Red, I agree, it's very hard to drop someone simply with strikes. You really have to know what you're doing and technique is a big part of it, moreso than physical strength or sheer size.
There are a lot of open hand grabs with relation to being kicked you can do in thai boxing/kickboxing though they are very simple yet very effective to put someone on their backside so you can then escape.
But I stand by my veiw that the average joe would have a tough time getting a trained MT fighter to the ground in the first place and would probably walk away once he realized what he was in for.
99% of fights are mental IMO. If you know what you're doing, it shows and often you can ward off would be attackers with sheer confidence. I think it was Tyson who said the fight is won or lost in the stare down. You look away, you're gone.
I used to smile a lot because I loved fighting when I was trainng, and my sheer willingness to proceed with the fight was often enough for sometimes up to 4 people on me to walk away. It's a lot about how you carry yourself.
The ones who are loud and mouthing off with threats are usually the ones who are actually scared of the situation and probably can't fight. That doesn't mean they won't land a lucky punch though because anyone is capable of that.
