Embrace the Ground

One of the first studies I had in the Isshinryu of Tom Lewis was the basic kicking drills of our system.

The first  night I learned what to do if grounded by using front kicks and side kicks on the floor. It remains one of the first lessons of my students 40 years later.  When taking the ground intentionally or un-intentionally, you are far from defenseless.

Later Charles Murray showed me how to accomplish this in sport karate when he groin was a legal target, and as time passed other experiences shared by Ernest Rothrock (both Pai Lum and Fan Tzi Ying Jow Pai) and Tristan Sutrisno (Sutrisno family Shotokan and Tjimande)  added to the vocabulary I had with these motions.

 Eventually I came across a tract in Fukien Ground Fighting (Chinese Martial Arts Series 4 – 1993) by Cat Chu Xian, that clearly shows many other options.

IMO, these optional studies are only meant for those who have been deeply prepared for them. It becomes necessary to learn to cherish the ground, with an eye to recognize when unpredictability is called for, for these techniques to be successful.

Below are some examples from the text.



Finally let us see some examples in action.