Kenpo on the ground- part 2

i once heard an interesting theory about defending yourself from the ground with someone on top of you. It was pretty much grabbing hold of them and letting them flail around untill they are worn out, or untill you can do some type of decisive damage to remove them.

I think you have this upside down. The theory is you get on top of someone and let the bottom guy flail around until they are worn out. Then you pound their face into the ground, choke them out, or break their arm.
 
8253 said:
i once heard an interesting theory about defending yourself from the ground with someone on top of you. It was pretty much grabbing hold of them and letting them flail around untill they are worn out, or untill you can do some type of decisive damage to remove them.

Ok....and why would you want someone to lay on top of you until they are worn out??? Dont you think that YOU are gonna be pretty worn out too???

Mike
 
I was originally gonna start another thread, but I think I'll just add this right into this one. A funny thing happened the other day while I was grappling. I was grappling with a friend who also has a background in Kenpo. We were going over some mount escapes, against a 2 handed choke. Pretty much, the 2 moves that he did looked very similar to crossing talon and mace of aggression. We went over this a few times, and I was sitting there thinking to myself, "Wow, here's 2 Kenpo techs. that I found right in a mount escape. Now, I know that this will sound strange to some, due to the fact that I'm a big fan of grappling and crosstraining, and also saying that its not in there. However, I think after sitting down and really looking at some of the techs. there are many that can fit right into the ground game. I think one of the problems is, is that the grapplers, myself included, are just looking at escapes strictly from a grapplers POV.

Granted, the tech. that we did from the mount, were not textbook crossing talon and mace of aggression, but there were moves that were very similar.

Hope that this clears some things up a little!

Mike
 
Old Fat Kenpoka said:
Mike: I think you've been talking to Clyde too much. :boing2:

I've only talked to him twice and it always seems that I have a better understanding of the art after the chat is over. Hmm....if only I had called him sooner, maybe the Kenpo/BJJ debate would not have gone on for soooooo long and the fighting would have been ALOT less, and maybe I'd have a better understanding of the art.

As far as my 'discovery' goes..LOL...my training partner and I came up with that on our own. I did mention it to Clyde and I got the response that I thought I would!!

Mike
 
MJS said:
I've only talked to him twice and it always seems that I have a better understanding of the art after the chat is over. Hmm....if only I had called him sooner, maybe the Kenpo/BJJ debate would not have gone on for soooooo long and the fighting would have been ALOT less, and maybe I'd have a better understanding of the art.

As far as my 'discovery' goes..LOL...my training partner and I came up with that on our own. I did mention it to Clyde and I got the response that I thought I would!!

Mike
The force in this one will soon be greater than expected OB won

Dark Lord
 
Dark Kenpo Lord said:
And you haven't talked to him enough LOL

Dark Lord

:cheers:

Mike
 
MJS said:
I I think one of the problems is, is that the grapplers, myself included, are just looking at escapes strictly from a grapplers POV.

Granted, the tech. that we did from the mount, were not textbook crossing talon and mace of aggression, but there were moves that were very similar.

Mike
This is an issue that every Kenpoist and Grappler should address. Seems your epiphanies are the innovation that others may be seeking for enlightenment.

Dark Lord
 
I saw that this thread started to die out, so I thought I'd stir the pot a little. Not sure if its in the stores yet, but I just got the May 2004 issue of Black Belt. Interesting article in it called, "Grappling Strategies Every Striker Needs To Know" It talks about many different things, but it does mention something that I, as well as OFK and some of the other ground advocates. It says 3 things that you should focus on.

1- Avoiding a takedown

2- Escaping from the ground.

3- Striking from the ground.

It goes on to say that if you want to succeed in doing this, then you need to train with a grappler!!!!! It goes on to show examples of what you can do, as well as an interview with Erik Paulson, who if you dont know, is an outstanding grappler.

Anyway, I thought that it was pretty interesting. I actually laughed to myself when reading the article thinking, "Wow, this is exactly the same thing that I've been saying for soooo long."

