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The Four Ranges of Combat
by Pankration90
First let me explain the importance of dividing up the phases of combat. An actual fight would most likely be hard to divide up into the separate ranges because it will happen very quickly. However, in training you can't always allow striking and grappling at the same time. Sometimes, you need to work on just striking. Other times, you may need to just work on grappling. This is when dividing the ranges becomes necessary. There are many systems for dividing up the phases. Some people say that there are "ranges" of combat such as kicking, punching, trapping, clinching, and grappling. There are many flaws with this system. If you saw a picture of someone catching their opponent's leg while throwing a punch, which range would it be in? It could be in kicking because the opponent threw a kick. It could be in punching because one guy is punching. It could be in grappling because one guy is holding the other guy's leg. These ranges are too specific. Another flaw with that system is dividing up punching and trapping. Often these two things happen in the same range. If a boxer punches a practitioner of wing chun, the wing chun guy will most likely try and trap the boxer's arm. If you can trap a guy's punch while in the same range as he threw the punch, then these things are in the range. I think of this as having three less specific phases, which aren't based on distance but what tools are available. The phases I use are 'stand up' or free movement, clinching, and groundfighting. Free Movement Clinch Groundfighting We can't forget multiple attackers. How do you decide what phase you are in when confronted by multiple attackers? The answer: it doesn't really matter; as I said, dividing up the phases is mainly a training tool. However, what phase you are in depends on your position relative to a single opponent. If you are being attacked by three guys, and one is clinching while the others are a few feet away, then you need to worry about the guy in the clinch first.
In the free movement phase, both people are standing and don't have a grip on eachother. This would include punching, kicking, trapping, blocking, and all other strikes and ways of defending against them while not in a clinch or on the ground. Free Movement also includes shoot tackles (such as the double leg and single leg) and catching kicks. This is the ideal phase for verbal de-escalation. Training for this phase should include heavy or full contact sparring (the difference between the two being that in full contact you hit as hard as you can to knock the opponent out, and in heavy you aren't intentionally trying to do that), practicing shoot tackles, catching kicks, and verbal de-escalation.
The clinch is the next phase. In a clinch, you and the opponent are still standing but your bodies are making contact besides striking, shoving, etc. (most clinches involve having a grip on your opponent). Clinching is often seen in muay thai, boxing, judo, and wrestling. In a clinch, striking (such as elbows, knees, palm strikes, eye gouges, etc), standing joint locks or chokes, and takedowns (such as hip throws and judo-style sweeps) can happen. The clinch is a mix of the skills used in stand up and groundfighting. It should be used in sparring and when practicing groundfighting.
The final phase is groundfighting. Notice it is called 'groundfighting', not just grappling. Grappling would imply that the opponents are not striking. Groundfighting includes fighting for position (trying to 'pin' your opponent or hold them to the ground in an advantageous position), trying to apply a choke or joint lock, trying to smother your opponent, trying to strike your opponent, and the various 'dirty' techniques as long as it all happens on the ground. Training for groundfighting should include grappling, with strikes mixed in sometimes.