Fighting From Your Knees (Ground Fighting) (Geoff Thompson

Geoff Thompson’s Ground Fighting Series
Fighting From Your Knees
Geoff Thompson
SUMMERSDALE
First published 1996.
This edition copyright © Geoff Thompson 2001
All rights reserved. The right of Geoff Thompson to be

identified as the author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of
1988.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor

translated into a machine language, without the written
permission of the publisher.
Summersdale Publishers Ltd

46 West Street
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1RP
United Kingdom
www.summersdale.com
Printed and bound in Great Britain.
ISBN 1 84024 175 6
Photographs by Paul Raynor

Important note
With ground fighting techniques the author recommends that
you practice only under supervision to avoid accidents and
always employ the ‘tap system’ in practice (if you want to
submit or a technique is too painful or you wish to stop
practice at any time tap the mat, tap yourself or your
opponent with your hand or foot; if this is not possible just
say to your opponent ‘tap’). If an opponent taps out it is
imperative that you release your hold immediately or suffer
the consequence of what might be serious injury, and
remember, what goes around comes around. If you do not
release when he taps he may not release the next time you
tap.
If you have or believe you may have a medical condition the

techniques outlined in this book should not be attempted
without first consulting your doctor. Some of the techniques
in this book require a high level of fitness and suppleness and
should not be attempted by someone lacking such fitness.
The author and the publishers cannot accept any responsibility
for any proceedings or prosecutions brought or instituted
against any person or body as a result of the use or misuse of
any techniques described in this book or any loss, injury or
damage caused thereby.
About the author
Geoff Thompson has written over 20 published books and is

known world wide for his autobiography Watch My back,
about his nine years working as a night club doorman. He
holds the rank of 6th Dan black belt in Japanese karate, 1st
Dan in Judo and is also qualified to senior instructor level in
various other forms of wrestling and martial arts. He has
several scripts for stage, screen and TV in development with
Destiny Films.
He has published several articles for GQ magazine, and has

also been featured in FHM, Maxim, Arena, Front and Loaded
magazines, and has been featured many times on mainstream
TV.
Geoff is currently a contributing editor for Men’s Fitness

magazine.
For full details of other books and videos by
Geoff Thompson, visit www.geoffthompson.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
With special thanks to Marc McFann and my good friend and
grappling sempai Rick Young.
Contents
Introduction 8
Review 15
Chapter One
Head to head 21
Chapter Two
Over the opponent’s all fours 39
Chapter Three
Under the opponent’s all fours 55
Chapter Four
At the opponent’s side 62
Chapter Five
Drilling 81
Conclusion 86
Introduction
The uninitiated, those that have not got very much real life
experience of fighting on the pavement arena and certainly
those that have never done any all out grappling, always say
‘yea, but . . . I’m never gonna be in this position/that position
etc.’ And I have to say that it makes me smile because, in a
single sentence, they’ve told me a hell of a lot about
themselves. The main thing being that they are not, no matter
how much they try to convince you or others, very
experienced in things REAL, otherwise they simply would
not say it.
Another very common comment is, ‘yeah, but surely if you’re

on your back/side/belly/upside down etc. your have made a
grave mistake!’
Yes, it often does mean just that, but we all make mistakes,
even monkeys fall out of trees from time to time, but that
does not mean that we do not address the problem. Sure,
being on your back with the opponent mounting you means
you have made a big mistake, but it still has to be addressed
G E O F F T H O M P S O N ’ S G R O U N D F I G H T I N G S E R I E S
8
Introduction
because if we make that mistake (I have a few times) we

need to know how to deal with it, how to escape it, defend it
and even how to attack from it - otherwise when we do
meet that situation we won’t know how to deal with it.
I remember, early on in my martial arts career, I’d just started

working on the doors and realised how close range real
fighting was, asking one of my sempais, a man that I did and
do greatly admire, ‘what do I do if a fight hits the floor, the
training we are doing is not preparing me for close range
fighting?’
He spent a few seconds in contemplation and then said ‘well,

if you are on the floor you’ve made a big mistake - don’t let it
happen’.
As though a good beating was my just desserts for allowing a

situation to go to ground and rather than train to meet that
problem I should train to prevent it. I was still left with an
unanswered question because, no matter how well or hard I
trained I knew that there were going to be times when I
would make mistakes and end up in a position that my system
9
did not prepare me for. Eventually I found my own answers

to the questions that every one around me seemed to be
avoiding, ‘we don’t fight on the floor’, ‘don’t look at everything
from a self defence view point’, ‘it’s not the system that’s
lacking - it’s you, train harder’, etc.
And my answer, of course, was firstly to try to avoid negative

positions, but also to find solutions, by training in systems
that gave the answers to the problems should they occur.
One of the many positions that people think is unlikely to

