Question for Viewers: What do you think about throwing the first punch in self defense? Is that possible?

I love the fact that a child immediately saw the flaw in your reasoning. lol

It is for me as a disabled person, if get thrown from my chair and end up in a scuffle. I will trip, sweep whatever it takes to get on top and survive. I am well within my legal rights. But most martial arts gyms and trainers don't think about this reality.

This is by far the funniest self defense channel ever. Also very instructive

Start watching and I'm sitting here thinking what's a neon belly? It's been a long day :)

5:13 I think it's worth mentioning that besides missing a big shot and maybe being off balance, if you're in an altercation on a hard surface like concrete you're gonna have a world of some pretty not fun times when your hand slams into the ground.

If you feel like your life is still in danger or the attacker is still trying to come up with you (especially if they have a weapon!) then I would totally deem ground and pound as self defense.

*perfectly slaps knife out of hand* “We’re not doing that”

There are a ton of situations where a very dangerous opponent must be incapacitated for the altercation to be considered under control. In those situations, if you have an opportunity to ground and pound, take it, because you have no idea what other opportunities you may or may not have down the line. Remember, this is only in cases where the opponent MUST BE INCAPACITATED to ensure the safety of all parties.

I need to try this "neon belei" tactic

Yes! I have been teaching my students to fight from knee on belly for Years! I’m not really that good at jiujitsu (I usually make it to a bjj class twice a month) but in the context of self defense, especially against a weapon, there are so many options from knee on belly. I also have always taught elbows for ground and pound. Glad to see others are teaching the same!

Dominant position doesnt mean the fight is over. Adrenaline and emotion will grab you and make you savage. Lemme share an experience: In high school I got into only one fight. Got sucker punched cause I looked away. So I was the guy being pounded while on the ground, who got up and was only more pissed/willing to go 100% since I didnt suffer any major damage. I recall shouting "I'll f***ing kill you!" or something along those lines(I was 16), and I meant it. I had a bloody nose and wanted only to return the favor. Fight isnt over unless one of us is knocked out or clearly submits, in my book - and I never said, "get off and run away" so I didnt accept/acknowledge that as the end. Despite losing the exchanges, people said I won since I kept at him and he turned his back on me twice. Maybe a matter of perspective? But I was the savage that didnt care about how many punches were landed, I wanted blood the moment he sucker punched me, and he just wanted to punch me a few times. In a longer fight I think I'd beat the hell out of him, but I'll never know as the crowd of people stopped me from going at him and let him take off. His defense was to have others step between us in something he started. Dont ever rely on that happening, or you will get hurt.

as usual, high-quality content. I'm glad that you spent a little extra time on this video showing some of the training methods for making these strikes happen. Especially given that not all the time. It's great to see you see drill with the boxing clove.

One time I had 3 guys who wanted to fight me after school. I asked, is it 3 on 1 or is it one at a time, so the toughest (?) one says he don't need any help against me. I took him down quickly, held his head against the asphalt, popped him a couple of times as fast as I could then rolled off. The other 2 guys left (I expected them to kick me when I was down). Definitely ground and pound served as self defense, just glad the other guy was untrained. I think the Judo roll to get off of him was what scared them, I still have a memory of the one guy looking nervously over his shoulder as he was leaving, I used to get bullied a lot because people knew I wouldn't fight unless I had to, where I grew up not fighting wasn't always an option. Fortunately, as an adult, I haven't found myself in many situations where I was left without a choice. Tough guys don't follow if you walk away, weak ones are easily scared.

My oppressive knee-on-belly 😂

Back to the comment I left on your flashlight is the best weapon video, those elbows are exactly what I was doing while isolating the knife. That's why I love this channel. Practical technique that really work

i like the two arm control because there could be a second weapon or he could pass weapon to the free hand. I also like short elbows because if its a gross motor skill thats adrenalized and you miss with exact blade of the elbow, the forearm works fine too :)

You're kid is doing the camera? Great work man!

Nice video, I'm excited for the next ones with those teasers you said

Ufc vol 1 had a bunch of fights with those palm to the face elbows. Even Gracie utilized them. Great video as always chief!

I teach historical martial arts, and I've discovered your channel today and you are so on point. That exercise with the glove at 9minutes is gold.

Good stuff. Love the drill at the end.

