Street Fighting Question of the Day: Do You Believe In Throwing As A Principle of Self Defense? by Christopher "Bob" Roberts

Street Fighting Question of the Day: Do You Believe In Throwing As A Principle of Self Defense? by Christopher “Bob” Roberts

by admin on Jul.20, 2009, under Ground Fighting Moves

Combat Reality-Based Instructor Christopher “Bob” Roberts

Guys, I just wanted to ask what your opinions of throwing in self defense are. By this I don’t mean just what you teach or are taught, rather what your street fighting experience with throws is.

Okay, I’ll start:

The last time that I “threw” someone in a street fight was when I was working as a bouncer in a strip club. The only way that I saw to prevent a fight was to remove the more aggressive guest from the club. I went in from behind (he was a lot stronger than me) gained control of both of his arms and tried to drag him away, then I realized that that wasn’t going to work and I ended up “throwing him to the ground.”

Basically, I just pulled him backwards and tried to turn him and trip him. We both bumped into the bar, tripped over several bar stools and fell to the ground. I made sure to land on top of him and was able to pin him to the ground with pressure against one of his eyes.

It certainly looked a lot less than impressive, but it worked, which was very impressive, considering his size, so I was happy with the result.

I guess what I’m basically trying to say is that I treat throwing and take-downs like ground fighting–if you stumble with a guy, try to land on top, but don’t go out of your way to “throw” someone.

What are your opinions and experiences?

Train smart and watch your back,

Christopher “Bob” Roberts

http://www.extreme-measures-institute.com

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:Christopher "Bob" Roberts, grappling, ground fighting, martial arts, self defense, self protection, street fighting

2 comments for this entry:

David D'Antonio, C.U.T.S. Critical Urnab Tactical Strategies
July 21st, 2009 on 7:15 pm
Chris:

Throwing has its pros and cons, just like anything else. My take is, if you feel 100% confident that you can effectively throw someone, go for it, otherwise I would advise against it.
Throwing, IMHO, leaves you open to counter attack far too easily. I prefer leg sweeps and kicks to the knee (front and rear) far nore than a throw. I teach throws in NInjutsu, but do not teach any throws in my C.U.T.S. courses.
I have seen experience Judo guys being pulled down to the ground in a street fight or beaten down from the back when attempting a throw against a seasoned street brawler.
I have used a throw maybe twice that I can think of, but have used leg sweeps and kicks to the legs with far more effectiveness.
Just my take on it…….
Darren
January 1st, 2010 on 5:10 pm
Chris,

I am a 17 year L.E. veteran and I have “thrown” one person in that time. My experience was I responded to a call one night of a guy walking in and out of traffic. When I located him I ordered him to stop and walk to me. He looked at me and, as expected, he ignored me and continued to walk away (he wasn’t in the street any longer). As I approached him from behind I took hold of his left arm. He struggled slightly and then began to spin to his right attempting to throw a right haymaker. I released his left arm, moved inside as I caught his right arm, and executed a hip throw.

It worked out fine but I must say everything that night fell into place just as pretty as you’d please. Since that time I have had more luck with trips, balance disruptions and joint manipulations, or combinations of those if I am putting someone on the ground.