Bibliography:
O'Connell, Lori; Hiscoe, Steve; Weintz, Jennifer. "When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-Jitsu Strategies and Tactics for Self-Defense." Vermont. Tuttle Publishing. 2012.
Review: First, I am not a ground fighting expert. I am not even a novice. I have some grappling experience from my early days but nothing that should be taken for expert or even very proficient. I just wanted to get that out there. Second, I believe more now than ever before that it is important for anyone practicing any type of martial art for self-defense that they address ground fighting simply because there may be moments, if you encounter violence, when you end up on the ground.
Where I received a recommendation for this book is lost to me at the moment of publication of this post. I can tell you that whomever it was is someone I respect for their experience and abilities especially in regards to going to ground in self-defense.
This book lays out what I perceive as solid self-defense fundamentals that will enhance any martial art, not directly associated with ground work to begin with, for self-defense. I like the way it is laid out and the simplicity that is promoted within the pages. It should be fairly easy to learn from the book if you are an experienced martial artist with SD experience. You can enhance the effort by including the DVD that is sometimes sold with the print edition or you can get the kindle edition in conjunction with the DVD.
If your a novice I still recommend it but with one strong caveat, make sure you get clarification and experience in practice from a qualified and experienced martial artist. This is good with any pairing of literature and media for learning and sometimes is recommended even for the experienced martial artists with no background in ground work.
This book and DVD are a very good basic starting point regardless. Couple that with hands on training as I mention and you can gain a solid foundation of ground self-defense. Hopefully you will never have to use it for real but remaining basic as this one does should provide you the tools to end the encounter and allow you to seek safety and security. Provided, of course, your avoidance and deescalation strategies and tactics fail.
Highly recommended!
