WT Anti Grappling Blitz

7/27/2019 WT Anti Grappling Blitz

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Hands Off!WingTsunsanti-grappling system

While many of the worlds martial artists are getting busy bettering their grappling skills in order tokeep up with the skill advances in MMA, WingTsun kung fu practitioners are spending their time onthe mat training anti-grappling. Here, Sifu Stefan Fischer explains why WingTsun practitioners arebucking the trend.

INSTRUCTION BY STEFAN FISCHER

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As the aggressor rips down andthrough Fischers fence, this triggerstwo different automatic responsesin Fischers arms and one in hislegs. Both arms circle around thedownward and incoming arms of

the aggressor; the right one hooks inbehind the neck, jerking down verystrongly (a move from the first sectionof the WingTsun wooden-dummyform) and the left hand circles aroundinto an arm-bar position, locking the

aggressors elbow. At the same time, Master Fischer steps sideways to his left,shifting out of the direct line of attack.

Mixed Martial Arts orMMA has become verypopular as a sport andis drawing more fans

each year. Ive been followingMMA since the early days ofPancrase Japan, long before itbecame MMA. But those who

watch combat sports, includingMMA, often confuse fighting forvictory in the ring or cage withfighting for life on the street.

Lets not forget that, as asport, Mixed Martial Arts wascreated because most of thetraditional systems did notdeal with all five phases of afight and did not prepare theirpractitioners to use all thebodily weapons available. Moststyles were effective in one ortwo phases, had a limited use

of their own bodily weaponsand neglected other phasesand weapons completely.Take boxing, for example: ituses only the hands, and attwo distances, the first beingthe medium range (jab andcross) and the second, short-range (hooks, uppercuts anddirty boxing). Obviously, thisleaves out many useful andavailable weapons such aselbows, knees, kicks, throwing,

joint-manipulation, jabs with

the fingers, strikes with thepalm or blade of the hand,forearm-strikes, head-buttsand fighting on the ground.

At the other end of thespectrum, you have styles like

jujitsu, which focuses on pins,joint-locks, throws and groundrestraints via locks and chokes,with little or no punching,kicking or stand-up fighting(depending on the system).This is all perfectly legitimatefor each individual sport, but

on the street you could neverexclude one or the other.

Traditional Wing Chun kungfu contains little grappling, anti-grappling or groundfighting.Fortunately my sifu,Grandmaster Keith Kernspecht,had a wrestling backgroundand thus recognised in theearly 80s that a good wrestleris one of the most dangerousopponents to face. This washighlighted when Michael Fries,

one of our higher WingTsuninstructors at the time, wasinvited to the German Ministryof Justice to demonstrate

WingTsun and its application.The Ministry organised fora local freestyle wrestler toattend the demonstration

and requested to take downthe WingTsun fighter. The

WingTsun fighter, not expectingthe quick takedown, could notprevent it but during the fallmanaged to land several chain-punches on the nose and eyeof the wrestler, who fortunatelywas not used to being punchedand immediately surrendered!

So instead of implementingelements of a sport like jujitsuor judo to fill the gap, GMKernspecht, together with

his senior students, includingsome former wrestlers,developed the foundation forthe WingTsun anti-grapplingand groundfighting. Thisfoundation was based on the

WingTsun principles and therequirements of a self-defencesystem, as opposed to a sport,and the method has sinceconstantly evolved, in linewith the WT principles.

To answer the questionwhy WingTsun teaches anti-

grappling skills as opposedto grappling skills, we mustfirst look at what we aretrying achieve in WingTsun.

WingTsun is a self-defencesystem, not a sport, so we donot prepare for match fights.Instead, we prepare for thetrouble you can run intowithout intention every dayon our streets. These kindsof confrontations cannot becompared to MMA eventslike the UFC. In the cage,

grappling used to be favouredbut this has also changed againin recent years and you seemany grapplers slugging itout standing up, as takedowndefences have improved.