occur in the street (or anywhere for that matter) is fighting
from your knees. Again, if you’d ‘been there’ you’d know
that every position is usual when reality bites.
One of my friends, a very experienced street fighter, lost a

fight in the toilets of a bar from the kneeling position, but had
he known how to fight from his knees he surely would have
won. He’d gone to the toilet, as you do after several pints of
lager, and was followed by a chap who he recognised as
someone from an earlier encounter (a fight a couple of months
before). When he got to the trough he undid his zip and
10
Introduction
pretended to go to the toilet: the guy that followed him in

took his chance and grabbed my friend, thinking that he was
mid-piss as it were. ‘Bosh!’ My friend head butted him so
hard that the guy was thrown, blood gushing from his nose,
right across the toilet floor. This is where my friend made his
first mistake. He should have ran in and finished what he had
started, but he didn’t: he stood back to admire his work.
The guy got back to his feet, ran from the other side of the
room and, before my friend could react, he’d been grabbed
by the tie and pulled to his knees. They both struggled in the
kneeling position for several minutes. My friend’s tie was
pulled tightly around his neck, cutting off the blood to his
brain. He was nearly unconscious - he had no answer to the
problem and eventually had to concede before he was
completely knocked out. It took him 10 minutes before he
could stand back up with out falling over, his assailant
wandered off, and as much as my mate wanted to follow and
finish him he couldn’t, his head was gone. He said to me
afterwards, in retrospect, that he was just glad that the lad
didn’t know that he had a strangle on otherwise he might not
be there telling me about the situation.
11
On another occasion I was acting as a second on a square go

between two very able fighters, within seconds the fight went
to ground and both were on their knees fighting for a prone
position but neither had the knowledge to take advantage.
At one stage one of the lads got one arm around his
opponent’s neck whilst he punched him with the other. If he
had joined his hands from the position he was in, over his
opponent’s all fours, he could have made a choke and the
fight would have been over by KO within seconds. Instead
(because he did not have any knowledge of fighting from that
position) he released his partial choke and used his hands to
punch instead - the fight went on for several minutes with
both fighters getting badly injured. Knowledge of the ground
would have made a clinical, one-sided fight out of what turned
into an epic battle.
One of the many good things about Animal Day (see my book
and videos on Animal Day) is that it will teach you all of these
things and show you categorically that you do need to be
able to fight from every and any angle, otherwise, when you
hit the deck you’ll be thinking ‘what do I do now?’ Many
people think that by being fit and strong they’ll automatically
12
Introduction
be able to fight on the floor, a bit like saying ‘I’m fit and strong,
I’ll be able to box’. Being fit and strong does not give you the
knowledge, and fitness and strength can become redundant
commodities if you do not know what to do with them.
Having bags full of money doesn’t mean that you’ll
automatically be good on the stock exchange, because money
spent unwisely will make you a pauper.
If you’re still not convinced then I’ll try no more, what I will
say is put your money where your mouth is and try it at your
own club. Try back to back grappling for 30 minutes and tell
me that you didn’t end up in every conceivable position on
the good God’s earth. As my sempai Peter Consterdine is
constantly saying, ‘feeling is believing’.
The reason I am so emphatic on this subject is that I’ve been

there, many many times and feel that it is my absolute duty
as a martial arts writer to tell you ‘how it is’ so that you do
not have to find out like I and so many others of my ilk, the
hard way.
13
Fighting on the knees is an important part of ground fighting

because one does end up there quite often in a real encounter.
This book and the video that accompanies it will give you the
knowledge to address it positively when it does.
14
Review
Review
For those who have read the other volumes in this series I
apologise for repeating material. I would like, before I start
talking about fighting from the knees, quickly to review the
basic pins. If you do not know them a lot of the speak
throughout the text may seem like gobble-de-gook.
I have no intention of actually going into the histrionics of the

holds, how to defend and how to attack from them etc. that,
as I said, is a volume on its own. I will repeat, though, that the
pins are the bedrock of ground fighting and to go on to
finishing techniques of a complex nature before learning the
imperative basics is a quick way to failing at everything that
you attempt.
Master the standing and walking before you try the running
and sprinting. The control of the opponent on the floor, via
the pinning techniques, is so very, very, VERY important that
to miss it is like diving in the water before you have learned
to swim.
15
All I will list in this chapter is the holds themselves with one
accompanying illustration so that, if you haven’t read the other
books and have no knowledge of the ‘ground’ you’ll at least
understand the ‘speak’.
The Mount Position
16
Review
Side Mount
Reverse Mount
17
The Side Four quarter
The Scarf Hold
18
Review
The Jack-Knife
Reverse Scarf Hold
19
Upper 4 /14 Pin
20
Head to head
Chapter One
Head to head
The head to head position is when you and the opponent are
kneeling vertically with heads touching, as per illustration. It
can happen at anytime within a conflict, but more specifically
when you and the opponent have first fallen (or thrown/been
thrown) to the ground or you are already on the ground and
either of you is trying to get back to a standing position.
It is a very important position because the knowledgeable

