Marc MacYoung

The ground is not where you want to be in a knock-down, drag-out brawl.

In a society where everyone stands and watches the two fighters, it might be a semi-safe place. But in a bar where his buddy will bust a bottle over your head as you try a submission hold or onlookers will try to kick you to death with their cowboy boots as part of the night's entertainment, it's not where you want to try to finish a confrontation. Yet, current tends in training teach 'going to the deck' as almost inevitable. 

Before you even think about taking someone to the ground, you need to know that in most states, the shod human foot, when applied to a downed person, is considered a lethal force instrument. And well it should be.  Most deaths from 'unarmed' attacks occur while the victim is on the ground getting kicked and stomped.

That's why Marc MacYoung says, "There's a difference between grappling and floor fighting. You need to know when it is safe to try to grapple and when not to."  In this video, he teaches you how to avoid going to the ground, how to fall on various surfaces with minimal injury, the secrets of protecting vital areas if you are taken to the ground and the best methods for getting back to your feet ... fast.

MacYoung also shows why commonly taught grappling techniques that work well on the mat can spell disaster in the back alley or on barroom floor. This tape is definitely not about grappling, submission fighting or mixed martial arts. This is not a primer  for "no holds barred" competition. This is what you need to know when the only rule is not dying.

Adapted from his best-selling book Floor Fighting, this dynamic video covers every aspect of ground fighting, including the fundamentals of balance and more.

Down But Not Out (Paladin Press)  1998, color,  60 minutes, ISBN 1-58160-001-1

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VHS -- $27         Retail: $29.95
 

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The simple fact is most of what you think you know about ground fighting is advertising and marketing. Grappling has been extensively marketed and promoted well beyond its functional limits. This is not to say it isn't a great tool. In fact, for many circumstances it is a fantastic tool and the right one for the job. Grappling works 'right out of the box' when you are in situation where you are trying to stop unacceptable behavior and you don't want to hurt the other guy (e.g., Drunken Uncle Albert at a family reunion).
But, when you find yourself going over about to land under someone who has a fist full of your hair and is pulling your head back (to crack your skull on the concrete), has a forearm across your throat (to crush it when he lands on top of you) and is trying to knee you in the nuts -- you're in a totally different ball game.
That ain't no submission fight. He's not seeking to dominate you, he's trying to injure you -- and he don't care if its fatal. And yes, I have been in that exact situation facing a 'street fighter' -- had I not countered those attacks, I would have been dead. This video does NOT promote grappling, nor is it about submission fighting, mixed martial arts or dominating your opponent, it explains what you need to do to survive the kinds of dangers you'll encounter going to the ground where your opponent is intent on crippling or killing you. You grapple when it's safe, you groundfight when you're ass is on the line.   -- Marc MacYoung

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