Thoughts on Striking vs. Grappling, and MMA

My preface: I study both striking and grappling martial arts. Though I primarily teach Taekwondo (a striking martial art) I also actively train in Judo, and have trained in Jujitsu in the past. I have no bias to either.

The UFC has skyrocketed the interest in wrestling, sambo and other grappling oriented martial arts. As guys like BJ Penn, Royce Gracie, Tito Ortiz and other grapplers of renown dominate their divisions there is even talk of the superiority of grappling arts over striking arts. Phrases like, "95% of fights end up on the ground" have become popular. At the end of the day most experts will tell you that you need a mix of both.

But, since I so often hear people listing reasons to train in grappling I thought I'd list some ones to train in striking to balance them out. :) I'm not trying to knock grappling, it's important! This is just meant to be food for thought.

- 95% of fights end up on the ground, but 100% start on the feet.

- It is possible to end fights with the FIRST punch in less than 5 seconds.

- Grappling with someone immobilizes you, and even if you are choking one guy out it's impossible to avoid his buddy kicking you in the back of the head.

- You can't bite or break fingers in the UFC like you can in a real fight. Biting overcomes a lot of grappling.

- Even the best grapplers lose some technique possibilities because of size disparity between the two fighters. For example, if I'm 5' and 120lbs. I probably can't throw a 6'4" 260lbs. guy over my head. However, I can kick him, and just about anyone else in the groin.

- If you are on your feet and at a distance when someone pulls a gun or a knife it's easier to run away than if you are holding on to them or on your back.

- Taekwondo and Boxing arguably represent the best of the kicking and the best of the punching world. Both have their own established amateur and professional organizations, and both can take you to the pinnacle of athletic competition - the Olympics. These were established long before the UFC and other MMA leagues came about, so we probably have not seen nearly the highest caliber of striker enter the UFC. Picture Roy Jones Jr. or Mike Tyson in their prime, hitting a guy with 6 oz. gloves on. Not many people (even boxers) can withstand that devastating of a blow.

New Years Resolutions are BS (Bologne Syrup)

Hello all!

I'm sitting here in my office, and the school is as quiet as it ever gets. Wendy, as you know, is on vacation. I am here by myself. The phone is unusually, almost eerily, quiet - a sign that the holiday season is about to descend upon us like a warm, fuzzy blanket.

And what always follows the warm fuzziness of the Thanksgiving - Christmas stretch?

New Year Resolutions!

I project that approximately 92% of us here in the Northville area will be making a resolution this year. I guess we can all look forward to a thinner and more attractive population, who doesn't smoke, who "takes time for the little things", who reads more, who travels more, who saves more. Yes, I imagine that round about March the city of Northville will be COMPLETELY transformed as the New Years plans of our 200,000 neighbors come to fruition.

Or... maybe not?

A quick google search told me that about 8% of people who make new years resolutions actually say they keep them. Why do I point this out? Because I wanted you to consider two ideas for your January resolving:

1) That a five year plan is the best and easiest way to create and keep goals, and

2) That if you are not a five year plan kind of person, you might try this instead (and instead of making another fragile New Year's resolution) --

If you know that you are going to only see your new goal through to February or March, I feel you NEED to think this way:

"What can I do in the first month of 2009 that will "set me up" for success in the rest of the Year?"

What makes a successful martial artist?

Martial arts has many roads, my friends. Consider how many different styles of martial arts there are - and how even the varying styles have variations! Within each variation of the variations there is a multitude of paths one can take to “success.” Because of this, we must have a broad view of what it means to be a successful martial artist.

If you were to ask a group of martial artists from different disciplines what they thought the “purpose” of martial arts is, you are likely to get a number of different answers. “Self defense,” “Fitness,” “Spiritual growth,” “Life skills,” “Self expression,” may be things you’d hear. Really, all of these are true to an extent - but what do I think the ultimate goal is? What do I think the PURPOSE really is in all of these things? Happiness!

Whether you are looking for self defense, life skills, internal or external fitness, what you are ultimately after is a happier, more fulfilled and empowered life. So in this way we could say that a “successful martial artist” is one who finds happiness in the way they practice martial art.

I think there are 6 key factors in being a successful martial artist.

1) Experience/longevity

2) Appropriate physical skill.

3) Understanding of technical concepts.

4) Understanding of the philosophical concepts.

5) Inner strength/character.

6) The ability to apply all of the above to ones every day life, in order to create a happier, more fulfilled lifestyle.

How do the martial arts work? Part IV

A good friend and mentor of mine, Nicklaus Suino, says that the martial arts school is a “laboratory for life.” We talked about the martial arts school as being a place to stretch your comfort zone. This is a similar idea, let me explain.

Martial arts has a fantastic way of exposing your weaknesses. The physical ones are easy to see. One day the teacher says, kick up here, and holds the target near your face. If you are inflexible, that weakness is quickly exposed.

Your mental and character flaws are also exposed, though perhaps not as obviously. For instance, if you are easily frustrated and brought to anger, this is going to rear it’s ugly head in the School sooner or later, isn’t it? Probably about the time your instructor is asking you to kick that high target - and you can’t.

This “laboratory for life” concept means that we are working on our exposed weaknesses all the time. This is a powerful life strategy. A successful martial artist seeks to expose, confront, and overcome his weaknesses. Indeed, he is hungry for it!

If you are angry by nature, or if you are fearful, or if you lack self confidence, these personal weaknesses will become exposed while training. The successful martial artist will overcome them first while on the mat, and then over a period of years learn to master them in the outside world as well.