fighter may take a strong pin from here that could and
probably would determine the outcome of the fight, that
fighter needs to be you. Any lack of concentration on your
part, from here, could, and will, directly result in you being
turned or pushed onto your back from where a strong fighter
will take the fight no matter how competent you might be in
other ranges or positions.
This is not a great position to strike from because it lacks

leverage but striking is still possible and strong enough to
21
cause a reaction which will allow you the initiative to take

the opponent over in one of the following holds.
Some of the moves from the head to head position are

finishing techniques in themselves, others just lead to better
and more potent positions for finishing the opponent.
Striking
Biting
The bite is probably the very best finisher from this position.
The ears and nose are most vulnerable.
22
Head to head
Butting
This is quite an accessible technique from this position,
attacking the side of the opponent’s face or his nose and
mouth. It may not finish him but it will certainly act as a pre-
cursor to a more potent manoeuvre.
23
Punching/Elbowing/Gouging
This is viable if you can get one of your arms free, this is not
always easy because the opponent will hold your arms tightly
to stop you using them as a weapon, and you’ll do the same
to him. If you can get a hand free pull it back and attack the
opponent’s face/jaw/eyes (whatever is most vulnerable at the
time) with your fingers, fists and/or elbows. Combining head
and hand strikes is also very useful.
24
Head to head
Larynx Grab
Again, if you can get one hand free then grabbing the larynx
can be a very favourable and effective attack, especially if
you have a good grip. It is often not that hard for the opponent
to escape from the larynx grab, but in trying to escape he will
leave himself wide open for other techniques. I often use the
larynx and striking techniques for just that reason, it opens
the doors for more potent techniques, having said that they
have also been good finishing techniques for me as well.
25
Lapel choke
This is an excellent finishing technique from any position, the
knees being no exception. It can also work very well, as was
demonstrated in the true story in the intro to this book, using
the opponent’s tie to choke him out by simply tightening it
until he cannot breath or the blood is stopped to his brain via
the carotid artery (at the side of the neck). For the lapel choke,
grab the opponent’s collar at his right hand side, as deep into
the neck as possible, with your right hand, palm up so that
your thumb is sticking into his neck. Then grab his opposite
lapel, lower down with your left hand, scissor the two hands
together to make the choke.
26
Head to head
The snatch and turn

Snatch the opponent violently forward by pulling fast on an
appendage (the clothes or head will do) so that he is under
your all fours, as per illustration. Move around to his side
(left or right) simultaneously feeding your right arm under
his chin (if going for the face bar feed your right arm across
his face so that the bone of the wrist is across his cheek bone,
teeth, nose, or eye). Pull him backwards so that he falls
between your legs and into your scissor guard, at the same
time join your right and left hand to make the choke. As you
squeeze your arms to make the choke push down with your
feet and stretch the opponent, this will help to secure and
tighten the hold.
27
28
Head to head
The arm drag

Grip the opponent’s right wrist with your left hand, elbow
him in the face with your right elbow and bring your right
arm-pit onto his right shoulder/biceps and sit forward forcing
the opponent onto his back. Keep your back right across his
chest to pin him and to stop him reaching for a choke. Reach
your right arm behind and around his neck and sit into the
scarf hold position.
29
30
Head to head
Opposite arm drag

This is more viable when the opponent is grabbing across
your body, his right to your right or his left to your left. Grab
his right hand with your right hand to keep it in place, elbow
him in the face with your left elbow and then drop your left
arm-pit across his right shoulder/biceps and force him forward
onto his face. You will automatically fall into a shoulder bar,
as per illustration.
31
32
Head to head
Knee trap and pull

Place your right foot next to the opponent’s right knee to
stop him spreading his weight and blocking your technique.
Pull on his left arm and literally sit down forcing the opponent
over onto his back. Roll with him so that you land in the mount
position.
33
Grapevine-knee trap and pull

The same as above only first grapevine your left arm around
the opponent’s right arm, then trap his knee with your left
foot and roll him onto his back, follow into the mount.
34
Head to head
Broken choke
Duck under the opponent’s right arm and feed your right
arm across his neck, couple together to make the strangle
and squeeze for effect. If you do not have the leverage to
make the choke work, roll the opponent to your left and
climb into the mount, still
being sure to hold the
strangle. From the mount go
onto your toes and focus your
weight behind the technique,
or alternatively jump into the
jack-knife position and
strangle from there.
35
The sit and flip

