I'm sure you've all heard the statistic that 95% of all fights go to the ground, right?
This has been an ongoing hot topic of debate since the ground game became popularized by the UFC, or specifically the Gracie Brazilian Jujitsu family. So where did this statistic come from and does it hold water?
According to Chris Leblanc, a law enforcement officer and use of force instructor, the "95% of fights go to the ground" statistic is a misinterpreted police survey statistic of physical altercations between civilians and law enforcement officers. Leblanc states that, "it is better put that the LAPD data says when officers physically fought with suspects (versus simply encountering minor resistance or non-compliance which required a minor use of force, but did not escalate into an altercation), 95% of the time those fights took one of five patterns, and 62% of those five types of altercations ended up with the officer and subject on the ground with the officer locking and handcuffing the suspect."
In other words, when a perpetrator resists arrest by a law enforcement officer, it is about 60% likely that the struggle will end up on the ground with the officer handcuffing the perpetrator.
This data certainly sheds some light on the 95% statistic, but it does not adequately address the issue of whether street fights between civilians end up on the ground, given that a law enforcement officer will generally act with the intention of restraining, controlling, and arresting (as opposed to knocking the opponent unconscious).
I took this question to an experienced street fighter (now 58 years old and living peacefully as a personal trainer and drug counselor) who grew up on the streets of Pittsburgh.
The answer?
Essentially two untrained fighters will swing wildly, struggle with stand-up grappling, fall, then continue on the ground. Two experienced/trained fighters will stay on their feet unless one or both combatants prefers grappling, in which case the fight could move in either direction.
Not having much personal experience observing live street fights myself, the above assessment sounds solid and also holds true for sport MMA fights.
So what does this all mean in terms of self defense training and preparation? Should you train in the grappling arts?
Ultimately it would be wise to know how to deal with a ground fighting situation. Keep in mind, however, that although most civilian fights do seem to go to the ground, this is due to the fact the most civilians are not trained in the fistic arts. Most "scrappers" will simply swing wildly with the hope of connecting. Therefore, using ground fighting as a primary tool is a backwards approach to self defense that assumes your attacker has already compromised your first line of defense which is . . . distance.
Staying on your feet keeps your options open and allows for greater awareness and utilization of your environment.
The take home lesson?
For self defense situations, work on your diplomatic skills and your stand-up fighting skills but be prepared to defend against and deal with a take down/ground fighting situation.
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