The Library: Empty-Hand Fighting: Grappling

»Main Index
»General Interest
»Empty-Hand Studies
»Weaponry Studies
»Advanced Training
»Training the Spirit
»Training the Mind
»Elective Studies

Many modern grappling systems promote submission holds; this may be a dangerous strategy.

Submission Impossible

A large percent of fights begin with grappling: the opponent rushes out of nowhere, and tackles the victim to the ground.

About as many fights start on foot: a tentative shove or a swing at the head. The longer the fight goes past the initial three or five seconds, the more likely that gross motor skills take over, and the fighters begin to struggle at close range, leading to grappling.

This is not to say that grappling in any fight is inevitable: just that grappling is very likely.

As a result, many systems have recognized the seriousness of grappling. In fact, grappling has become so popular that thousands of students have begun to study its elements, usually looking to the few established grappling styles widely available and copying or incoporating those strategies into their own training.

One common strategy is submission fighting. In this strategy, the victim counters or reverses the attacker’s initial onslaught, and applies a choke, a powerful hold, a pin, a lock, or some combination of these to force the attacker to submit (that is, surrender the fight). In training, a submission is usually obvious when the training partner “taps out” (taps either his partner or the mats to indicate the end of the fight).

In essence, the partner acknowledges that he is losing consciousness from the choke, or that the lock is so effective that further struggle could result in a wrench or sprain, or that he has no valid escape technique left to apply. Ergo, the fight is effectively over.

Of all the grappling strategies, submission fighting is ultimately a training strategy. Its use outside of training is particularly risky, and should be carefully considered. Here are some reasons that “real world” submission fighting can be a mistake:

Submission fighting does not neutralize the threat. If the attacker is still awake and relatively uninjured, he can respond in deadly fashion.
Submission fighting requires that the victim continue to hold the attacker indefinitely. How close is help? One minute away? Five minutes? Is help on the way? How long can the victim continue to hold the still-dangerous opponent?
Submission fighting prevents immediate escape by the victim. Assuming the victim elects to escape the attacker, he simply cannot stand up and walk away: the attacker is held only as long as he is held. Once the victim releases an arm or hand to begin to run, the attacker is now free to resume the attack. In effect, submission fighting traps the victim, as well as the attacker.
Submission fighting does nothing to reduce the threat of others in the immediate area. While the primary attacker may be held, the victim is not able to respond to others, and may not even be able to see them clearly in his now-limited field of view.
Attackers may not be interested in valid techniques. That submission may work on the mats, but does not prevent a real attacker from biting to escape, grabbing a knife and stabbing himself free, or using any number of “illegal” moves to escape the victim’s hold.
Although a choke can render an attacker unconscious, it surprises people how long a choke must be applied before true unconsciousness occurs. A powerful choke can create a sensation of blacking out within seconds, as evidenced even in simple training sessions. However, there is a difference between a true lack of consciousness and the mere sensation of choking. A partner will tap out the moment he senses blood supply being cut to the brain; however, an attacker will not. As he sinks into unconsciousness, he becomes limp and his struggles weaken. However, even after fifteen seconds of silence, releasing the attacker will cause blood supply to resume to the brain. As the victim begins to stand up, the attacker can easily return to consciousness and counterattack. A choke, to be truly effective, may need to be applied at full force for nearly a full minute. Although thousands of people can apply a powerful choke, only a small number can produce a continuously powerful choke hold for 60 seconds without weakening. Chokes are time-consuming and exhausting; neither aspect is very desirable in grappling when seconds count.

Submission holds can be valid strategies for law enforcement, security, or other physical applications when there is sufficient backup available: a submission hold can be useful to restrain an individual long enough for someone else to apply handcuffs, administer medicine, utilize physical restraints, and so on. For an individual against a committed attacker, however, submissions can be a costly mistake.

Instead, the victim should work to neutralize the threat with elbows and knees, especially to the attacker’s head. Powerful strikes and kicks can help open distance and allow for escape. A fast escape can allow the victim to run clear of the attack or face another threat. If neither you nor the attacker can move in a submission hold, your odds have merely stayed the same. If you can move, but he cannot because you stunned him with an elbow, they have improved...possibly enough to matter.