Place your left leg down the right side of the opponent’s body
and your right leg between his legs. Sit all your weight down
and pull the opponent via your grip, at the same time raise
your right leg between the opponent’s legs and flip him over
to your left. As he goes onto his back roll through and find
the mount position.
36
Head to head
Head lock turn

Whip your right arm around the opponent’s head and grab
him in a side head lock, pull him over to his own right and
force him onto his back, sit into the scarf hold.
37
Try and formulate your own techniques from the same

position, remember there are no rules other than that the
technique should work under pressure. As with most
techniques these are best taken quickly using the element of
surprise before the opponent has a chance to block the move.
You don’t want to be fighting biceps against biceps, the best
techniques are the ones that the opponent gives you.
If you develop the sensitivity that is vital in this arena you will
feel his energy and be able to go with it as opposed to against
it, that way his strength and power will aid your technique.
This can also be accomplished by tricking the opponent by
pretending to go for one technique then, just as he adjusts
his balance to block the move you take a technique in the
direction of his readjusted force.
38
Over the opponent’s all fours
Chapter Two
As you can see from the accompanying illustrations you are

in a pretty favourable position here to get back to your feet
and run or finish from the vertical posture while the opponent
is still on the floor. When this is an option I think you should
take it. Having said that the opponent may be a dangerous
vertical fighter that you do not want to allow back to his feet
(just because you are up and he is down is no guarantee of
your victory). All said and done the option is yours. At one of
my recent seminars a guy said to me, ‘surely you don’t want
to be on the floor in that position, why don’t you just get
back up again?’
Oh if only it were always that simple, as I have said in many

other books you very rarely have the choice of getting back
to your feet because your opponent will not just let you get
back up again because he knows how vulnerable he is going
to be if you’re up and he’s down. He’ll grip onto anything and
everything for dear life to keep you on the floor with him, as
39
will you if you are in the same position. Whilst there is a

choice you may way up the pros and cons and take that choice,
when there isn’t you have to make the best of fighting from
where you are. Again, by denying that there will be times
when the opponents will not allow you to get back up you
will not address the problem, so accept it and deal with it.
More often than not you will not have the option to get back
to your feet and you are going to have to fight from the ground
or get battered for your ignorance.
This is actually a very strong position to find yourself in. If

you know what to do with it, it offers many good finishing
techniques or possibilities of moving to stronger positions.
To defend the hold simply sprawl your legs back straight and
as far as you can, this will break the opponent’s grip on your
legs and enable you to spread your weight and make it hard
for him to escape. To finish from here takes practised
technique, also, many people have lost the fight from this
controlling position when they have moved to finish, so make
sure that your finishers are polished.
40
Reverse naked choke

Feed your right arm under the opponent’s chin and across
his throat so the bone of your wrist is along and into his wind
pipe. Couple at the other side with your left hand to make
the choke. Lift and force your right wrist into his throat.
41
Shoulder base choke

If it is not possible to couple the right and left hand to make
the choke, very often it will not be, then feed your right arm
right under and out the other side. Place your left palm on
the opponent’s back or shoulder and then grab your own
left biceps with your right hand and squeeze your arms and
chest together, this will finish the choke.
42
Turn over
Feed your right arm under the opponent’s left arm-pit and
force him over onto his back and take up the mount position.
43
Sit through to arm/shoulder bar

Grab the opponent’s inside left wrist with your right hand,
sit your left leg through from your left to your right, as you
do so fall across the opponent’s left arm by placing your left
arm-pit over his shoulder and pulling his arm up straight to
bar the elbow and/or shoulder, as per illustration.
44
Ankle grab and turn

Reach behind the opponent with your right arm and grab his
left ankle, lift his foot and knee off the floor and pull/push him
over to your left hand side and onto his back. From here
take any strong hold that is available, probably side 4 1/4, the
mount or the scarf hold.
45
Juji Gatame
Feed your right arm under the opponent’s left arm-pit and
force him over onto his back, as he turns place your right
foot at the far side of his head and at the same time bring
your left leg by the left side of his body, keep control of his
right arm. Lie onto your back and trap the opponent’s head
with your right leg, simultaneously wedge your right foot
underneath his body at his left hand side. His arm is between
your legs, pull down on his arm and push up with your hips
to complete the bar.
This is quite a difficult position to take the arm bar from.