I'm glad I saw this because I'm always the guy that wants to would have never that this would be considered self defense and that would make me hesitant when I know I shouldn't thank you for this

Every damn video you guys crack me up with your bad guy routine, you should be better at it by now xD

Finally a self defence instructor that teaches real shit, appreciate your content thanks!

I love that you always approach things from a self defence mindset and bare knuckle fighting at the forefront of what you do man. That's what I try do when ever I'm thinking about technique and what should be my go to, how should I drill it, etc. It's why I started in traditional jujitsu and unfortunately it still had too many flaws that you see in aikido and karate. But I have been training muay thai to supplement it the whole time. I love the self defence mindset of traditional Japanese jujitsu but it lacked decent wrestling. So last year I picked up judo. And man I wish I did judo from the get go. Yeah I already knew most of the throws thanks to jujitsu but it's so different because your wrestling all the time. No complex shit from floating punches either (which I knew was a flaw but I always approached it from applying locks from in grappling instead to fix it in my own time away from demonstrations). Other thing I have noticed is coming from a traditional karate and jujitsu background I was too flat footed and didn't move enough, even in muay thai it can be like that as it can very much be a game of who can hit harder and stand their staunch. Which brings me to the other point that I wish I had done boxing from the get go to help incorporate a more solid base of a tighter defence and more movement and working angles. But at least I'm now aware and making those changes in muay thai and by doing judo. But to this day I always approach what I do from what would work best for Self defence and getting to that golden position or putting them down face first and asap etc. So please never stop approaching your channel from a self defence aspect first man as it's what fighting was meant for and why people love your channel. Would love you to do a series of videos on getting your opponent to the floor face down as fast as possible from lots of different positions and pressure of attacks.

Likes likes baby. You are our jam right now over at MVE. Mav thinks you rock. --Director Of Awesome

Those elbows from the top remind me of Evan Tanner (RIP). We was really good with those.

Knee on belly is THE BEST POSITION for self defense if you end up on the ground and on top..... 100%.... I was not such a good person as a teenager and young man and ended up in jail for violent crimes ..... I turned my life around at 33 years old I'm now a Union Firefighter and much more.... anyway my point is I have real street fighting experience (more than I'm proud of) then I found Sport fighting got a Purple Belt In BJJ, Trained With Mark Delagrote, Joe Lauzon, and so on .... I can tell everyone watching this channel this is THE REAL DEAL Great explanations and mindset for actually using things that would work in a Street Fight..... AWESOME VIDEO as always brother

Really good video.

But what if they killed your dog? Wow, that's like, all of the grey areas. I used to teach a self defense class that dealt with legal consequences, and in Washington State, the short answer, to both the throwing the first punch and to attacking from behind, is no. I have been studying law recently and I realize that there MAY be a case that you could argue for pre emptive aggression when in fear for life limb or property, but you can't ignore the human element of a judge looking at someone who obviously has training smashing someone more than necessary. I am not a lawyer, though and would love to to get some clarity on that issue. On attacking from behind: I had a few incidents in security, but i managed to get a choke sunk in after ducking a punch, or more often I had backup, and I just had to get the guy to attack me while one of my team was waiting at a 45 degree angle within 6 ft. Either way, it was a must to catch them on camera attacking me clearly first. Pre emptive measures cannot be used until the the conflict has been escalated proportional to the force used. I don't mess with knives. I just try to create distance and throw shit at people with melee weapons. A guy with a gun who is grappling has a nonzero chance of being shot with his own gun, unless he has grappling superiority, which means he has already made grave tactical decisions in order to end up in that position at all. I am a literal crazy person who has been in too many street fights and in my crazy experience, most of the time, if you are training in martial arts, people give up when you get to knee on belly while framing their face against the ground. It's pretty humiliating to the dude trying to prove he is tough. TLDR; bullshit. Forgot to re stomp the groin.

I remember Fight Perfect made a good video on this topic as well.

Oh..."Knee-on-belly." I was listening and not watching and thought he was saying "neon belly."

Awesome video. Can we get more videos on fighting over a knife?

Love it. Those short elbows feel sooooo nasty!!!!! Next to ground and pound I still believe the rear naked choke is a good winner in selfdefense on the ground. Imagine not being able to leave a room..so u cant run.

