What should you do when an opponent is down?

[kungfufighter]

whether your out somewhere or sparring or in a ring or something what should you do when an opponent is down? Cause whenever i get into a fight i always tend to kick my opponents after they've lost their balance or something.

[Sever]

Outside - get away. Ring/ cage, depends on the ruleset

[old timer]

If its outside and in a self preservation situation...........anything you want to stop him / her from getting up and attacking you again, if they were foolish enough to attackyou in the first place I am afraid that they must pay the price with no sympathy or mercy shown. My thoughts only.

[Melanie]

I have to say I share the opinion of oldtimer and his signature (I've said it enough times). As long as I feel my life is in danger, I would do everything I can to neutralise that danger (please note I did not say annihilate!). Once I felt confident that they no longer are any danger to me, someone who cannot walk cannot chase me, some one who cannot see cannot chase me, then I'm off for help/police.

[Punchy]

I agree with Oldtimer. The only qualifications are:-

1. You do not expose yourself while 'finishing them off'. When I have had to defend myself in the street there were multiple opponents and I would have exposed my back so I did not follow uo. However it was not necessary, they left me alone.

2. You do not do serious fatal damage and end up in jail or on the losing end of a law suit for damages. This happens to bouncers. So best not to stay around if possible.

[Sgt_Major]

Outside - stamp on their ankle......or on both. This makes it hard for them to run after you as you flee with your life. Or the old 'angels' style of do ankles and wrists.

[alex_000]

You're posting this on self diffence forum so the answer is run away.

If you posted it on the MMA/judo/jj forum the answer would have been different.

[Sever]

You're posting this on self diffence forum so the answer is run away.

If you posted it on the MMA/judo/jj forum the answer would have been different.Good point. From a legal SD perspective, you should get out of there as soon as you've got the chance, whether you or I would is another discussion entirely ;)

[Dusty Larson]

Why, stomp the ever living bijesus out of him my friend! :) Namely on the arms and legs, for pain, but if you're trying to put him in the hospital or worse...the head.

And if he's a roughian when it comes to getting on the ground...some good, sharp toe kicks can do, to the sides or groin, to avoid having your leg taken while in the action.

[samharber]

Legally, its get away as soon as possible.
I would contend that breaking some fingers is ensuring that you can get away as soon as possible.

[Ikken Hisatsu]

stomping someone half to death is not self defense. you get caught, you are going to jail, unless you get OJ Simpsons lawyer. the amount of force needed to seriously hurt or kill someone while they are lying prone is not high, especially if you kick them in the spine. i would suggest that once you are standing and he is not you either run or tell him its over. and if he gets back up for some more, knock him down again and armbar him :D

[madfrank]

It depends opn the situation

but staying around to do damage to him can expose you to his friends
or someone elses getting involved or him unbalancing you
if it was pure self defence i would suggest run
MF

[Sgt_Major]

I still like the stomp/kick on the foot/ankle.....if he gets up again, he'll be in no state to continue a fight.

[Pat OMalley]

Never ever kick a man when he's down:mad: Just jump all over him untill he is a likle pulpy thing on the floor of life:yeleyes: :Angel:

[Sgt_Major]

lol!

Good sound philosophie there Pat!

:p

[Matt_Bernius]

stomping someone half to death is not self defense. you get caught, you are going to jail, unless you get OJ Simpsons lawyer. the amount of force needed to seriously hurt or kill someone while they are lying prone is not high, especially if you kick them in the spine.Very important point Ikken.

The flipside is, if you are engaging in a "stun and run" you want to make sure that you have a "tactical" approach to both sides. If you put the person on the ground, you want to make sure that they cannot immediately get up to persue you. And you also need to leave the scene in such a way that you know if the guy (or gal) is getting up to persue you as well.

Silat's suggestion of stomping to break an ankle is a good idea. However, if you decide to play football with the guy's head, you are most likely going far beyond where you should on the force continumm and could be in a world of legal trouble.

- Matt

[mystererae]

Well, if I somehow got a guy down and hadn't done anything damaging before that point, I would definitely give a good kick to the groin, nose, ankles, or whatever it may be... being a track and cross-country runner I know that even slower, younger JV runners can often outrun the fastest and most conditioned of female Varsity runners. If it were a dark alley or some other deserted place, my first priority would be to be able to get away safely - and then I would call an ambulance for the poor guy. If it were in a more public place, or I had some sort of building to get into where I would be safe, the rules might be different.

[Taliar]

You need to evaluate the situation first, if you could make an easy escape and there are none related witnesses about and you stamp on someones leg when they are down you are very likely going to be done for ABH/GBH would not like to think what would happen in the Suing States of America, especially if you damage a joint in such a way to leave a permenent injury.

[cj256]

if the attacker had hit the floor and you hadnt! chances are you allready did enough damage !
if the attacker is on the way down and is still looking like a threat then make sure he's not getting up again or won't want to!!!
use your common sense!
if there are multiple attackers and you knock one out then RUN

[Banpen Fugyo]

Zanshin my friend, zanshin.

Plus if your opponent is on the floor, chances are something is broken or they dont want to get back up...

[Sgt_Major]

True Taliar, but the syomp would be done in a way that looked like you were running and just happened to run on him.....or just a toe poke into the side of the ankle/leg will hurt enough to stop him running after you.

[DanDan]

Put the guy in a sleepa then steal his wallet.

[mididoctors]

BE careful....

the guy on the ground as advantages, he will grab your kicking leg if he can as a matter of course... if he went down out of range of an immediate follow up hit or takedown LET HIM ATTEMPT TO GET BACK UP..

in 99 times out of 100 there is a moment when he has three limbs carring his weight as he stands and only one free arm to tangle you up... hit him in that moment with an appropriate technique..

if you control his take down going into the next thing be it following him down to grapple fu BJJ style (not my cup of tea) to knee pins and pounding is all viable depending on the tactical circumstances.

if there is a break in contact you would be well advised to heed my advice

Boris
london

[Rebel Wado]

whether your out somewhere or sparring or in a ring or something what should you do when an opponent is down? Cause whenever i get into a fight i always tend to kick my opponents after they've lost their balance or something.

I can't really tell you what to do, it depends on what you are good at doing, how experienced a street fighter you are, and the situation.

One thing to consider is the flow of combat. If your opponent is downed and you continue the fight without a break, this can be accepatable given the circumstances. Judge and juries should have some understanding that in a fight, a trained fighter has certain logical conclusions they train in, whether it it to hit or kick or grapple a downed fighter for a few seconds before disengaging.

If the opponent goes down, you may be unbalanced for a moment yourself and have to fight for that top position, hit them a few times while pinning them with your shin, or break one of their arms or something, maybe stomp on a joint or two. Then again, you might not have to. It depends on how the flow of combat goes, the situation, and how you are trained to deal with the situation.

On the other hand, if you down your opponent, walk off, decide he didn't have enough, come back and kick him in the head a few times... well that's a good way to end up in jail or worse.

Consider the flow of combat and how you train. If you hesitate and then go back to attack the attacker, it may not look good unless you are still threatened and the attacker is still able to hurt you. So there is no one answer, just guidelines.

[Kwajman]

In a tournament, you go where the ring judge tells you to. Outside, you kick them a few more times and run like the devil.

[NeonxBurst]

Yes, darn those judges, we could win a whole lot quicker without their rules, just kidding, but I'd say that when your opponent hits the floor, you ask um if they're ok, and if they dont answer, call an ambulance and RUN!!!

[Rebel Wado]

I'm curious where people are trained to cover a downed foe in a street situation.

Are you taught to cover from the feet, the top, the side, or the head?

No I don't mean when attacking or applying submissions as that goes with the flow of combat, along with circling, shin/knee drops etc. I am specifically talking about covering a passive foe that may just be trying to trick you so they have time pull out a weapon or grab you when you are not ready.

Most of the training from close in I have been involved in uses side control positioning with control of a limb. When farther away, I have been taught to cover from the side also in the past.

I also have been taught at times to cover more on the feet side when employing tactical firearms to give them good visibility of the weapon and to allow maneuvering room for others to restrain the foe.

More recently it seems much of the training has focused on covering more from the head side (but still somewhat to the side). People seem more aware of kicking and are training to grab the legs of those that try to kick them when they are on the ground, so this position makes it harder for the downed foe to get a good grab on one of your legs. Not anything new, but probably more popular now in training due to the more publicized events of people stomping on downed victims in news clips and the more visible grappling styles.

I always seemed to have covered more to the head anyway so it isn't all that different to me.

Anyway, I am curious to hear how others are taught to cover downed foes.

[INTERNAL BOXING]

You all say run but what if he's in your house and down the hall is your kids and wife. Why is sell defense always in the ally? If I knock someone down in my house im going to have to get down there and pin him tell the cops come stomping his head is just not practical.

[NaughtyKnight]

DO NOT EVER STOP YOUR OPPONENT, except maybe in sparing if the rules are inclined that way.

On the street, if your opponent is on the ground leave him. If witnesses see you stomping them, well then, the court will not look kindly on it. If your opponent is getting up, then you can kick them.

[dutch80au]

if some one was getting physicly abusive and i was alone i would put them down long enough to get away.

if i was with the wife and kids, god help you, i'd want to make sure that nothing touches my babies, and make sure they think twice before trying that **** on any one else.

thats one of the main reasons i took up MA after all.

[NaughtyKnight]

If you are protecting your family then do anything to protect them. If they are getting up off the ground, axe kick them in the head to stop them.

Id rather go to jail for GBH then risk my family being harmed.