There are many differencesbetween a cage fight and a streetfight, these being just a few:

1. Both opponents arementally and physically wellprepared to fight and thereare virtually no surprises

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WT VS CLINCH/TACKLE

Fischer follows up with a knee-striketo the back of the jaw, using a forwardthrusting motion so he hits with theharder knee and not the lower thigh.

with shifting his right arm quicklyinto a position similar to a figure-fourlock, but with his objective being tobreak the arm and/or destroy the joint.

Because the aggressors posture isopen and his arms are wide, MasterFischers pre-fight fence positioncovers the aggressors shoulders andupper arms.

Initiating a takedown attack, theaggressor rips down on Fischers armsas he ploughs through on the inside,aiming to secure a grip on Fischerswaist or legs.

This shot shows the transition of the hooking right hand as it moves aroundthe aggressors neck into a pinching grip on the back of the neck. Fischer thenapplies a simultaneous push-pull action to the aggressor, pushing the neck whilepulling and stretching out the aggressors other arm, which is locked at theelbow. Its at this point that Fischers counter-attack begins

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(such as an extra opponentor hidden weapon).

2. Both opponents arein the same weight class.

3. There is a refereeand a strict set of rules.

4. Protective gear likea groin cup, mouthguard

and gloves are worn.5. No weapons are involved.6. It occurs in a controlled

environment with noobstacles like stairs, badlight, chairs, tables, etc.

7. There are breaksbetween rounds with acorner crew for advice andcut-man to treat injuries.

The list could go on.The reason we teach anti-

grappling is because ourtactical aim is not to get on a

level playing field and grapplewith a grappler, but ratherto prevent the grappling andforce the attacker out of hiscomfort zone. A street fightis not set for three 5-minuterounds, where you have manyopportunities for takedowns.Rather the opposite: street fightsare usually over very quickly.If you manage to prevent thefirst takedown attempt andat the same time can dish outsufficient punishment, there is

a great likelihood that there willnot be any further attempts.So the most important thingis practising to prevent anytakedown. However, a fightmay unexpectedly end up onthe ground and then it becomeseven more important not tostart grappling with a grappler.

Fortunately, there are manymore options open to us ina street fight than there arein a competition. Our mainobjective is to get back into the

standing position to regain ourmobility. We are not interestedin improving positions on theground for a submission, forexample, or for a drawn-outbattle on the ground wewant the fight to finish ASAP.For arguments sake, imagineyou end up on your back andsomeone is sitting in full mounton top of you in MMAthis would be one of the mostdominant positions. This is

not the case on the street asthe person on top of you willalmost certainly expose hisgroin to attack. Attacking thegroin, which is not allowed inMMA, is one of the first tacticsto employ when pinned from amount position in a street fight.

As Grandmaster Kernspechtput it: In the end, whatevermethods that can be used ina sporting MMA competitioncan never be considereddangerous, because theymust operate within a legalsystem that prevents crippling,maiming and killing for sportsand entertainment. A truefighter, on the other hand,must embed this notion ofdanger and survival in orderto be effective. He cannot be

throttled by arbitrary rules, orconcerned with the safety of hisopponent. He must be willingto kill if he wants to live.

In a real self-defencesituation, the last place youwant to be is on the ground. Ifyou have not been involved inmany street fights nor workedas a bouncer, you may ask why.But just imagine you are ona nightclub dance floor andyou get into an argument withsomeone who has bumped into

you for the fifth time. Afterhe starts threatening you andloads up for a wide swing,you dive down, evading hispunch and going for a double-leg takedown, then end upin a wrestling match on theground with the aggressor. Oneproblem with your defenceof taking the aggressor tothe ground was ignoring hisgroup of friends, who quicklytake the opportunity to startkicking your head and body.

And as you are now tied updealing with the originalaggressor, you have given upone of the most vital advantagesin any form of combat(especially against multipleattackers): your mobility.

