Grappling positions

Grappling position
Two wrestlers in a clinch, using over- and underhooks

A grappling position refers to the positioning and holds of combatants engaged in grappling. Combatants are said to be in a neutral position if neither is in a more favourable position. If one party has a clear advantage such as in the mount they are said to be in a "dominant position". Conversely, the other party is considered to be in an inferior position, in that case sometimes called the "under mount".

Called clinch position or standing grappling position, these are the core of clinch fighting. From a separated stand-up position, a clinch is the result of one or both fighters applying a clinch hold. The process of attempting to advance into more dominant clinch positions is known as pummelling.

The major types of standing clinch are such as:

Fighters may attempt to break from the clinch, either as the rule requires it as in boxing or because they wish to obtain a better position by moving out and re-engaging, If the clinch continues, fighters may attempt to strike, takedown or throw an opponent. This may result in a win, or the start of ground grappling.

Positioning is the foundation of ground fighting, if one combatant is physically clearly on top, such as if they are pinning the other combatant to the ground, then that combatant is said to have the top position, while the other combatant is said to have the bottom position. Top positions are usually dominant as fighters can use their weight to their advantage, but depending on the set of rules used, it can have notable exceptions such as the guard. A dominant ground position is usually easier to obtain for the person who initiated the throw or takedown. It may be possible for a fighter in a dominant position to score points or win by pinning their opponent, applying a Submission hold or striking.

There is a rough hierarchy of major ground grappling positions form the most advantageous to the least for the "top" fighter: