if your by yourself and are confronted by more then one attacker are your grappling skills going to be effective? if so explain how.
Man I hope you are wearing your asbestos undies, that's a pretty loaded question, non? It's a bit like saying to a TKDist, how would you defend yourself if your feet were tied together. I'm sure some clinching, takedowns, throwing skills will come in handy but the situation calls for more than just "pure" grappleing skills don't YOU think?
Firstly, I would not take it to the ground. I would attempt to use footwork to keep one opponent in front of the other, and pummel the crap out of the guy in front of me until I can escape. Fighting multiple opponents can and most likely will get you hurt, whether you are a karate black belt or a freestyle wrestler. There is no magic formula for winning in these situations. I will tell you one thing. It's a lot easier to be taken down in a multiple opponent situation, and a grappler knows how to get back up.
The dynamic of fighting multiple opponents is not one of x times 1 opponent. As 1one points out, the ability to position your opponents in a favourable way is of paramount importance. If you let them dictate your position you will be unable to defend yourself. This ability is common to good fighters of whatever background. Don't forget that grappling skills are not just for the ground. Close-in fighters are often very good at manoeuvring stand-up opponents as well. There aren't many grapplers who haven't learnt any striking techniques. I would say, on the other hand, that there are a lot of people from striking arts who haven't learnt any grappling.
you'd be stupid to take it to the ground... But, grappling isn't necessaryly ground grappling, such things as throws, trips and clinch work could prove effective...
Here is a bold statement On the ground I have beat two opponents in sub grappling at the same time on more than one occassion. I have also done this standing but striking makes it easier. It can be done and the specifics are as follows. One person about 13 stone (me at 15 stone) and another at about 18 stone so no 9 stone wimps! :Angel:
Sorry, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but even if you know how to get up fast, if you are on the ground in a multiple assailant scenario how can you get up? Surely they will all be around you putting the 'boot in'? Agreed though, knowing how to get up is extremely important...
If you're confronted with more than 1 opponent grappling will not help you alone. If you're takedown by one of the them, your grappling skills will come in handy to make an escape to get back up to your feet, depending what position you're in on the ground at first.
I saw a guy on a nightclub door - VERY good wrestler - take on 3 guys. Clinch > Suplex > Back on his feet X3 in rapid succession. He wiped 'em out before they knew what had hit them. None of them got up.
Those are 5 individuals who did not want to fight,the skater initiated the physical conflict. If the five had wanted to fight or had any idea of how to fight the outcome would have been different.
Ironman, I would be trying to get out of there. If I can't run away, it's probably because someone's grabbed onto me. That sounds like a perfect time to use some grappling abilities to break his grip or get behind him so I can get back to running. This question has been thrown at grapplers by pure strikers again and again and again. No, I can't win a fight with more than one person, but I doubt you can either. But I'll bet a decent submission grappler of any sort can handily win a fight with anyone who'd ask such a question, and I'll have to be satisfied with that.
well my opinion is regardless of what art you do, in a multiattacker situation it will not be easy. I really hate when people see that as grapplings one down fall when there is no magical art that can help you defeat groups of people by yourself. Most would argue that there style trains you for those scenarios but so do many grappling arts. Whether or not the training they give you is sufficient is the key coming out, as successful as possible, in a multiattacker situation.
A pretty standard drill in wrestling gyms here is to repeatedly suplex the grappling dummy (about 100lbs dead weight) as a conditioning exercise. 1 minute rounds of Suplex, stand, pick up the dummy - repeat. Ten of these in a minute is not at all unusual.
See "skater vs five frat boys" video clip for grappling used against multiple opponents. I humbly request a link for this video. TIA!
