It happens to us all sooner or later.
We get knocked on our asses.
It happens because when we end up in a street attack situation we can easily stumble, slip and of course a strike can send us tumbling to the floor.
It is extremely common; the question is….what can you do from there.
The Police Get Up
It was several years ago that members of Andy Norman’s team taught myself and my police colleagues some of his ultra cool techniques.
And of course how to get up off the floor and defend yourself from there was part of this.
At the time it was my second exposure to Andy’s training.
The issue of being on the floor was a common problem for the police as we often ended up there with suspects, but it is also common in other situations.
Having witnessed and reviewed thousands of street attacks, I am happy to say a lot of people end up on the ground and more appropriately their backsides.
But the question has always been, ‘what do you do next?’
A common issue occurs, the person springs back up, and they are met by a person running at them, and then they deliver a chilling knock out blow.
The very act of pushing yourself up off the floor means your hands are down, ‘wham’ you are out cold.
One of the main techniques taught was the Brazilian Jitsu ‘get up’.
This was an old-school technique from the days of Vale Tudo when you were on the ground, and the opponent was standing.
You wanted to make sure they couldn’t soccer kick your head, so you butt scooted, keeping them at bay with your feet.
There is one issue.
What if there is more than one attacker?
This is the reality of non-sport based/ one on one combat; you are usually facing more than one attacker.
So, there you are surrounded by people what do you do?
The answer, of course, was taught to us that day and it was game-changing for the audience in the room.
It later became a technique taught to officers for numerous years.
(Sorry folks but to learn this technique you need to be a student of Defence Lab, either online or at a physical lab).
However what you must understand is that very few self-defence systems and Martial Arts have ever ventured to this arena, why?
Because it is very difficult to do anything on the ground while on your backside.
So if a technique was good enough to teach thousands of police officers, you can be sure it is good enough for you.
Getting Up Is Not Always Easy
Ok so yeah, the police got taught an incredible way to get up off the floor that works even when you are surrounded.
You can access this knowledge by learning DL.
But what happens if you can’t get up and yeah when you have 3 girls and or lads kicking seven shades out of you while you are on the floor, getting up is not easy.
So what are you going to do?
The answer is you do what you can.
Again taught by Andy Norman (founder of Defence Lab) I know there are a variety of things you can do when in that situation.
But ultimately it is: move fast, keep protected and use the weapons you have.
Things such as trips, climb ups, grabs, hammers and more can be utilised while keeping yourself protected and also looking for that opening to get up.
You will be surprised at just how damaging you can be from the ground.
But of course you won’t be if you don’t train there and this is why Defence Lab looks at situations such as this.
Establishing Your Skill Level
A simple drill can show if you have the ability to protect yourself from the seated (on the floor) position.
To do this sit on the floor and have 3 training partners stand around you, give them focus pads and set a timer for just 10 seconds.
When you start, they will hit you with the pad (lightly).
You will have 3 people hitting you at the same time!
After 10 seconds you will soon see just how vulnerable you are.
And you will have questions, and those answers lie in Defence Lab Training.
But I Am A Grappler; I Can Fight On The Ground
Yes, one on one you are going to be savage on the ground.
There is no doubt about this, but try that test if you are a Judoka, BJJ player or wrestler.
But you must take note, every time the pad hits your head that is a full power punch, kick or stomp in reality.
You will find that you take a large number of shots in the head, and in reality, those would knock you out.
Armbars, sweeps and leg locks do not work if there is more than one attacker.
So, if you spend 100% of your time learning techniques that are only effective in one on one situations, then you will find yourself with no chance when faced with multiple attackers.
You Do Not Have To Give Up Your Art
Self Defence is not about choosing one path and forsaking all others.
The goal of this article was to get you thinking…..can I fight off my ass?
And also addressing the fact that you can easily end up there.
The slip on the soaking wet nightclub floor due to drinks being spilt.
The tip on the kerb.
The punch that you didn’t see coming.
All of these factors can lead to you being sat on your backside on the floor.
What you do next, however, will dictate how the encounter goes.
Surprisingly you can be dangerous in that position, however only if you start training.
Check out Defence Lab and train either at a Lab or train online.
The choice is yours.
Thanks for reading.