Practical Self Defense

View a video of KAT Students grappling

The grappling program of the Korean Academy of Taekwondo is one of the things that sets our school apart from others. This program teaches students what to do in real self defense situations and allows our students to subdue opponents without injuring them or having the potential to exchange bloodborne pathogens.

There are two main types of martial arts; striking arts (Taekwondo, Karate, Boxing, Capoeira) and grappling arts (Wrestling, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, Judo, Hap Ki Do). The KAT grappling program is a mix of techniques from these various grappling arts.

· Learning grappling is extremely important in self defense situations. Many real fights will end up going into a clinch and to the ground. “Ultimate” fighting tournaments pitting all styles together are almost always won by people with strong grappling skills. .

· We are training grappling to supplement our Taekwondo training, but Taekwondo will always be the heart of our program. Our goal is only to learn enough to be able to submit an opponent who is a superior striker or to avoid being submitted by an opponent who is a superior grappler.

Attire
Grappling competitions are broken down based on whether the competitors wear a uniform or not. As our main focus is self defense, we will mainly be focusing on techniques that work whether or not the opponent is wearing a uniform.

You may wear your regular uniform, a t-shirt and dobok pants or t-shirt and shorts. Males are advised to wear a groin cup. Knee pads may be helpful for takedowns but are not required.

Grappling Rules
1. When you start to feel pain, you signal this to your partner by tapping on the ground, yourself, or your partner. When your partner taps, you must immediately let go.

2. In general, mixed (male vs female) grappling is not allowed.