Dear Friend,

Most martial arts schools leave it out of their curriculum. Most videos claim to teach it but fail to give you simple and effective techniques that will really work. Is there a way for the average person to learn how to defend themselves on the ground?

I was recently talking to a fellow martial arts instructor whose art did not include any ground fighting skills. He did not buy the claims that "90% of all fights (or self defense situations) end up on the ground" (and neither do I).

He did admit that some percentage of them do, however, and felt he needed to add something to his program that would help his students know what to do, if they were either knocked or pushed down or taken to the ground.

He told me he purchased over a dozen ground fighting and grappling videos looking for a simple system that he could learn and then teach his students.

Not one of them gave him simple and effective techniques that he could learn from a video and that would be simple enough to work under an adrenal rush.

Over a period of time, he enrolled in a couple of martial art schools that taught grappling. Before enrolling, he asked the instructors if what they would teach him, would be good for the street. He was told in both cases, "absolutely yes". He said, while the instructors were very talented and were excellent grapplers, he found the same problem. What they taught was far too complicated, did not include much, if any striking and was focused on competition training rather than street self defense.

So, what is the answer?

I invited my friend to meet me one morning at my school. Since we both teach later in the day, we have the luxury of cross training in other systems if we choose.

We spent several hours that first morning sharing our techniques and ideas on defending yourself from the ground. He liked the simplicity of what I was teaching as well as the striking we were doing from the various ground positions. He was especially impressed of how we defend against a standing opponent if we are pushed or knocked down.

After just a few weeks he had my system down and began teaching it in his school. Some time later he told me, that while he modified a few techniques to his liking, he was teaching my system to his students, just as I had shown him. He was confident that his students could defend themselves if they had to on the ground.

Let me tell you how this all came about.

For many years my training was mostly confined to stand up fighting (self defense). I figured that if I honed my skills in stand up fighting that I would not have to deal with grappling or fighting on the ground.

Then came the UFC...

If you are not familiar with the UFC it is the Ultimate Fighting Challenge. The UFC is a professional arena where two opponents use mixed martial arts skills to fight to a knockout, tap out or decision.

While they claim there are "no rules" there are certain illegal or disallowed strikes and techniques which are mostly kept secret.

I will never forget UFC #1. There where some really tough stand up fighters in that match. Full contact kick boxers, Muay tai fighters, experienced karate, kung fu and tae kwon do fighters. If you didn't see it, all of these guys lost to good grapplers and ground fighters.

It was a real eye opener for many martial arts instructors, black belt competitors and I think the general public as well. How could these experienced stand up fighting experts be taken down so easily? Why was it so easy for the grapplers to beat the strikers?

Hindsight has shown us. The stand up fighters knew nothing about fighting from the ground while the grapplers had at least some good basic stand up skills. Today of course, this has all changed, as the current UFC participants are well rounded fighters who can fight standing as well as on the ground.

Look, you are not apt to having to face a skilled UFC fighter on the street, nor do you probably have the time or inclination to train that long or hard. You need some good basic skills to stop the mugger, rapist or street thug.

So, being a martial arts innovator, I set out to learn how I could improve my ground fighting skills in a way that was 'street' focused, was easy to learn and execute, and would work in most realistic street situations.

It had to be simple. It had to include striking. It had to be quick and easy to learn. I set this criteria because I know that without those qualities most of my students probably wouldn't 'get it' or if they did, it would never work on the street anyway.

The most often overlooked obstacle to effective street self defense is dealing with the adrenaline rush which is the natural effect of real aggression. Loss of fine motor coordination, the shakes, tunnel vision, auditory exclusion (you can't hear much) and loss of most of your cognitive thinking are the main negative effects of the "adrenal dump" as we like to call it.

What this means is simplicity and directness are key. Complication is the enemy. Stick with things that are simple to learn, easy to execute and very effective.

After many years of trial and error, looking for simple solutions and effective street self defense techniques on the ground, we developed what has become:

Street Self Defense 101™ Volume III
Groundfighting

This is what I it contains:

Double DVD Set

• How to fall if you are pushed or knocked to the ground. Simple enough, but the ground can "hit" harder than most men. Knowing how to go down without cracking your head or damaging your spine is critical to prevent permanantly damaging your body but also to winning the fight or escaping the attack.

• Basic ground positions. The best and easiest ways to position your body if you find yourself on the ground.

• How to kick from the ground against a standing opponent. Your legs are your primary weapons in this situation.

• What to do if your opponent grabs one or both of your primary weapons (your legs or ankles) while you are down. Knowing these techniques is vital to prevent your attacker from mounting you.

• Trips and leg takedowns.

• Defending against a 'side attack'. What to do if your first line of attack is breached.

• How to execute the tactical or combat 'stand up'. Knowing how and just as importantly when to get to your feet, when the opportunity arrises.

• Defending against the worst possible position, the rear attack when on the ground.

• Basic drills from the ground against a standing opponent. How to move, kick and position yourself.

• Defending against chokes and punching attacks when your opponent has mounted you.

• Defending the side mounted headlock (several escapes).

• Defending against a single or double leg takedown.

• Defending from the guard and the mounted positions (and what they are).

• Defending against the side mount in various positions.

• Escaping against a body smother or any similar position where your opponent is on top and using their weight to try and crush or smother you.

• Defending against a mounted opponent that has you 'pinned' to the ground.

• Stand up grappling. How to control the attack while still standing the instant before it goes to the ground. This is important so that you position yourself to be in the superior position when you hit the deck!

• Lots more...

"I've trained with other instructors, even in the military, but Shihan Pace's system of self defense is the most effective and practical by far."

S. Christensen, Hamburg, NJ

"Having trained over 20 years in Uechi Ryu karate before coming to Mr. Pace, I had an extensive background in self defense. I've learned more about street fighting tactics in the last two years than in my 20 years of prior training."

J. Burka, Wantage, NJ

"As a women, learning to defend from the ground can not only save your life, but save your dignity as well. The techniques are simple and easy to learn."

Dr. Laurie LaSorsa, Chester, NJ

"Shihan Pace's method of teaching self defense is awesome. None of the fluff you get from most videos I've seen. Just real, down and dirty, street techniques that really work. "

G. Tizzano, Franklin, NJ

"... the best of the best. Finally some stuff that really works on the street."

C. Manzione, Vernon, NJ

"Using a technique I learned from Shihan Pace, I dropped a would be attacker with one well placed blow. This guy was twice my size."

T. Akos, Oak Ridge, NJ

"Shihan Pace is the real thing. His self defense system is quick, effective and powerful. I will only teach his techniques at my dojo."

T. Joseph, 4th Degree Black Belt, Fairfield, NJ

More Testimonials

• How to execute the combat mount. If you and your attacker hit the deck this is how you take immediate control and win the fight quickly.

• How to execute a body slam!

• The proper position for the mount.

• Attacks from the mounted position.

• How to gain the ultimate ground position.

• How to quickly move to the side mounted head lock position if mounting is impossible.

• Finishing techniques from the side mount.

• The proper side mounted position. How to keep your opponent from reversing you.

• How to control your opponent from the guard.

• How to escape from your opponents guard.

• More!