You have now very littlemeans to defend yourselfagainst incoming kicks and riskthe possibility of severe cutsfrom broken glass and rolling insomeones puke. This scenario

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WT VS LOW TACKLETo keep the aggressorout of striking range,Fischer adopts afence position, hisangle determined byhis foes posture (here,

the aggressor leadswith his left side so

Fischer flanks to theoutside, to limit theaggressors options).

and follows up with a bar-kick(larn-gerk)to the thigh to take the

aggressors balance. (This kick isused in the same range as a punchand does not swing like a lowround-kick; its delivery is similar to aside-kick, thrusting with the hip butimpacting with the shin.)

then finishes with a stomping side-kick to the aggressors supportingelbow (note: this stomp could beapplied to any available joint or target,depending on the aggressors positionon the ground).

Fischer counters with a right punch tothe jaw (or, if the angle is favourable,behind the jaw, as this is sure to knock

the aggressors jaw forward)

As the aggressor dives for a takedown,Fischer lowers his centre of gravity andsidesteps with his left leg, taking him off thedirect line of attack, and shifts his right outof range. With his lead arm, he controls theoutside of the aggressors arms. Combined,these responses make it hard for theaggressor to shoot again to the lower legs.

As Fischers kicking leg comes back to theground, he drops a sinking elbow-strike intothe aggressors spine

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gets even worse if we introduceweapons like pool cues, chairs/stools, bottles or brokenglasses into the equation.

So, clearly, going to theground should be avoided.However, if you do end up onthe floor, you must have someskills and strategies to deal withit, or youll be as vulnerableas a turtle on its back.

In my time as a bouncer,

I did not have to go to theground often. However, I stillremember a situation thathappened shortly after I startedtraining in WingTsun, when Ifoolishly worked in a nightclubin Weinheim, Germany, bymyself, without any back-up(the owner was trying to cutcosts). This little town did nothave much to offer besides thatone nightclub and a mentalhealth facility. The word on the

street was that those inpatientsnot housed in the high securitypart of the mental facility tookweekend trips out, and somefrequented our nightclub. So,to cut a long story short, a guypushed past me without payingand ran inside. I chased him,caught him and asked himnicely to return with me to settlethe bill, which he initially agreedto do. He then took a dive and

got me to the ground. At thattime I had no clue about anti-grappling or takedown defence.The guy ended up on top ofme and, with him being muchheavier, I really wanted to gethim off. So I tried to get into hiseyes, which in the dark I failedto do and instead ended up withmy index finger in his mouth.To my surprise, the guy startedchewing off my index finger, soI went with my other hand to

his eye (this time I found it) andmanaged to reverse the positionwith my finger still in the guysmouth. He would not releasemy finger, so I started kneeinghim to the temple and knockedhim unconscious, enablingme to finally remove my badlydamaged finger. Fortunatelythere were no other people inthe vicinity so it did not becomea multiple-attacker scenario. The

scar is still visible today and atthe time it really made me lookforward to learning takedowndefence, as I didnt fancy endingup on the ground ever again.

After that incident I attendedevery seminar, took manyprivate lessons with the top

WingTsun groundfightersof the time and learned allthat the art had to offer inregards to anti-grappling andgroundfighting. I further refined

this knowledge and improvedit over the past 18 years and itnow forms the WingTsun anti-grappling and ground-fightingsystem as I teach it now.

WingTsun anti-grapplingtraining starts at 6th Studentlevel and covers any takedownattempts from the headdown to the hip. The 7thStudent level then deals withtakedowns to the legs, and

the 8th Student level thendeals with anti-grappling onthe ground and how to avoidcommon attacks like arm-bars,guillotine-chokes and triangle-chokes. Students below theselevels can also attend four

WingTsun ground-fightingclinics, designed to introducethe concepts, principles andtechniques of anti-grapplingand groundfighting, inpreparation training for the

Controlling his foes head, Fischer heel-kicks the groin, then lets the head go

and finishes with a well-placed punchto the attackers jaw.

