Hanzou
Grandmaster
Correct me it I am wrong but you chose the throat analogy. There are distinct difference in striking versus grappling training. But surely you understand there are tools like a BOB that allow a person to train strikes are full speed AND drills with resistance that allow you to practice an endless amount of scenarios. There is never only ONE way to do a strike/attack/submission right?
A training dummy is no comparison to a live training partner.
So when you are rolling do you do a Kimura lock the exact same way Only when you and your partner are in one specific position? Of course not. But that is exactly how you are framing certain TMA training. You have to think bigger/higher than that. If a person cannot do that I suspect they are going to suck at whatever style they practice.
Grappling has the advantage that we can go full blast without significantly harming each other. Thus, I can attempt multiple entries and locks at full speed without harming my partner. The more advanced we get, the faster we can go (which ironically also ends up slowing the pace). This translates into a self defense situation because I can apply my technique pretty much the same way I do in training. If I'm constantly catching Purple and Brown belts with Kimuras for example, the untrained moron attacking me really doesn't stand much of a chance.
Striking on the other hand requires padding and restraint, and that frankly puts it at a disadvantage on multiple levels. Whenever I kick or punch someone, I have to be mindful of damage I do to them, and also the potential damage I do to myself. For example, I've known Boxers who have broken their hands in street fights, and once their hand healed, they were afraid to punch people in the face because they didn't want to injure their hands again. I've known TKD/Karate guys who have broken their foot or shin fighting someone. One buddy of mine was crippled for months after he got into a domestic altercation and ended up breaking his big and little toe kicking someone in the head. There's all sorts of hazards with striking that grapplers simply don't have to worry about.
Add to that techniques you can never fully train with like throat jabs and eye gouges, and you've just increased that disadvantage by a ton. You're simply spitting into the wind and hoping it doesn't fly back into your face.