381 - Balance taking and takedowns
Notes on performance and tactics from a recent workshop. (S.I./F)
Copyright © 2023 by Jeth Randolph
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I covered this subject in a workshop recently as we were looking at basic ideas for takedowns - really, first steps in learning to use them for a survival context.
Here are some notes on a couple of the ideas I covered.
Takedowns for escape
Takedowns are a big subject and we reduced the whole thing in terms of their use to looking at the advantage of having someone grounded so as to aid your escape from the situation.
Whatever state they’re in, they still need to action several things to continue their assault of you and in this time, hopefully, you are already running.
Time = improved odds for you
You may not get a decisive end to the attack but you may gain moments of extra time. And extra time may be the difference in saving your life.
Unbalance them first?
As I stated in the workshop, I’d read some articles recently from sport martial sources and they had put forward a certain method of approaching takedowns and as it seemed to be a commonly accepted principle in that context coupled with the fact that … I also disagreed with these articles in certain aspects, I thought it would be useful to use as a topic to explore with the group I had that night.
I looked at a concept that is very common in Judo but I’d also seen it discussed in Jui-jitsu too, namely the idea of taking the aggressor’s balance first so as to facilitate your takedown tactic or throw.
Now, before we go any further, takedowns are not the preserve of grappling arts only - striking arts like boxing and indeed, anyone that can swing a fist, also have takedowns - it’s called punching the ability to stand out of someone. There are also other ways that people end up on the ground but here I’ll mention striking.
Hit them!
Don’t forget, striking is also a takedown. As long as they’re going to the floor in some way, it’s a moot point to those interested in survival oriented skill learning.
Having a range of ideas is needed and must be trained, just don’t allow yourself to get hung up on HOW it happens too much.
Now back to the common grappling concept that I mentioned and that is that the aggressor needs to be unbalanced first before your takedown can work.
This is correct also in our context of learning, however there is a missing factor here and it’s a big one.
Resistance
Namely that someone may well not ALLOW you to easily unbalance them by grabbing a limb or area on their clothing for instance and this goes for many tactics, that get shot down by internet experts as “not real”.
So, rather than look at unbalancing as your first tactic, you need to look at ways of actively disrupting their ability to even counter the unbalancing.
You are hijacking their responses by masking your actions with the pain or distraction of something else.
Knockdown / takedown
I mentioned striking just now and striking is also proof that unbalancing isn’t the only prelude to a takedown as a punch that makes the brain briefly forget the functioning of the legs is how the grounding is achieved in this case not leverage or balance taking.
Examples:
A punch in the face disrupts most people somewhat to greater or lesser degrees, they may shift their head slightly backwards and change their structure.
This creates an opening moment to crash in, take their balance over the stable point and THEN perform your takedown tactic, perhaps either run them backwards or reap one of their legs to unbalance powerfully.
If they are shifted backwards, then your takedown has a better chance if that is the direction you move in.
Now as they are hopefully falling, you are moving past them and to their six O'clock which puts you well ahead in the ability to be escaping by simply running in that approximate direction.
Another example would what can be seen commonly in MMA, a feint strike and then a leg shoot to capitalise on the cognitive delay while the opponent is covering the first tactic.
“The diminished fighter theory”
The course framework that I use has a simple concept called “The diminished fighter theory”, you diminish the aggressor in some way and this will then raise the chances of your tactic working.
Taking balance is a form of diminishment. In stand up grappling, keeping someone off balance is seen as a way of hampering their ability to fight.
If you are seeking to diminish though by taking balance, depending on the situation, you may need something to diminish the ability to resist that as well.
So you are looking to attack the aggressors resources such as structure , their plan/ thinking and so on rather than just trying to unbalance. There may be more than one diminishing tactic used by you before you manage this.
A possible takedown chain
Diminish(es) - anything that works and be prepared to repeat this approach at any stage of the chain as needed.
Take balance
Perform takedown
What needs to happen next?
Hi Jeth, just noticing that from here forwards, the possibility to comment isn’t available. Wondering it that’s Substack or whether you prefer comments to go through you first? Thanks
This makes a lot of sense, and take-downs are odd in the sense that it’s all too easy to knock someone flying if you bump into them accidentally, but when you attempt to do it on purpose it can seem quite difficult to achieve unless the other person is actively willing. And it’s quite hard to be actively willing when you know what the intention is!