Much practice will be needed to make it smooth; once you
have the technique however you will catch many opponents.
46
Sit through and triangular leg choke

Force the opponent’s head between your legs, step up with
your left leg and feed your right arm under his arm-pit, as
you pull him over to your left hand side turn to your own
right and sit it down. Hook your right leg around his neck
and pull him backwards so that he is now lying on his back
and you are sitting up with your leg still around his neck.
Wrap your right foot around the back of your left knee and
squeeze your thighs tightly to make the choke.
47
Turn and face bar/choke

Move around to the opponent’s right side (or left)
simultaneously feeding your right arm under his chin (if going
for the face bar feed your right arm across his face so that
the bone of the wrist is across his cheek bone, teeth, nose,
or eye). Pull him backwards so that he falls between your
legs and into your scissor guard. At the same time join your
right and left hand to make the choke. As you squeeze your
arms to make the choke push down with your feet and stretch
the opponent, this will better secure and tighten the hold.
48
49
Turn and lapel choke

Grab the opponent’s left collar with your right hand, move
around to his right hand side feeding your right arm under
his throat, pull the lapel tightly to make the choke. If you
need more leverage reach over with your left arm and grab
his left arm under the elbow and pull him back towards you.
As you do so hook your left leg over his left arm and tie it off,
pull hard with your right arm to tighten the lapel around his
throat to make the choke.
50
51
Elbow strike to arm bar

If the opponent has wrapped his arms around your right leg
lift up your right elbow and strike him in the back, between
the shoulder blades. As he reacts to the pain shoot your right
leg underneath and sit through, as illus, this will force his right
arm up, drop your right arm-pit onto his shoulder and lift his
arm up to make the bar.
52
Leg grab to face bar

As the opponent grabs your right leg step slightly to his right
with your left leg, feed your right arm across his face and
couple at the otherside with your left hand to make the face
bar. If you need to you can force the opponent backwards
with the bar into your scissor guard. The face bar is one of
the most painful holds in the book and the illustrations will
not do it justice, you have to feel it to believe it.
53
You can also use your knees to attack the opponent from
this position though there is not a great deal of potency in
the attack, as a good defensive measure I always grab the
opponent’s sleeves or arms to disable them for his own
defence or attack.
As with everything else make up your own techniques and

improvise, nothing is cast in stone. Most of my favourite
techniques are variations on old themes or techniques that I
have just found myself.
54
Under the opponent’s all fours
Chapter Three
This is indeed a vulnerable position to be in, and one that

seems to occur quite often. As with most susceptible positions
on the floor the sooner you escape the better.
You may take a little solace from the fact that although it is
not a good position to be in, over the all fours, which is where
the opponent is when you are under them, it is not a very
strong position for the inexperienced opponent either. He
will most likely try to stand up, leaving himself vulnerable to
leg throws.
Having said that you do need escapes and finishes from every
position.
55
Immediate sit through

The best time to escape is immediately, before the opponent
has a chance to secure his hold.
As soon as you find yourself under the opponent’s all fours,

sit through with your right leg and arc your back across his.
Then very quickly turn and catch the opponent before he

has a chance to readjust (hard to explain - look at the pics).
56
57
Elbow hook
If the opponent has his arms around your waist, he very often
will have, reach up with your right arm and hook it around
his elbow, nice and tightly. Then quickly sit through with your
right leg towards your own left hand side and, as the opponent
falls forward mount him from the back.
58
Alternatively you can hook the elbow in the same way and
sit through with your left leg to your own right handside.
This will leave you with your back on your opponent’s chest,
lean heavily on him and then place your right arm around his
neck and take the scarf hold position or roll over the opponent
and take the side 4 1/4 hold down.
59
Hug turn
If the opponent has his arms around your stomach and is
hugging very tightly you can turn him without securing one
of his arms. Simply sit through, either side, and roll over as
though rolling onto your back, this will bring the opponent
with you and he will end up on his back with your back across
his chest. From here keep your weight firmly pinned on him
until your can break his grip and roll in to the side 4 1/4. If his
grip is tight bend his little finger or thumb (or any finger that
is open to attack) until he releases his grip.
60
Groin grab
It’s an oldy but a goody, what I always say is if all else fails
grab him by the ****ocks, whilst it will be difficult to finish
from here he will definitely move enabling an escape. As he
reacts to the pain quickly turn him onto his back.
Pressure point turn

Press, or punch, the pressure point in the middle of the thigh
and force the opponent over onto his back. This is a rainy
day technique that is worth knowing for the one or two times
that it might work. Some people react really well to this
technique others not at all, but when it does work it gets you
out of the shit, which is good enough.
While you are in this position you will have the chance, at
one time or another to try them all.
61
Chapter four
At the opponent’s side
Another strong position to be in, that offers both the chance

to stand and finish from the vertical position and the chance
to finish with a myriad of good techniques. This the position
that many experienced ground fighters love to be in because
there is little chance of escape for the inexperienced fighter
who will usually try to stand up and fall victim immediately to
a punishing choke hold.
If the option is there you may wish to stand up and either run
away or finish the opponent whilst he is still on his knees -
the choice, as they say, is yours. If this were a self defence
situation I’d say get up and run at the very earliest opportunity,
if it is a fight situation there may be contributing factors that
you need to look at.
In one of my many street altercations I have been faced with

this choice - the guy I was fighting was a hardened street
fighter with the hands of a pro boxer. I felt that by standing
62
back up again I might be giving him another shot at the title.

