Re: Is Grappling Overrated?
Originally posted by Great Sage
I think this thread should have sharp teeth and nappy, spiked neon hair, but here goes anyway…
With the introduction of such sports competitions as UFC, Pride and Prancrase many people have jumped unto the grappling bandwagon. In truth, grappling has been a lost art that thankfully has only begun to resurface. However, it’s naive that so many now believe grappling to be the ultimate martial art.
1993 called - it said it wants it’s mullet back. nobody really thinks that grappling is the be-all-end-all anymore. Not anyone with a clue, anyway. However, it’s a necessity, IMO, to have some ground experience.
Now, from time to time, I hear people jeering that Tae Kwon Do, karate and kung-fu are weak compared to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jui jitsu… In defense of the these martial arts (TKD, karate, Kung-fu), with so many practitioners you are bound to get a variety of good and mediocre fighters. Some fault lies in the marketing machine of martial arts. Many instructors are out to make a living first and before instructing.
some aspects are more powerful. A muay thai kick, for example, is designed to act like a baseball bat - it doesn’t snap back - it goes through the target. muay thai by design is a destructive style - hard follow through, relentless conditioning, etc. the methods of training are what lends it most of it’s power, but the mechanics hold alot of it also.
In boxing, you’re likely to get better fighters because the money is much, much more. BIG money encourages better work ethics, more training and better trainers. The average TKD practitioner cannot aspire beyond anything else, other than a few trophies or a low-end kickboxing career.
it’s not just money. not alot of money in bjj, not alot of money in judo, not alot of money in muay thai. Sport styles tend to attract people who like to train hard. And, if they expect to compete and win, they have to train hard. Consequently, they train harder than the run of the mill joe who doesn’t care for competition.
Consequently, I’ve noticed that Muay Thai is headed down the same road as TKD. Every year Thai instructors flock to the US introducing their brand of Muay Thai. Furthermore, American instructors trained in Thailand are now very accessable. It’s a simple equation that the more people learning one art, the greater the number of mediocre fighters within that art.
true - it’s bound to happen. The thing with sport fighting though, is that it proves or disproves itself eventually. If a guy opens a McThai school and his guys compete and regularly get their arse handed to them, the fighters will have to asses where the problem lies… the school will probably not be around long.
I try to emphasize to many students that UFC is a grapplers version of boxing… It isn’t REAL fighting. When I was in grappling, I was told 90% of fights end up on the ground… However, nobody mentions that about 3/4 of that 90% involve people who can’t fight.
don’t forget to tell them that whatever you do in your school isn’t real fighting either. It’s only training. when it comes down to it, that’s all that any of it is. Training for the ring has several advantages that should serve you well in the street though.
As far as people fighting - most likely, you won’t be fighting a trained fighter. If/when he loses his balance, he may take you down with him. he may intentionally want to drag you onto the ground so he can pummel you. You could be fighting multiple opponents and either fall or get knocked to the ground. Regardless of the situation or who you THINK you will be fighting, once you’re on the ground, you need a clue of what to do.
Nothing I’ve seen has convinced me that grappling is more effective than striking or that Muay Thai kicks are more powerful than TKD kicks. Muay Thai fighters in general have more conditioned legs, but the concept is like swinging a bat. The idea of swing versus snap is debatable…
it’s not really all that debatable once you’ve felt the difference. As far as grappling being more effective - it depends on the situation. If I being the Good Grappler™ know how to strike and defend strikes, and you being the person assuming all I can do is grapple and that you can easily beat a grappler, etc. you will be the that’s very surprised in the end. If you have a more realistic view, and train all ranges and feel comfortable there, than you may fair well in a clinch of on the ground, and may be able to defend takedowns if you’ve trained them properly. MMA guys realized along time ago that you need to be well rounded.
