Co każdy karateka powinien wiedzieć o walce w parterze

Kiedyś walką z zabobonami zajmował się Rob Redmond, ale ze swojej strony www.24fightingchickens.com przeniósł się na facebooka. Od jakiegoś czasu w internecie walczy z niewiedzą Jesse Enkamp na www.karatebyjesse.com. I choć czasem coś palnie (kto nie palnie?) to jakiś czas temu napisał artykuł, który zaczyna się tak:

“A stranded goldfish.”
That’s how I’d describe most Karate people when they get thrown to the ground. (I know, because I used to be one of them.)

Why?
Because sadly, many Karate schools don’t teach reality-based self-defense tactics. And reality, by its pure definition, will always involve an element of ground fighting; whether it’s you lying on the ground, or your opponent. Hence, if you don’t know the very basics of ne-waza (ground techniques), you’ll never be fully capable of handling the inherently unpredictable nature of a physical encounter – along with the unique demands it places on you in terms of physical stress, tactical skills and situational awareness.
In other words, the ground is a dark and evil place.
So don’t make the mistake of not practicing for it.
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) legend Rickson Gracie probably said it the best:

 ”I am a shark, the ground is my ocean and most people can’t even swim.” – Rickson Gracie.

Amen.
Truth be told, I’m not an expert at ground fighting. I am neither a grappling wizard nor a submission artist. In fact, my first full-contact fight was actually lost on the ground, due to a basic armbar setup which I had never encountered before.
But I can’t lie:
I still secretly giggle when I see the fear in the eyes of visiting Karate-ka to our dojo, as they are thrown to the ground and outwrestled without having any experience in the realm of ground-based fighting.
The reaction is always one of the following:

• Sprawl ‘n brawl… (panic)
• …or ground ‘n pound (anger).
• But usually they just lay ‘n pray (fear).

Recognize yourself?
I hope not.
But if you do, and if you want to know how to improve your understanding of ne-waza, this will be the perfect article for you. And hey, it doesn’t even matter if you consider Karate a sport or martial art.

When I recently asked Ádám Kovács, Hungarian/World/European kumite medalist and World Games Champion, what his blue belt in BJJ meant to his Karate fighting, he told me: “It definity changed my view of combat.”

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