I knew he was tough enough to take the few kicks that I
could give him before he found his feet - on the other hand,
though he felt strong on the floor I could feel his lack of ground
fighting experience and panic, his punching prowess on the
floor was about as useful as a jet ski on the M1. So I stayed on
the floor, even though I could have got up, and knocked him
out with a strangle, and when I say I knocked him out I mean
I knocked him out - for a long time. When he woke up his
fight had completely gone, he was just happy to be alive and
wanted to buy me a drink.
Had I stood back up and allowed this guy his arena - who
knows? So at the opponent’s side is a good controlling place
to be.
I think it is worth mentioning at this point that, against the

Judoka, in the controlled arena where atemi may not be
permissible, it is very hard to finish from this position. Judo
players are expert at defending from the ‘hedgehog’ position-
but that is slightly out of the context of this book about making
it work where there are no rules.
63
Face bar/choke
Usually my first line attack from this position would be the
face bar or choke. Stay on your right knee and straighten
your left leg behind and along the opponent’s body so that
when you take the bar or choke the opponent will fall into
your scissor guard where you can control him better. Feed
your right arm under his chin (if going for the face bar feed
your right arm across his face so that the bone of the wrist is
across his cheek bone, teeth, nose, or eye). Pull him
backwards so that he falls between your legs and into your
scissor guard, at the same time join your right and left hand
to make the choke (or alternatively grab your left biceps with
your right and wrap your left hand behind the opponent’s
head to make a hugging choke).
As you squeeze your arms to make the choke push down

with your feet and stretch the opponent, this will better
secure and tighten the hold. If the opponent resists halfway
bite his ear or face to distract him so that you can finish the
move.
64
65
Lapel choke
Feed your right arm under the opponent’s chin, from your
right to your left, and grab his far lapel or collar and pull it
back so that it tightens across his throat to make the choke/
strangle.
66
If you are struggling with the leverage reach over with your
left arm and grab his left arm under the elbow and pull him
back towards you. As you do so hook your left leg over his
left arm and tie it off, pull hard with your right arm to tighten
the lapel around his throat to make the choke.
67
Juji Gatame
68
Feed your right arm over the opponent’s back and under his
left armpit and pull him, back towards you and over onto his
back, as he turns place your right foot at the far side of his
head and at the same time bring your left leg by the left side
of his body, keep control of his right arm. Lie onto your back
and trap the opponent’s head with your right leg,
simultaneously wedge your right foot underneath his body
at his left hand side. His arm is between your legs, pull down
on his arm and push up with your hips to complete the bar.
This is quite a difficult position to take the arm bar from.
Much practise will be needed to make it smooth, once you
have the technique however you will catch many opponents.
69
Arm grab to back

Feed your right arm across the opponent’s face, from your
right to your left, and grab around the front, of his upper left
arm.
70
Feed your left arm under the opponent’s body and grab the
back of his left upper arm. Pull with both hands so that his
arm comes off the floor, push with your chest so that he
topples over onto his back, take up the side 4 1/4 hold down.
71
Foot turn
Grab the opponent’s right foot with your left hand, lift it off
the floor and topple him forward onto his back, take up the
side 4 1/4 or the mount.
72
Foot and arm turn

Feed your right arm across the opponent’s face, from your
right to your left, and grab around the front of his upper left
arm. At the same time grab the opponent’s right foot with
your left hand, lift it off the floor. Pull his arm and lift his foot
simultaneously to topple him forward onto his back, take up
the side 4 1/4 or the mount.
73
Mounted Juji Gatame

Sit on top of the opponent’s back, grab under his left arm
with your right arm and then slip over to his left hand side
and onto your left shoulder. Force your right foot under the
opponent’s chin hooking and scraping it backwards until the
opponent falls to his left and onto his back - keep a good grip
on his arm. Lie onto your back and trap the opponent’s head
with your right and left leg, as illus. His arm is between your
legs, pull down on his arm and push up with your hips to
complete the bar.
This is an advanced
form of Juji Gatame,
much practise will be
needed to make it
smooth, once you
have the technique
however you will
catch many opponents.
74
75
Belt grab and Juji Gatame

