opponents hips in. I then can do a Kosoto Gake or a Small Outside Leg hook, and take them off their feet. This particular takedown does run the risk of going to the ground. But it is a very high percentage takedown for me so I would typically for that in a real fight scenario. I will eventually explore other effective martial arts combat throws… hopefully with some video too.
My name is Matt Bryers, I run this thing along with a few other sites, most notably