Striking vs grappling

[RTKDCMB]

I may have mentioned this before. Onetime a MA instructor asked me to punch him in front of his students. I knew he was going to use me as his demo dummy to impress his students. I'm not going to let that happen.

If I throw a

- slow, weak punch, and freeze my punch in the thin air, I will make myself a fool.
- fast, powerful, controlled punch, and stop my punch 1/2 inch in front of my opponent's face, my opponent may not appreciate my kindness. He may throw a punch and knock me out.
- punch with full speed, full force, and knock him down, I may over do it.
- fake punch and then kick his groin, I may not be honest.

What should I do? The "striking art" just doesn't give me many options to choose from.

It would depend on the context. Was the instructor someone with a huge ego and only just wanting to make himself look good or was he just trying to demonstrate a defense? Were you in that school for a long time or were you there for only a short time? I have been in my art for long time and I am quite often the one the branch instructors demonstrate on, there is never any doubt as to what kind of punch to throw. One time when I was briefly doing Hapkido and the instructor was using me to demonstrate on, he threw me to the ground, both my legs were in the air, and he attempted to stomp on my groin (I knew he was going to stop just short) and I instinctively closed my legs and, well, my legs are slightly longer than his legs so you gan guess what happened.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Was the instructor someone with a huge ego and only just wanting to make himself look good or was he just trying to demonstrate a defense? Were you in that school for a long time or were you there for only a short time?

That was the 1st time I met him. As MA guys always like to talk about MA. He is a WC instructor (I cross train WC too) and we were talking about WC Bong Shou. I made a comment that the WC Bong Shou may expose the chest. He disagreed and wanted me to try on him.

One thing that's nice about the grappling is the "clinching". When you are in clinching, you can disable your opponent's striking ability without hurting him. You can't do that by using your striking art. The only way that a striker can deal with a grappler is to knock that grappler down. IMO, the grappler's "clinching" can be a civilized solution sometime.

 

[Rumy73]

That was the 1st time I met him. As MA guys always like to talk about MA. He is a WC instructor (I cross train WC too) and we were talking about WC Bong Shou. I made a comment that the WC Bong Shou may expose the chest. He disagreed and wanted me to try on him.

One thing that's nice about the grappling is the "clinching". When you are in clinching, you can disable your opponent's striking ability without hurting him. You can't do that by using your striking art. The only way that a striker can deal with a grappler is to knock that grappler down. IMO, the grappler's "clinching" can be a civilized solution sometime.

I have studied taekwondo and hapkido, although the former is reliant on strikes, it would be a mistake to assume there is mo grappling. I certainly know how to clinch and jam. It does not even take MA training for that move.

 

[Drose427]

Personally, I find striking a lot more natural for me. I enjoy wrestling and rolling but it never felt as natural. But I am a little biased as my grappling experience is mainly Greco Roman wrestling through all of high school and little BJJ, and aside from some of the BJJ, strength and size made a bit of a difference in the grappling and rolling. I wrestled around 140 and I would always have to wrestle with the 150's -190's. However, around 160 up it became apparent that i may have been able to take them down despite size differences, but I couldnt do much else at that point. Whereas in striking size doesnt make as much of a difference and I personally find it to be easier overcome standing. OP, you could be different. Its more or less personal preference

 

[SENC-33]

That was the 1st time I met him. As MA guys always like to talk about MA. He is a WC instructor (I cross train WC too) and we were talking about WC Bong Shou. I made a comment that the WC Bong Shou may expose the chest. He disagreed and wanted me to try on him.

One thing that's nice about the grappling is the "clinching". When you are in clinching, you can disable your opponent's striking ability without hurting him. You can't do that by using your striking art. The only way that a striker can deal with a grappler is to knock that grappler down. IMO, the grappler's "clinching" can be a civilized solution sometime.

Clinching is a huge part of any good strikers arsenal (Muay Thai). I spend hours upon hours training ways to strike from the clinch......

 

[chinto]

I would say it depends on what you are looking for. striking has an edge in multiple attackers over most grappling systems, and weight is less of factor, but as some have said some just naturally do one or the other better, and more naturally. Striking is often adventages if you are smaller, that is why so many Chinese arts are striking arts. however some people just naturally find themselves more comfortable with say judo or aikido. others find striking very natural, easy and adaptible to their body type and mentality. I would say for myself, striking is my prefered art style at this time.

 

[SteveNC]

Absolutely depends on what you are looking to gain but 90% of your tactical training should be devoted to striking and throwing (staying on your feet) unless you just want to roll on the ground for fun, exercise or sport competition. Any ground work I train and/or teach is devoted to striking and escape for personal defense. If somebody implies to you that a grappling or ground fighting "art or system" is even remotely sound for self defense they suffer from delusion. With that being said (because I know these last comments will bring forth some discontent) I wouldn't fair well with a BJJ fighter IN A RING but let one put me in a bad position outside the gym and the odds are reversed.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

but 90% of your tactical training should be devoted to striking and throwing (staying on your feet) ...

Agree with you 100% on this. It's not wise to go down to the ground if you don't have to. On a hard surface, it's unwise to drop your knee on the ground.

Even in training, I don't think it's worthy while to take the risk to damage your knee.

 

[PhotonGuy]

Curious to hear some opinions, especially from those of you martial artists out there who have trained in both striking and grappling:

Which art is easier to learn as someone who has no martial arts experience whatsoever, the striking art or the grappling art?

And for those experienced in one or the other: is it easier to learn a grappling art coming from a striking art, or is it easier to pick up striking after learning grappling?

Just looking for opinions and maybe some light debate, not necessarily looking to hear which is more superior.


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"A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action." - Anonymous

That would depend on the person and it would depend on your preference. I am primarily a striker although I do have some experience with grappling. I started learning grappling first in summer camp where I learned wrestling and also when I took Judo lessons when I was 10 and I got a yellow belt. I always wanted to learn striking more and I liked it better. I started Karate at 12, a striking based art, and that is my primary fighting art and where I've put the most work into. Since then I've done some training in grappling arts here and there. I've done some more judo, some jujitsu, some MMA and so forth. I just prefer striking and it works better for me although I like both. Some people learn grappling first, some people learn striking first. It really depends on the person and what you prefer and what works best for you.

 

[skribs]

I think they both have their pros and cons. This is from someone taking Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido.

Striking arts are simpler than grappling arts. There are less specific moves to learn and it's easier to learn combinations. It's easier to practice a striking art by yourself, either just working on techniques, shadow-boxing, or bag work. Then there's the old adage that grappling arts are great for 1-v-1, but you don't want to be locked up on the ground choking one attacker out while his four buddies kick you in the back. In a striking art you stay standing and use footwork to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed.

Grappling arts give you a lot more control than striking arts. I'd say they're probably safer to practice against another person. If you do get taken to the ground, you'll want the grappling skills to handle yourself. Some arts have you throw the opponent down and remain standing, which is a plus, especially in a multiple attacker scenario.

My personal opinion is that if you need to learn something RIGHT NOW, striking is probably better. If you just want a long-term education, I'd say pick one and start with it, and down the road train in the other.