All You Need To Know About Ground and Pound

Ground and pound is a fighting style, basically in martial arts, in which one fighter pins down the other and then blows him repeatedly. It seems easy to launch but practically it is difficult to perform efficiently. If you think it is just about blowing your opponent with your punches and elbows, while you are on top of him seems quite easy. Then this thinking is just a fantasy because in real life if it was that easy every fighter would bear an easy and certain victory. There are certain means and tricks that a fighter must learn and understand to attack in various effective ways with ground and pound.

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Launching Ground And Pound In A Standing Position

Hitting punches from a standing position may be the most efficient way of ground and pound. Although you cannot utilize your elbows in this position you can launch destructive blows with your fists. This position presents a serious threat to your rival with up-kicks. You have a good option of throwing flurries as well and end the fight with a knockout.

• Launching Ground And Pound Effectively While Standing

1. Proceed your rival with one step forward keeping the knee bent.

2. Move forward your other leg such as your hips are right-angled to your opponent with you standing over him. You can control his hip pressure in this posture.

3. At this posture, your opponent might try to kick you off with his feet, respond to it by pushing his feet to the side and creating a space for yourself to hit.

4. Rotate your hips to assist one foot move over your thigh and launch your punch to produce maximum power.

• How To Keep Yourself Safe?

This kind of position is not completely safe, so act upon some precautionary measure.

1. Keep your hips forward and your torso leaned towards your back, to avoid the offensive kick of the opponent.

2. Be aware of a leg sweep.

Guard position for Ground and Pound

Hitting from the ground on your knees is a common position for a strike. It might be a risky one if your rival has an active guard and threatens you with his blows, leg sweeps, or kicks from the bottom.

Launching In Guard Position

1. Form a firm stance, with your toes raised up on the ground.

2. Keep your buttocks close to your rival.

3. Restrict movement of your rival with your forearms.

4. Now you can use your forearm to strike punches or move your elbow over for a blow.

Things To Avoid

1. Avoid putting your hands on the mat to keep safe from arms over hooking.

2. Do not land flat your palm on your rival’s body, he may go for wrist control.

3. Keep your head in the center.

4. Avoid raising your buttocks in the air, your rival would have a lot of space to move his hips and create an attack.

Half Guard Position

Half guard posture is a difficult one but is effective if launched skillfully. The key to it is generating enough space for a destructive strike but keeping enough control to restrict the movement of the opponent.

Establishing A Half Guard Position

1. Form a firm base and move your left forearm across your rival’s head.

2. Pin him to a particular point by pulling your right elbow into his left hip.

3. Now your opponent’s movements are restricted, and you are in a good position to work with your left elbow.

Side Control Position

Side control is about forming tricks to produce force in your blows. Establishing a side mount you might have worked hard, so you cannot allow your rival to escape by forming an attack against you. Thus, you must not give a chance of recovery to your rival.

Launching Ground And Pound In Side Control

1. Keep your stance tight and establish a safe zone by undercooking your right arm as soon as possible. Wait for your enemy to waste his energy in trying to escape.

2. Your enemy would try to restrict your blows from your left arm by utilizing his right hand.

3. Avoiding the rival’s counters by Crucifix

4. Restrict his right arm with your left hand.

5. Post your left knee above his right arm.

6. Establish a firm undertook with your right arm.

7. Press his left arm between your head and left boulder.

8. Both arms are restricted, and his head is vulnerable to attack.

9. With both arms isolated, the head is exposed for you to punch or elbow.

If your rival tries to escape with offensive attacks with knees to your body.

• Then pull your right knee into his ribs.

• Trap his arm between your knee and elbow so that he is unable to use his right arm.

• This would benefit you as well because his entire left side is exposed where you can launch strikes.

• Go for the blows from the right side of your enemy blocks your left-arm incoming punches.

Ground And Pound in Mount

You may feel that victory is finally yours if you turn into the mount posture, but do not underestimate your rival who would expend every last bit of his energy trying to escape.

Launching Ground And Pound

1. Keep a low mount initially

2. Keep the feet front tightly on the mat, squeeze your knees tight, keep your heels below his back.

3. Place your fists above and to the side of his face.

4. Post your hands forward and knees above your opponent’s armpit to form a high mount to trap your rival.

5. Now launch destructive blows and elbow strikes.

6. Maintain your stable position by posting on one arm and striking with the other arm.

Keynote: Ground and Pound is a strategic way to trap your opponent to the ground, pound him with blows while you in the top position are free to launch multiple strikes. Fighters adopt several ways to keep their opponents pinned to the ground by restricting their movements, thus allowing for them to knock them out.

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