Mike
 
What, no comments on the above??????? :idunno:

Mike
 
MJS said:
What, no comments on the above??????? :idunno:

Mike

What's there to say. It seems that there will be people that will never agree on this subject.

I wrote a short example of how our system deals with grappling techs on another forum. John McSweeney started us on the road to this as he was teaching this before the MMA craze.


General grouping of techs:

Before Take Down: This includes avoidance and during take down. The old low takle just doesn't cut it anymore. Grapplers have taken the low tackle to an art. Avioding such take downs have to be addressed. Also, in the event you are going down, if you like it or not, there are some general techs, while going down, that will help in getting you in the top position or even cause some damage.

Escape from Mounted Positions: This is very much McSweeney inspired, as this is what he taught his students. The first step to escape is getting to the top position. Various mounts are addressed, and have been tested and worked with grapplers. Once in the top position, escape becomes an option, once you know how (again, making a mistake against a grappler while trying to escape can put you into an even worse position).

The above will be worked as prearranged techs first working against a partner that is passive to passive resistant to resistent to eventually free style sparring. We are actually going to integrate this into the system probably by the end of the year. What that means it won't be just Kenpo + Grappling. It'll be just a part of our Kenpo.

3- Striking from the ground. - That is something that is completely different from stiking while standing. Fully extending a punch for example can put you in a bad situation. But if done properly, will help open up some opportunities that may not be readily available. But unless you strike a vital targer, such as eyes and throat, you will not disable your attacker, just enrage them. Also the old idea that going to the eyes when on the ground will work every time is a myth, as proficient grapplers know how to avoid such tactics.
 
I had a thought. Incorporating grappling 101 into kenpo as an "elective course" running parallel to about green-3rd brown, starting out by giving common grappling trainiing drills/sequences kenpo-sounding names. The the terminology brainiacs can figure out which kenpo terminologies apply to what moves.

Along the idea that certain things in kenpo are given their own codes...

Training sequences that end in a choke = "heaven", because of the sense of one coming to consciousness from a carotid choke that they were just part of a really important conversation, but can't remember what it was.

So, at the risk of possibly sounding sillier than something like "squeezing the peach", "heart of heaven" would be to mount someone, use the chest to pressure their elbow accross their body to turn them prone (the heart part), then choke them till they turn blue (the 'heaven' part).
 
Zoran said:
What's there to say. It seems that there will be people that will never agree on this subject.

True, but I was just giving a little food for thought.

I wrote a short example of how our system deals with grappling techs on another forum. John McSweeney started us on the road to this as he was teaching this before the MMA craze.




3- Striking from the ground. - That is something that is completely different from stiking while standing. Fully extending a punch for example can put you in a bad situation. But if done properly, will help open up some opportunities that may not be readily available. But unless you strike a vital targer, such as eyes and throat, you will not disable your attacker, just enrage them. Also the old idea that going to the eyes when on the ground will work every time is a myth, as proficient grapplers know how to avoid such tactics.

And the above sounds awesome!! Sounds like you have a good thing going!!

Mike
 
Mike, thanks for reviving one of my favorite threads.

Zoran, thanks for adding your enlightened perspective.

When I first started Kenpo in 1973, in 6th grade, no school kid would ever ever ever kick in a school yard fight. You could box, and you could wrestle. You could knock a kid down, mount him, and punch him. But, if you kicked, you were fighting dirty and the spectators would join against you. I kicked a guy in my 7th grade science class who took a swing at me. Knocked the wind out of him. Boy did I get in trouble!

Over the next 20 years, Karate, Kung Fu, and then TKD schools became common. When I last looked at the statistics 10 years ago, 1-million Americans were actively training in Martial Arts and 9-million had trained at some point in their lifetime. I would expect that the number is double that now. Kicking is no longer fighting dirty. It is something you can reasonably expect to see and do in a school yard or street fight.

