Ground fighting
Hand-to-hand combat on the ground in martial arts
寝技 · 地面型武術
- Classified as
- sports technique
- Part of
- hand-to-hand combat
Ground fighting (also called ground work or ground game) is hand-to-hand combat which takes place while the combatants are on the ground. The term is commonly used in mixed martial arts and other combat sports, as well as various forms of martial arts to designate the set of grappling techniques employed by a combatant that is on the ground. It is the main focus of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is featured in varying amounts in judo, jujutsu, sambo, shoot wrestling, hapkido, various other forms of wrestling, Dishuquan (Dog Kung Fu), and some schools of shuai jiao.
Similarly to clinch fighting, ground fighting implies that the combatants are at a very close range, usually involving one or both combatants grappling the opponent using various grappling holds. Depending on the positioning of the combatants, the proximity can allow for techniques such as biting, chokeholds, fish-hooking, eye-gouging, joint locks, pressure point techniques, or various strikes.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q2665216 (CC0); text quoted from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.