The one dislike is the guys head who got bashed for pulling a strap out

A collaboration between you and Alan Roberts would be awesome.

Another thing to consider is the importance of learning a few ways to strike off your back, in this case I don't mean upkicks but using elbows and punches from guard. Especially posting and elbowing like you showed and a few other techniques can really beat someone up when you're striking off your back. Something that could give you enough time to sweep/submit/escape.

Love your videos. You give sound advice. I think you should add that in that in the scenario with your back on the ground against an attacker, and you believe your life is in danger; if you pull a gun or a knife from a concealment in defense, never present it to them in full view. Clear yourself, place the gun in their rib cage, squeeze the trigger. With a knife, multiple knife strikes in the back and kidney area. When you're clear, run. The no where to go knife defense is sound. Maintain control of the hand with the knife. I would only suggest that when there is a chance to run, break contact and run. The people I know carry more than one knife. but they're the good guys. lol

9:39 that can also be done with thaipads or focus mits

What are your top take-downs for remaining standing and in control, in self defence, especially against multiple opponents. It seems like you mostly end up on the ground and their mates will just kick you or worse!

In the full contact karate style that I practiced we were taught to stomp on the fallen/thrown criminal.

Let's just say being lactose intolerant in those situations is a plus 😁. Every school has a mat crop duster.

Can you look at options of getting off the floor when someone has a headlock on you, not as easy as it sounds when they have it on tight.

Really good

Based Rutten (suck at spelling, hope that's right) covers that elbow drop in one of his "big box of kick the crsp out of you" DVD sets. Made sence there too.

that dude reminds me of a smaller Bradley Martyn

I heard "Neon Belly" 😂😂

What do you do if you defend yourself, knock the person down and he keeps getting back up and continuing??

Great video! The other thing people RARELY talk about is the potential to punch concrete during a ground and pound scenario. Let's be honest, we aren't all super elite strikers, and even then, it's easy to miss if the guy on bottom is wiggling. Not to mention the fact that there's no hand wraps and gloves to protect those little bones. I cringe every time I see a video where someone is swinging wild punches from a mount position and wail on the concrete a few times. They'll find out once the adrenaline wears off that their hand is shattered. Elbows all day!

Serious question if your in like knee on they ah e a knife and u have wrist control why not stand up get like heel on stomach or neck or something and pull his arms up?

Knee on belly looks like a good position. What about attacking the exposed mid section and groin from this position?

I used to practice this technique all the time. I need to start doing this again. Although, if someone has a gun on me I think using one hand to pin the weapon hand to the ground and use my free hand to get MY weapon or, if I'm in a place where I can't carry a weapon, than use my other hand to do the old-school one hand choke (grasping their neck with your hand and literally squeezing the life out of them). I don't get a lot of practice on the mat though (my friend is gone and my family members don't want to practice self defense shit)

Ground and pound is good and considered self defense when I’d like someone on drugs to drink and they’re going insane trying to attack you if they wouldn’t stop. As a security guard at a local bar I know this

At 7:05 my dad taught it to me as almost like your hand slipped so you catch yourself with your elbow

Chill out dude bro 🤙

You got a point

hello mike just a question from you wondering what you think of wing Chun and if you think it is 'worth learning" instead of say muay Thai for street purposes. thank you

I gotta find out if it's legal to post your palm on someone's jaw from top mount in sports jiu jitsu. I definitely gotta practice that detail along with wrist controls from knee on belly. Thank you!

Looks good but I think I would use palm strikes over punches for street ground and pound.

Fastest route from point a to point b straight line.

When I get top position when arresting someone I have never needed to use strikes thanks to grappling. Then handcuffs obviously

3:05 this is for the person who is on top, more dangerous. one hip bumb, its over. clear shots are good

Okay all of that made pretty good since I've seen a lot of cops on TV in situations where they were on top of somebody in that type of position they didn't use elbows probably never trained for it or something but for regular person as well as it's not a bad idea to be honest if you can get on top those little shots well feel like big shots after the first two or three and depending on how heavy you are and how much you can put into it feel like bombs

When are you going to do the hammer as a defense weapon? Can't wait for that one.

Very good i like.

GnP from the top is very good for self defense. :)

What about high side mount- gift wrap position, So much control in there.