Sit on top of the opponent’s back, facing forwards. Taking
your right leg out of the mount, turn and face the opposite
way to the opponent. At the same time grab his belt (or the
top of his trousers) with your left hand (make sure that your
left foot is tucked neatly between his thighs) and hook under
his left arm with your right. Sit backwards forcefully and at
the same time pull on the opponent’s belt and sweep upwards
with your left leg to somersault the kneeling opponent
forward and onto his back - keep a good grip of his left arm
at all times. As he spins over, your legs will automatically be
in the correct position for the bar.
Lie on your back and trap the opponent’s head with your
right and left leg, as illus. His arm is between your legs, pull
down on his arm and push up with your hips to complete the
bar.
Again, this is an advanced form of Juji Gatame and much

practise will be needed to make it smooth.
76
77
Shoulder bar
Grab the opponent’s right wrist with your right hand and
pull it outwards and from under him, simultaneously throw
your right arm over his arm so that your arm-pit sits across
his shoulder, force him to the ground by sitting through with
your left leg and dropping your weight on his shoulder. Force
his right arm up and straight with your right hand to complete
the bar.
78
Lip turn and choke

Reach over the opponent’s head with your left hand and grab
a finger into the very corner of his mouth, being very careful
not to go to close to his teeth. Wrench his head back towards
you, as it does so wrap your right arm around his throat, as
illus, and couple up with your left to make the choke. Pull the
opponent into your scissor guard to finish the move.
79
80
Drilling
Chapter Five
Drilling
As with all the other volumes of this text the drilling is the
imperative chapter that cannot be ignored if excellence is
your goal. If you just look at the pictures and expect it to
miraculously happen then you’re in for a big shock when
reality hits you in the eye like a ball pin hammer. Even the
best techniques in the world fail if they are not tempered on
the controlled arena, the great Sumo wrestlers in Japan have
a saying ‘cry in the gym, laugh in the ring’.
The great Bing Crosby, a legendary dancer in his day would

wear out a new pair of shoes to perfect one dance step, the
jugglers of the old circus days would juggle until their hands
bled and golfing greats spend hour upon hour working on
only one putt in a bid to make it theirs.
They are all unique in one way - they put years of flight time
into hours of practise. In the old Bubokan days the instructors
81
would limit their fighters to certain technique for up to six

months, not allowing them to use their favourite contest
winning technique. For six months they would lose nearly all
their fights in a bid to perfect a new technique and have to
suffer the ridicule of people saying that they were not so
good without their favourite throw. Throughout history all
the greats drilled from morn till night in a bid to be perfect at
a technique and find that elusive ‘feel’.
If you only half practise a technique then you will only half
get it and be half as good as you could be, so dig in and get
some flight time under your belt.
The following drills are only my suggestions, they are drills

that I personally favour, try these and then make up your
own so that you can learn to flow with the different
techniques, eventually allowing them to flow into each other.
Note:
For more detail on the techniques involved in the drills refer
to relevant chapter and illustrations.
82
Drilling
Snatch and turn

Snatch the opponent down and quickly move to his left side.
Snatch and turn 20 times and then do the same to his right
hand side. It’s very important that you do these moves left
and right so that you can manipulate an opponent from all
sides and angles.
Arm Drag
Elbow the opponent with your right elbow and drop your
arm-pit and body weight onto his right arm, drag him to the
floor and then go back to the start position - 20 reps each
side.
Knee trap
Trap the opponent’s right knee with your left foot, sit back
and pull him to his back and roll into the mount, return to
the start position - repeat 20 times both sides.
83
Head lock and turn

Grab the opponent in a right head lock and pull him onto his
back, return to the start position and do the same to the left,
40 reps in all.
Broken choke
Duck under the opponent’s right arm and choke him with
your right arm, pull him down to the mount position - repeat
20 times each side.
Alternate turns
Kneeling over the opponent practise going to his right side
and then his left as smoothly as possible.
Reverse naked choke

Practise the choke from left to right as fast and as smoothly
as possible until they are equal - 100 reps each side.
84
Drilling
Sprawling
Get the opponent to try and grab your legs, when he does
sprawl them back as far and as straight as you can - 100 reps.
Immediate sit through

From under the opponent practise a fast sit through as soon
as the opponent takes the hold, left and right for 30 reps
each side.
Fast turning
Get the opponent to grip you very tightly around the waist
and practise fast turns onto your back to the left and to the
right.
As with everything practice until you are sick to death of the

techniques and then they will be yours, if you don’t you’ll be
sick to death of them failing for you when the shit hits the
fan.
85
Conclusion
That is the end of the six volumes of ground fighting. I hope

that you have enjoyed and learned from them. The books
are not exhaustive, and I am not the best grappler in the
world, but the techniques within do and have worked for
me in situations where two men enter the arena and only
one walks back out. I can’t tell you about competing on the
judo or wrestling mat because that is not my game. When
rules are introduced I am not a skilful enough player in the
physical syndrome to be a champion so I will not claim to be
what I am not.
What I can tell you, however, is how it is on the pavement

arena because I have been there enough times to call myself
a veteran without fear of sounding pretentious. In that respect,
which is the only respect that I can claim real expertise, my
book will definitely prepare those perceptive enough to read
with an honest and open mind.
Ground fighting is a well that never seems to run dry, the

