Odds are strong that at some point a fight will go to the ground, either by your direction during the process of controlling a subject or against your will in the midst of an attack. Given this, your safety and survival can depend on your ability to navigate a ground fight.
“Training to fight on the ground is just as important, if not more so in some instances, than any other scenario,” said defensive tactics trainer and Police1 columnist Gary Klugiewicz. “Often there can be no worse place to be than on the ground, vulnerable and unprepared.”
1) Know when to get up and when to stay down
“Many officers, and even some trainers, believe that the first thing you should put full focus on when you’re knocked to the ground is getting up. That’s not how I see it,” Klugiewicz said. “If it’s safe to get up, meaning you’ve got the distance to do so and the situation warrants it, then by all means get up. But if you’ve just been thrown to the ground by Godzilla and he’s bearing down on you, getting up may not be the smartest idea.
“You need to read the situation and decide what is most important RIGHT NOW. Is it your weapon drawn so you can cease a deadly threat? Is it protecting your weapon from the clawing hands of your attacker? Is it positioning yourself so you can deliver forceful, well-placed kicks to create dysfunction?
“Yes, getting up is certainly desirable but it may not be your top priority at the moment.”
2) Practice ground drawing
“It’s obvious that the dynamics of drawing on the ground are different than those of drawing from a standing or squatting position, but do you know just how challenging ground drawing can be? If not, you should,” Klugiewicz said. “Officers need to train to draw quickly and safely from every conceivable ground position; on your back, on all fours, on your side with your weapon away from the ground and on your side with your weapon pushed against the ground, even on your stomach. You also need to be prepared to fire at ‘center of available mass’ if someone is on top of you.
“In a ground fight, you may find yourself firing into a femur, a knee, a side, the head ... whatever you can target.”
3) Avoid a cover-up
“In my years of ground fight training, I have seen scores of officers instinctively roll over onto their stomachs in a fight with the idea that their seemingly most vulnerable areas, like their face, their throat, their chest and their groin are more protected that way. Actually, it’s the opposite,” Klugiewicz said.
“Rolling onto your stomach exposes your Medulla (the sensitive area at the base of the skull where the head meets the neck) to a punch that can immediately render you unconscious and even kill you. It puts you in a convenient position for being choked out from behind by wrapping an arm around your neck and pulling back. It exposes your spine and kidneys to debilitating and potentially crippling direct blows. It also exposes your weaponry and leaves you generally unable to launch any form of counter attack.
“On a sidenote,” he added, “I’m of the thinking that most disarmings come as the result of opportunity, not as the result of premeditation. I believe that most people don’t think about taking your weapon until it’s presented to them. If you roll over on your stomach and in essence ‘present’ your gun in full view, you’re asking for trouble.
“You are far more empowered on your back where you can deliver kicks, pivot and spin away from blows, keep an eye on the suspect’s movements and more easily draw your weapon. When you’ve got the distance to do so, rolling over on your stomach on the way to getting to your knees and getting up is okay, but only when you’ve got a safe moment to do so.
4) Practice realistically
“Training in sweat pants, a tee-shirt and sneakers in the gym is fine if you’re learning techniques and practicing them, but the real training comes when you’re in actual street gear-vest, full belt, full uniform -- and forced to function on the ground. Mark my words, it’s a lot different, and it’s something you need to prepare for.”
Related Video:
Broadband
Dialup
Duty Sheet and Lesson Plan accompanying this video.
The video footage and duty sheet/lesson plan are from the “In the Line of Duty” video Volume 7 Program 12 - “Ground Fighting” Part 1
See all of the In the Line of Duty videos at ShopPoliceOne.com.