Okay but on 5:35 if you did have him in that position and they had the notch of the knife sticking out you strike between the notch and hand upwards you can dig at his grip and use it to control the knife, he wouldn’t give up the grip at all cause it’s a knife if the knife doesn’t fall out with the upwards palm strike then just like you were changing gears into reverse knock it towards you and down

hey Mike you got videos on takes for a street fight pls?

Any situation where you can't disengage and get away without them also being able to get up and catch up with you or someone who is with you. ie. your legs are injured, you have a child with you, you're wearing high heels, they're just faster than you...

In Takemusu Aiki Iwama Aikido, supplemental to wrestling, TKD, and Karate, we would have used two hands on the threat wrist, holding gun or knife. It is the threat. Grab and twist, one's entire body standing and twisting against wrist, with death grip. At all costs, you can not let go of that wrist and control of that threat. The flick would have kept no control, funny. Training with resistance, is how you practice controlling threat hand, when there is a threat and inability to walk away. Could there be some value in that training - hmmm.

I can't stop hearing "neon belly," like some kind of cyberpunk body modification.

No the waiting to shoot take to ground but you set him up with a fast short jab to see what he doing then a short kick to the knees.

3:35 lol

Wouldn't stomping or kicking a downed opponent be more effective in a self defense situation since you can stay standing and moving instead of going to the ground and limiting your focus on one opponent while his friends box you in?

The background music and overall personalities doing the demo kind of makes the idea of self-defense feel less serious. But I guess that's better; it pulls your head out of the clouds from daydreaming about hurting people. Clears your head while you're learning self-defense.

If a man takes me to the ground it is a fight to the death, and I'm trying to win

Knee on neck and knee on face is the next level of this position

9:14 I have done this myself but find a medicine ball great for practising this with.

yeah my first thoughts were exactly the whole video. Weapons, Exit, or freezed loved ones. INCAPACITATION is ALWAYS the objective on self defense. The attacker's will to harm you is always relative and harder to read than his physical ability to continue fighting. The plus of the objective of restraining a subject if you are a cop was also nice and realistic. LIFE SAVING VIDEO

3:34 lmao 🤣 😂 😆

Great tips, stay dominant, keep it simple. Go for the kill.

Self defence is actively defending yourself from an illigal attack (where you could sustain grevious bodily harm or death) up to but no further then a point at which you are no longer under the threat of injury.

Go for a spinning armbar from knee on belly

i understand. some guys wont stop fighting until you get super aggresive with your self-defense. its scary because you never know when it can happen.

Or do it on the ground when your doing push ups and then you get your conditioning in as well

For example if you are a girl who's getting sexually assaulted or something similar and manage to get on top it wouldn't be a bad idea to do ground and pound before trying to run or escape, or maybe confined space and you need to neutralise the attacker more before running.

Any tips on defending myself from a guy sitting in a chair?

Mike, your channel is going to blow up, big time

so the shot is basically post on their face and lean, slip your hand of and catch yourself from falling forward by reestablishing your base via your elbow in their face. Hey that rhymes! reestablish base with an elbow to their face.

When did Shawn Michaels shave his head and grow a beard? X-PAC is looking good.

These situations never go the way you think they will, unless you really know what you're doing and you have an answer to every scenario / experience. Good stuff though. Basically Muay Thai on the ground with the elbows and such. Can be seen in some UFC fights too. Tony Ferguson, Khabib, etc.. are good at it.

You have you ever had a fight in you life? In school? Fair fight after school and college?

Americana/kimura could work to get rid of that knife

Forget weapons. If being on top somehow means that you should just get up and walk away, guess what he's going to do? He's going to get up and have another go. And you might not end up on top next time.

2:06: Why would I do that? a) I don't know if his mate is running towards me to kick me off him, then it would be 2 on 1, or he gets his hand out and pulls a knife b) he could start again after I release him c) + it is legal (at least in my country) let me add I've got so much empathy, I hold back even in self defense, because I don't wanna hurt anyone. But there is no discussion for me in that situation edit: not a lecture to Mike, wanted to add it

You can do it, but the question is whether you can explain it to the police (or judge).

Last one, not very powerful but if it's your head on the ground and an elbow falls on your face with weight, I think you will be done.

i have seen g&p in real street fight and it was devastating(for the guy who received it)