WT VS TACKLE

Master Fischer adopts the pre-fight fence position for optimumprotection and cover.

Smashing his palm into thebridge of the attackers nose,Fischer rolls his forearmacross the face to twist theneck, while simultaneouslypushing down on theaggressors right shoulder. Where the head goes,

the body follows: thetorque applied to theaggressors neck takeshim off balance

and breaks, or at least loosens, the aggressors grip aroundFischers waist, allowing his head to be controlled and punched.

As he twists the attackershead, Fischer adjusts his arms

to crank and crush the facein a vice-like grip while still

twisting the head around.

As the aggressor rushes in, Fischer jams his leading leg forwardto stunt the forward motion of the grapple. The aggressorlatches around Fischers waist but cannot lift easily, as Fischer sinkshis bodyweight and keeps pressure on the leg. He also begins tomanoeuvre his hands into position for neck-twisting.

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programs mentioned above.Because these techniques

need to be implemented ona broader level and must bepractised to get out of everysituation, we also have ananti-grappling section withinour traditional chi-sau(sticky

hands contact-reflex training),which drills the reactions andmovements required for thetakedown defence into thestudents muscle memory. Chi-sau, which is normally donefrom a standing position, is alsotrained on the ground from

the many guard-type positionsand the full mount position.The same applies for WTslat-sau(sparring drills) andBlitz-Defence (street scenariotraining) programs, so thatthe student becomes familiarwith the techniques in every

aspect of our training and itbecomes second nature.

Remember, you becomewhat you train, so if youpractise to not go to the ground,you are much likelier to succeedin that than if you constantlytrain to go to the ground.

Although prized in MMA, the covetedfull-mount position leaves many holeswhen there are no rules. Here MasterFischer goes for maximum arm control,which is difficult when wearing wrapsand MMA gloves. Gripping one of theaggressors arms and searching for

the free hand that could strike him, hefinds inside contact.

As the right punch comes poundingdown, Fischer uses two actionssimultaneously to deal with the hit: aclassic bong-saureflex from his left arm(which is connected to the aggressorspunching arm), combined with a shiftof his upper torso to his left. The reflexresponses to attacks and pressure suchas this downward punch are trainedin WingTsun via specific exercisesdesigned to imbed them into musclememory from standing and ground

positions. This is traditionally called chi-sau(sticky hands).

As the punch misses its target,Fischer seizes the position and

takes full control of the punchingarm with both hands.

Fischer combines a full arm-crankwith bridging and reversal (itsimportant to pitch up high off theshoulder blades), sending theaggressor face-first into the ground.

With the arm still pinning theaggressor, Master Fischer begins

to rise to one knee, trapping theaggressors leg between his hip and

thigh, and clapping it with his left arm.The knee that supports him is not on

the ground but on the aggressorsthigh. The pressure applied is forwardand up, preventing the aggressorfrom spinning. This position creates

tremendous pressure on the spine asit is being twisted.

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WT VS MOUNTED STRIKES

WT VS MOUNTED STRIKES #2When mounted, Master Fischeragain goes for maximum arm

control. Gripping one of theaggressors arms and searching for

the other hand that could strike himfreely, he finds inside contact. Armcontact and control when beingmounted is crucial for taking controlfrom the bottom, although its notalways possible.

While controlling the aggressors rightarm, Fischer smashes the groin, whichis exposed in a mount position. Again,

this type of strike is not allowed inMMA for obvious reasons.

The aim of the hold is not to choke outthe aggressor, as that takes time, correctangles and positioning. Fischer insteaduses it to reverse his position and takea wide, sprawled stance on top, withhis bodyweight driving down into theaggressors neck and head.

Fischer then takes control of the aggressorby pulling his trapped right arm througharound his own neck, immobilising thehead and enabling Fischer to strike freely.

In that moment, as the aggressorreacts to the groin-strike, MasterFischer pitches up and brings theaggressor down with a choke-hold.

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