Do all fights end up on the ground?

[chinto]

do all fights go to the ground? NO. and when two trained fighters fight, and I do not mean spar or have a sport match like in a cage fight or the ufc, it is over in seconds! Not minutes, and the first to hit the ground is in very very serious trouble already!

that said any fight could conceivably end up there, but unless you are a LEO who has a lot of back up, going to the ground when you can avoid it, is a very bad idea I think. this is of course once again talking about a self defense situation.

 

[MattJ]

Some studies to check out:

http://ejmas.com/jnc/2007jnc/jncart_Leblanc_0701.html

http://jiujitsu365.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/do-most-fights-go-to-the-ground-research-i-conducted/

 

[Twin Fist]

yes ALL fights go to the ground, and yes, there is a Santa Clause

 

[ATC]

Some studies to check out:

http://ejmas.com/jnc/2007jnc/jncart_Leblanc_0701.html

http://jiujitsu365.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/do-most-fights-go-to-the-ground-research-i-conducted/

The first study is a police study and can be looked at a bit differet than a fight. In the case of the police they are trying to apprehend or subbdu you. They are not looking to win a fight. More times than not they want you on the ground and have more than one officer assisting in getting you to the ground to contain you. Their purpose is to get you on the ground and contain you, they don't want you running, they don't want to have to chase you. So I have to dissmiss that study as the data is skewed that is being used.

 

[shihansmurf]

This is based on the assumption that most people fighting train typical MMA styles. Bad assumption.

QFT!

I think that all fights have the potential to end up on the ground, but I've been in an unfortunate number of them over the years and few of them were resolved with us wrestling around or doing any sort of ground and pound. Whil I don't have extensive statistics to support this and I realize that what I'm about to say is anecdotal, in my experience most fights involve folks that are poorly trained. Lots a looping punches, rushes, poor tackle attempts, bear hugs, personal space invasions, pushes, headlocks, that sort of thing.

None of this isn't to say that one shouldn't prepare for the possibility that they may face a trained opponent, even one with solid ability in all ranges, but the odds of facing a cage fighter in a typical bar brawl is pretty small. I would think. Preparing to fight a person like that is all well and good but generally far outside the realm of why most of us train, and outside the normal realm of self-defense scenarios that we are apt to encounter.

Developing solid punching, kicking, and blocking skills will serve most people rather well in most self defense situations. Training grappling and ground work is fine as well, it just isn't a magic bullet skill set in a real world violent encounter.

Mark

 

[K831]

QFT!

While I don't have extensive statistics to support this and I realize that what I'm about to say is anecdotal...

Mark

When we compile the "anecdotal" evidence of martial artists on this site/thread we have a trend suggesting that most fights do not go to the ground.

This seems to be the case for two (anecdotal evidence) reasons;

1.) Despite what we see in MMA competitions sometimes, martial artists training with SD in mind are actually pretty successful at keeping the fight standing

2.) Martial artists training for SD purposes clearly do not want to go to the ground.

While anecdotal evidence can be more difficult to quantify, and sometimes academics look down their noses at it.... I find, especially when looking at a niche, sub culture or set of particular and less common experiences that anecdotal evidence is often more illuminating and telling.

 

[MJS]

Its like I've said earlier....train and prepare for the worst and dont assume anything. Wrestling is taught is many high schools and colleges, and MMA is big right now, so the odds of getting into a fight with someone who has been exposed to grappling are good. Of course, do what you can to avoid being taken down, but I dont think that we should be over confident in ourselves and say that we'll never be taken down. I dont know about anyone else, but I can't predict the future, so who knows what'll happen. I could trip, get taken down while defending against a grab, whatever.

Learn enough about the ground to get back up safely. As for the studies...well, I'm not putting all my faith in them, especially if they're police based studies. In other words...for them, that is probably where they're going to end up, to control the suspect to cuff them. I'm not looking to control someone to cuff them, I'm looking to defend myself.

 

[sfs982000]

If you are in a fight that ends up on the ground, in my eyes you've failed. You've not kept the distance/range of the fight where you can control it.

I wouldn't say a person failed by taking the fight to the ground. Personally for me it wouldn't be the ideal situation (especially if there were multiple attackers), but if the person were getting the better with the striking and/or was a little bigger or stronger taking it to the ground could be the advantage you would need. The situation ultimately will dictate the proper course of action.