BaffledExperts by Adam Norman

Some tips for fighting on the ground

When you start, you will see people around the dojo doing all sorts of dumb things, like sitting on their bums and fighting from their backs. Resist this temptation. Until you get good, there is little reason to intentionally put yourself at a disadvantage. To practice, we often put ourselves in bad positions, especially against people that are worse than us. In some ways, this is good; I find it very easy to crush small or inexperienced fighters, and it's no longer a lot of fun. In some ways, this is bad; many people flop to their backs reflexively now, even against better opponents, because they've spent so much time fighting from there. The back is, all things put together, a worse place to fight from. At any rate, since you're not good, don't weaken yourself. Fight from a natural position: as upright as possible.

Many fights are won in the first few seconds. If you are strictly applying judo rules and only attempting 25-second hold-downs (something we don't normally do when practising), I think you’ll find that the victors in almost all fights are determined in the first 3 seconds. It is very difficult to escape a pin before the clock runs out.

If you are trying to win (and nobody says you have to), you need to apply yourself with your full concentration and energy to those first few seconds of a ground fight. You don’t need to be tense--far from it. But you cannot afford to be sloppy, inattentive, or lazy. I have won many, many fights on the ground by simply waiting, appearing calm, and exploding at the right moment. Of course, as I said, I’m big, so I have an advantage. There is a lot of me to explode. But the strategy matters most. Most new fighters start by tensing up, gripping strongly, and pulling hard. And that is fine; you should, when the time comes, grip strongly and pull hard. But quite apart from the fact that doing so is exhausting, there is no point in telling your opponent before that opportune time what you are like. Grip, pull, and snap your opponent sharply, and relax the rest of the time.

About a month ago, I fought a new guy at the dojo. Like me, he is a big man. We rolled on the ground for a few minutes at the beginning of class. He muscled me around, and I let him. He was new, and I was quite happy letting him win and letting him use his strength. It made him feel good, and it’s nice when newcomers feel good.

At the end of class, we rolled again. He was exhausted, and I wasn’t. Because he had been so successful before, he tried to be strong again. Of course, it was easy to beat him--and, for what it’s worth, I didn’t. But I could have.

On the ground, judo is simple.

1. Stay relaxed, and use your energy only when necessary
2. Stick to the plan: work your way from bad positions to better positions, staying compact and relaxed, until you are in a position to submit your opponent.
3. If you stray from the plan, work back to a neutral position and get back on the path to victory

It is that easy.