A grappling position refers to the positioning and holds of combatants engaged in

grappling Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...

. Combatants are said to be in a neutral position if neither is in a more favourable position. If one party has a clear advantage such as in the ''mount'' they are said to be in a "dominant position". Conversely, the other party is considered to be in an inferior position, usually called "on the bottom", but in this case sometimes called the "under mount".

Stand-up grappling position

Called clinch position or standing grappling position, these are the core of

clinch fighting Clinch fighting or trapping is the part of stand-up fighting where the combatants are grappling in a clinch, typically using clinch holds. Clinching the opponent can be used to eliminate the opponent's effective usage of some kicks, punches, ...

. From a separated stand-up position, a clinch is the result of one or both fighters applying a ''clinch hold''. The process of attempting to advance into more dominant clinch positions is known as ''pummelling''. Major types of standing clinches include: *

Bear hug The bear hug is a grappling maneuver often seen in sports, such as wrestling. It also exists outside sports, such as street fighting, martial arts personal defense, military hand-to-hand combat, and even affectionate hugging. Bear hugs can be d ...

Collar-and-elbow position A collar-and-elbow hold is a grappling position#Stand-up grappling position, stand-up grappling position where both combatants have a collar tie, and hold the opponent's other arm at the elbow. Generally the opening move in professional wrestlin ...

Double collar tie Collar tie is a grappling clinch hold that is used to control the opponent. It is performed from the front of the opponent by grabbing the opponent by the collar, behind the neck, or behind the trapezius muscle. A collar tie using one hand is ca ...

* Double underhooks *

Pinch grip tie A pinch grip tie, or an over-under bodylock, is a clinch hold and stand-up grappling position that is an extension of the over-under position, but having both hands locked behind the opponents back. The hands are typically locked with a palm-to- ...

Clinch hold A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grappli ...

Fighters may attempt to break from the clinch, either as the rule requires it as in

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

or because they wish to obtain a better position by moving out and re-engaging, If the clinch continues, fighters may attempt to

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

, takedown or

throw Throwing is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. ''Throwing'' typically refers to hand-throwing by a ...

an opponent. This may result in a win, or the start of ground grappling.

Ground grappling position

Positioning is the foundation of

ground fighting Ground fighting (also called ground work or ground game) is hand-to-hand combat which takes place while the combatants are on the ground. The term is commonly used in mixed martial arts and other combat sports, as well as various forms of martia ...

, if one combatant is controlling an opponent from a top position, such as if they are pinning the opponent to the ground, then that combatant is said to have the top position, while their opponent is said to have the bottom position. Top positions are usually dominant as fighters can use their weight to their advantage, but depending on the set of rules used, it can have notable exceptions such as the ''guard''. A dominant ground position is usually easier to obtain for the person who initiated the throw or takedown. It may be possible for a fighter in a dominant position to score points or win by pinning their opponent, applying a

submission hold A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grapplin ...

or striking. There is a rough hierarchy of major ground grappling positions from the most advantageous to the least for the'' "top" ''fighter: #

Rear mount Back mount, or rear mount (often confused with back control), is a dominant grappling position where the practitioner is on their opponent's back in such a way that they have control of their opponent (in back control, the practitioner controls ...

Mount Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

Knee-on-stomach Knee-on-stomach, or knee-on-belly, knee-on-chest, knee-ride, knee mount (''uki-gatame'', 浮固, "floating hold"Kawaishi, Mikonosuke (1955). ''My method of judo''. W. Foulsham & Co. in budō), is a dominant ground grappling position where the t ...

Side control In grappling, side control (often also called side mount, cross mount, 100 kilos) is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free an ...

# North-south position #

Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

Half guard Half guard (or half mount) is a defensive ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top comba ...

# Disengaged* #

Guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

: *Fighters are disengaged if neither has a grip on the other they can use to restrict their movement A reversal from a dominant or top position is called a ''sweep''; these are usually the aim of a fighter in the bottom position, though there are some submissions that can be executed from the bottom, most commonly from the ''guard''. While a position may be considered dominant in one sport, that may not be the case in another: for example, the closed guard in BJJ may be dominant in terms of submission; in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA), however, where striking is allowed, while the guard still offers submission opportunities and defence, the fighter on top can strike better than the one on the bottom so the position is usually viewed as neutral in MMA and Budo Moussaraa MMA.

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

is different again, viewing the guard as inferior due to the risk of being pinned.

Examples

* In an

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...

match, the wrestlers are standing in a symmetrical position, with both wrestlers having a

pinch grip tie A pinch grip tie, or an over-under bodylock, is a clinch hold and stand-up grappling position that is an extension of the over-under position, but having both hands locked behind the opponents back. The hands are typically locked with a palm-to- ...

on the other wrestler. The wrestlers are in a neutral position. Wrestler 'A' then pummels through to gain double underhooks so gaining a dominant position. * In a Brazilian jiu-jitsu match, grappler 'C' is holding the other grappler 'D' in an

open guard The guard is a ground grappling position in which one combatant has their back to the ground while attempting to control the other combatant using their legs. In pure grappling combat sports, the guard is considered an advantageous position, b ...

. The open guard allows grappler 'C' to attempt a multitude of

submission holds A grappling hold, commonly referred to simply as a hold that in Japanese is referred to as ''katame-waza'' ( "grappling technique"), is any specific grappling, wrestling, judo, or other martial art grip that is applied to an opponent. Grappli ...

, while grappler 'D's priority is to advance in position; grappler 'C' is in a dominant position while the top grappler is in an inferior position, as it is hard for 'D' to attack before they improve their position. 'D' then used a

near knee guard pass The guard is a ground grappling position in which one combatant has their back to the ground while attempting to control the other combatant using their legs. In pure grappling combat sports, the guard is considered an advantageous position, b ...

getting one leg though to gain a half guard, a more dominant position where they can attack 'C' and 'C' will find submitting them more difficult * In a mixed martial arts bout, fighter 'E' has a strong closed guard and is using it to help defend against punches; fighter 'F' cannot strike with full effect, but is unlikely to be struck effectively or submitted quickly so they are in a relatively neutral position; fighter 'F' is then ''swept'' and mounted by fighter 'E' giving them a dominant position. * In

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

, the stand-up clinch is effectively utilized. However, its grappling attacks are limited to sweeps, as the clinch is mainly used for setting up uppercuts and strikes from the knees and elbows. The primary clinch in this art is known as the Thai Plum or the Collar Tie.

References

* Gracie; Renzo, Gracie, Royler; Peligro, Kid; Danaher, John (2001). ''Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory and technique''. Invisible Cities Press. . {{grappling Grappling positions pt:Clinch

Stand-up grappling position

Ground grappling position

Examples

See also

References