In the early 90's, the Gracie family started the UFC. Grappling gained new respect. High-school and college wrestlers and Judoka came out of hiding. Lots of people started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In the late 90's a sheik from Abu Dhabi started an international submission wrestling competition. Grappling without a gi started to become popular even for those not interested in MMA. Kids are starting to do submission grappling. Soon, our kids will be doing suplexes and ending school yard fights with triangles and rear naked chokes instead of with lunge kicks. It's only a matter of time. If you don't believe me, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a highlight clip from a local tournament with little kids grappling.

So what is Kenpo's answer to all of this. Of course, Kenpo being what it is, has many answers. One answer is to embrace the march of time and add grappling programs at Kenpo schools. Another similar answer is to incorporate grappling techniques into a modified Kenpo curriculum. A final answer, one that I feel won't stand the test of time, is to keeep Kenpo as it was 20 or 30 years ago and ignore the rising popularity of grappling.
 
Old Fat Kenpoka said:
Mike, thanks for reviving one of my favorite threads.

Zoran, thanks for adding your enlightened perspective.

When I first started Kenpo in 1973, in 6th grade, no school kid would ever ever ever kick in a school yard fight. You could box, and you could wrestle. You could knock a kid down, mount him, and punch him. But, if you kicked, you were fighting dirty and the spectators would join against you. I kicked a guy in my 7th grade science class who took a swing at me. Knocked the wind out of him. Boy did I get in trouble!

Over the next 20 years, Karate, Kung Fu, and then TKD schools became common. When I last looked at the statistics 10 years ago, 1-million Americans were actively training in Martial Arts and 9-million had trained at some point in their lifetime. I would expect that the number is double that now. Kicking is no longer fighting dirty. It is something you can reasonably expect to see and do in a school yard or street fight.

In the early 90's, the Gracie family started the UFC. Grappling gained new respect. High-school and college wrestlers and Judoka came out of hiding. Lots of people started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In the late 90's a sheik from Abu Dhabi started an international submission wrestling competition. Grappling without a gi started to become popular even for those not interested in MMA. Kids are starting to do submission grappling. Soon, our kids will be doing suplexes and ending school yard fights with triangles and rear naked chokes instead of with lunge kicks. It's only a matter of time. If you don't believe me, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a highlight clip from a local tournament with little kids grappling.

So what is Kenpo's answer to all of this. Of course, Kenpo being what it is, has many answers. One answer is to embrace the march of time and add grappling programs at Kenpo schools. Another similar answer is to incorporate grappling techniques into a modified Kenpo curriculum. A final answer, one that I feel won't stand the test of time, is to keeep Kenpo as it was 20 or 30 years ago and ignore the rising popularity of grappling.

OFK- You're quite welcome!!!! As for your post...well, like always, I AGREE 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike
 
Some of the old Vale Tudo guys -- who had a running feud with the Gracies in Brazil -- have already worked out some pretty good blows from the ground, both from superior positions, and from inferior positions. Granted, from an inferior positiion you might just piss off a guy who's set to pummel you horribly, but maybe you can at least get some licks in.

Combining kenpo w/ BJJ? Easy. Go knee-up on a guy...as mentioned earlier, similar in position to a close, deep or wide kneel, depending on how you play it...then start working him with your kenpo combinations from a stooped position. Transitionally shift your weight off the rear foot, and stomp the face or head with it, pinning it btw your Docs and the concrete, then like a snap kick, quickly return it to position on the ground behind you. Positional secondary striking = lift your knee of the chest ever so slightly for a split second, then let it drop down again with all oyur weight. Bounce on the guys rib cage doing this over and over, and when he raises the upper part of his torso towards you (up from the ground), stoop down a little further and plant a hard inward elbow from the same side you're kneeling on him.

Old kenpo used to be called "grab and beat karate". Lends itself well to striking from the mounted position (circling hammerfists, inward-outward-&-upward elbows, chopping hooks, smothering punches).