subject matter is so deep that it never ceases to amaze me,
86
Conclusion
the deeper I have dug the deeper it has got - but that’s what’s
so exciting about it. It’s a journey with no end but lots of
exciting stops. Just when you think you are getting there along
comes a brilliant ground fighter like my friend Rick Young, or
Neil Adams or the awe inspiring Gracies and you realise just
how much more there is to learn. I have to say that I am still
learning after 25 years in the martial arts and I can’t see an
end to it yet. I’m still as excited about the learning as I was as
a spotty teenager with an eye on the Bruce Lee crown - me
and a few million other would be’s. Mr Lee was my idol and
the reason I started the martial arts, and there’s one thing of
which I am very sure, if he were alive today ground fighting
would be well and truly on his curriculum (actually it was
already before he died, he trained with ‘Judo’ Gene La-bell,
the famous American wrestler) along with all the other
wonderful systems that there are today.
What we have to maintain is an open mind, not an open mind

with tunnel vision like so many of the new wave martial artists
that have found their own classical mess, but a true open
mind where we accept other systems even if we personally
do not rate them. There is more than one route to the peak
87
of the mountain and no one ever reached that peak by denying

that fact. I have made many friends from many system of the
martial arts over the years all of whom I admire, and whilst
many of them do not follow my way they have found ways of
their own that run on a parallel.
I am aware that some people use books and videos as a safe

place to find knowledge. Let me tell you here and now that
in the world of martial arts there is no safe place of learning,
if there is, if you think you have found one, then it is sure to
be false, you cannot make an omelette without breaking a
few eggs, just like you cannot be a boxer without getting a
bloody nose.
So use these books and my videos to add to the knowledge

that you are collating in your regular club or dojo, you can
learn a lot from a book and a video, I have, but you cannot
replace live training with the injection of that leveller we call
fear. This is not to say that fear has to be present in the
controlled arena at all times, rather it is to say that it should
be injected at regular intervals otherwise what you are
88
Conclusion
learning will mean very little, like learning to swim in an empty

pool. Get immersed, get wet, get real - or join a ballet class.
Thank you once again for reading my book/s and remember

to always be a nice person and temper ferocious fighting ability
with kindness and compassion. If you never look for trouble
then, when it seeks you out, justification will be your ally and
there is no stronger ally than knowing that you are right.
If nothing else I hope this series has inspired you to join a

good Judo or wrestling club.
Note:
For more on the art of ground fighting please refer to my
ground fighting series of videos, volume 1-6 available by mail
order.
For details visit www.geoffthompson.com.
89
Other books in this series:
www.geoffthompson.com
www.summersdale.com

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Geoff Thompson’s Ground Fighting Series

Fighting From Your Knees

This edition copyright © Geoff Thompson 2001

All rights reserved. The right of Geoff Thompson to be

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor

Summersdale Publishers Ltd

Printed and bound in Great Britain.

ISBN 1 84024 175 6

Photographs by Paul Raynor

If you have or believe you may have a medical condition the

Geoff Thompson has written over 20 published books and is

He has published several articles for GQ magazine, and has

Geoff is currently a contributing editor for Men’s Fitness

Another very common comment is, ‘yeah, but surely if you’re

because if we make that mistake (I have a few times) we

I remember, early on in my martial arts career, I’d just started

He spent a few seconds in contemplation and then said ‘well,

As though a good beating was my just desserts for allowing a

did not prepare me for. Eventually I found my own answers

And my answer, of course, was firstly to try to avoid negative

One of the many positions that people think is unlikely to

One of my friends, a very experienced street fighter, lost a

pretended to go to the toilet: the guy that followed him in

On another occasion I was acting as a second on a square go

The reason I am so emphatic on this subject is that I’ve been

Fighting on the knees is an important part of ground fighting

I have no intention of actually going into the histrionics of the

The Mount Position

The Side Four quarter

The Scarf Hold

Reverse Scarf Hold

Upper 4 /14 Pin

It is a very important position because the knowledgeable

This is not a great position to strike from because it lacks

cause a reaction which will allow you the initiative to take

Some of the moves from the head to head position are

The snatch and turn

The arm drag

Opposite arm drag

Knee trap and pull

Grapevine-knee trap and pull

The sit and flip

Head lock turn

Try and formulate your own techniques from the same

Over the opponent’s all fours

As you can see from the accompanying illustrations you are

Oh if only it were always that simple, as I have said in many

will you if you are in the same position. Whilst there is a

This is actually a very strong position to find yourself in. If

Reverse naked choke

Shoulder base choke

Sit through to arm/shoulder bar

Ankle grab and turn

This is quite a difficult position to take the arm bar from.

Sit through and triangular leg choke

Turn and face bar/choke

Turn and lapel choke

Elbow strike to arm bar

Leg grab to face bar