Physical altercations usually happen when you are standing up. Certainly, most martial arts prepare your training standing up and then maybe going down on the ground. It makes sense since most fights do start standing up and end up in grappling situations. But what about in a seated posture? After all it is very common and a very vulnerable position. Think about it. It can happen while you are sitting in a bus, train, restaurant, movie theater, etc. To me it is definitely worth the time to invest training in this scenario. The beauty in this type of scenario training is that you really do not have to change much of your stand up training or even your grappling training. The body structure is the same since the center of your gravity is already low. Think of it as if you are training your horse-stance, a wrestler assuming a leg or body tackle posture, or  a Brazilian jiu jitsu player already in his favorite element-on his back on the ground. In Filipino martial arts and some Southeast Asian cultures like the art of penjak silat, the seated position is not taken for granted. Aikido trains their techniques from kneeling position, some jiu-jitsu schools start grappling seated on the ground, some are seated on the ground and lean back to back from each other and fight from there. Think of the seated position as the “clinch”…it can be a transitional phase of physical combat to stand up and fight or fall to ground and finish your opponent. Just try training from this position. You will certainly not lose anything, but gain a broader perspective and understanding of your own martial art.

Here is a clip of my teacher, Gat Puno Abon “Garimot” Baet, teaching me the self-defense concepts from a seated position. I hope you enjoy it.