Avoiding the skilled shoot is the hard part, because the grappler doesn't even have to be a skilled thrower. We used to grapple judo guys, and let them be responsible for the take down: they would latch on to us and throw us, and we'd just hand on for the ride and drag them down with.

For shooting drills, used to take a heavy bag with the rings stripped off, stand it up, and practice (repeatedly) dropping in low for variotions of the approach on a sinbgle-leg or double-leg take-down from wrestling. Also used to practice hooking each leg from various angles around the bag to assist the TD. Practiced sprawls, as well as sprawl counters. I used to cheat in "no hitting" matches, by using glancing blows to pressure points and neuro-vascular bundles on the way to positions from the shoot or during it. Ain't that a kenpo principle?

Train hard and conquer,

D.
 
Old Fat Kenpoka said:
Mike, thanks for reviving one of my favorite threads.

Zoran, thanks for adding your enlightened perspective.

When I first started Kenpo in 1973, in 6th grade, no school kid would ever ever ever kick in a school yard fight. You could box, and you could wrestle. You could knock a kid down, mount him, and punch him. But, if you kicked, you were fighting dirty and the spectators would join against you. I kicked a guy in my 7th grade science class who took a swing at me. Knocked the wind out of him. Boy did I get in trouble!

Over the next 20 years, Karate, Kung Fu, and then TKD schools became common. When I last looked at the statistics 10 years ago, 1-million Americans were actively training in Martial Arts and 9-million had trained at some point in their lifetime. I would expect that the number is double that now. Kicking is no longer fighting dirty. It is something you can reasonably expect to see and do in a school yard or street fight.

In the early 90's, the Gracie family started the UFC. Grappling gained new respect. High-school and college wrestlers and Judoka came out of hiding. Lots of people started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In the late 90's a sheik from Abu Dhabi started an international submission wrestling competition. Grappling without a gi started to become popular even for those not interested in MMA. Kids are starting to do submission grappling. Soon, our kids will be doing suplexes and ending school yard fights with triangles and rear naked chokes instead of with lunge kicks. It's only a matter of time. If you don't believe me, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a highlight clip from a local tournament with little kids grappling.

So what is Kenpo's answer to all of this. Of course, Kenpo being what it is, has many answers. One answer is to embrace the march of time and add grappling programs at Kenpo schools. Another similar answer is to incorporate grappling techniques into a modified Kenpo curriculum. A final answer, one that I feel won't stand the test of time, is to keeep Kenpo as it was 20 or 30 years ago and ignore the rising popularity of grappling.
Awesome...couldn't agree with you more. "Kenpo traditionalists" (an oxymoron) run the risk of making kenpo ther next TKD...outdated, outmoded, and absolutely useless in the street.
 
Old Fat Kenpoka said:
So what is Kenpo's answer to all of this. Of course, Kenpo being what it is, has many answers. One answer is to embrace the march of time and add grappling programs at Kenpo schools. Another similar answer is to incorporate grappling techniques into a modified Kenpo curriculum.

This is essential if we are to keep up with the times. As long as you address it, you are moving forward. Believing your system doesn't need to address it, will leave you in the dust. For example, my instructor is not a ground fighting expert, and as he's in his mid 60's will probably never be one. However, he does realize the need for it so he takes advantage of outside sources and his black belts to help incorporate it into the system. We have some very good people now in that department, like Keith Hackney who runs his own MMA school.

One thing to keep your thoughts on is that ground fighting, for the most part, is a form of sparring. Try to focus on what would be the best for self defense on the street. While staying on the ground and trying to get a submission is a good training tool, it should not be the focus of ones training. Fighting from the ground can get you in a lot of trouble in the real world (getting kicked in the head by someone else for example). Also, it can require a large amount of time to get someone in a submission hold and for it to take effect. I usually have a personal 5 second rule. If it takes longer than that, then there is something wrong and I need to re-evaluate my methods.
 
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