best styles of Grappling?

[unkokusai]

I disagree. I think there are valid forms of "anti-grappling" that are not merely defensive wrestling.

Did they give you a free T-shirt at the end of the seminar?

[bodhitree]

Fights go to the ground (whether we want them to or not, even someone with good 'take down defenses go there) so if you are training to be proficient in fighting, you need to train on the ground. One can have the goal of returning to their feet (as mentioned positional strategy is the heart of BJJ) or you can learn what to do on the ground. Jamming thumbs in eyes, biting, and whatever else are tactics that will get you hurt by a grappler. Seriously hurt.

[Knifefighter]

Did they give you a free T-shirt at the end of the seminar?

Actually, I could teach a seminar in it if I wanted. In a few hours, I could have most strikers shutting down the takedowns of the majority of grapplers.

[bodhitree]

Do you fight/compete? In your seminar would skilled wrestlers be allowed to try to take you down? I highly doubt it. We could all teach something with an opponent who isn't live (this is what you do if he punches 'leaves front hand hanging out there') If you don't have any real experience, please don't make such claims.

[Knifefighter]

Do you fight/compete?

Yes. My current focus is on BJJ and submission grappling. I also fight twice a year in the Dog Brothers stickfighting gatherings. I have had nine MMA matches, although I haven’t competed in that venue for a couple of years now. I competed in freestyle and folkstyle wrestling many years ago, as well as boxing and Muay Thai.

In your seminar would skilled wrestlers be allowed to try to take you down? We could all teach something with an opponent who isn't live

Everything needs to be worked live. However, that wouldn’t quite be a fair test considering I have 20+ years of both grappling and striking experience. A better test would be to have those same wrestlers attempt to take down the pure strikers who would be learning the "anti-grappling" strategies.

If you don't have any real experience, please don't make such claims.

See above.

[unkokusai]

However, that wouldn’t quite be a fair test considering I have 20+ years of both grappling and striking experience.

LOL

Yeah, that's it!

[unkokusai]

Actually, I could teach a seminar in it if I wanted. In a few hours, I could have most strikers shutting down the takedowns of the majority of grapplers.

If by 'the majority of grapplers' you mean some majority whose takedown skills were also gained in some three-hour seminar/scam, then you are probably right.

[franco1688]

I have trained brazillian jiu jitsu and I currently train in mma. I have fought bjj, mma, karate, kung fu/san shou, professional boxing fighters. An arm bar can be easily prevented, one just needs to know how to defend against it. No matter what fantasies martial arts theories create for people, whatever the "flavor of the month" may be, the only thing an opponent is going to care about when my thumb is in their eye socket tickling their skull, is "***** I gotta get this finger outta my eye." Me thinks knifefighter has never been in a real (non-competition) fight in his life if he thinks otherwise. Maybe if your lucky, someday I can give you a lesson on how to fight.

[unkokusai]

I have trained brazillian jiu jitsu and I currently train in mma. I have fought bjj, mma, karate, kung fu/san shou, professional boxing fighters. An arm bar can be easily prevented, one just needs to know how to defend against it. No matter what fantasies martial arts theories create for people, whatever the "flavor of the month" may be, the only thing an opponent is going to care about when my thumb is in their eye socket tickling their skull, is "***** I gotta get this finger outta my eye." Me thinks knifefighter has never been in a real (non-competition) fight in his life if he thinks otherwise. Maybe if your lucky, someday I can give you a lesson on how to fight.

I gotta call troll on this one.................

[BlueTravesty]

I gotta agree. I thought the fellow was serious at first, but I started to turn at "If you're lucky..."

A thumb in the eye can be a valid strategy, but the reason MMA is so successful is because they train in techniques that can be practiced over and over with consistent results. Are most MMA techniques "safer" than the "too deadly" techniques? Sure! Could the "too deadly" techniques work? Some of them, and only if you could train them consistently (or have a good base to work on, which most proponents of these techniques DON'T.) Go ahead and try sparring with eye gouges, stomp kicks to the knee, elbows to the throat, biting the calf, etc. and see how fast you run out of training partners.

I personally think that as CMA evolved, the people behind its development who actually FOUGHT realized this, and that's why no CMA style "really" features these techniques prominently (unless you count Wing Chun's Biu Gee) That's why you're taught punches and kicks instead of eye gouges and throat strikes and groin kicks (oh my!!) Even forms, which when done in the air, have no potential to hurt anyone don't emphasize these techniques when compared to the basic punches and kicks.

Practicing the basics however, will give you a good base upon which to add things like groin kicks, stomps to the knee, etc. Hence why even in the street, a good grappler is to be respected. In the ring, he/she would make you tap out. In the street you could have an arm broken.

[Knifefighter]

I have trained brazillian jiu jitsu and I currently train in mma.

Where did you train BJJ? Who was your instructor? Where do you train MMA? Who is your coach? How long have you trained each?

Me thinks knifefighter has never been in a real (non-competition) fight in his life if he thinks otherwise. Maybe if your lucky, someday I can give you a lesson on how to fight. An arm bar can be easily prevented, one just needs to know how to defend against it.

Yeah, that could be educational. Maybe one of the things we can work on is me slapping an arm bar on you and you biting me. We can see if I let it go or if I can snap your arm a couple of times first.

[Merryprankster]

Knifefighter,

I disagree with the term "anti-grappling," in the sense that I don't believe it actually means anything.

I do concur that you can learn to stuff takedowns and throws without learning the gamut of grappling knowledge.

[Knifefighter]

I do concur that you can learn to stuff takedowns and throws without learning the gamut of grappling knowledge.

I believe there are a variety of techniques that would accomplish this that would, indeed, be most accurately labeled "anti-grappling". These are techniques that would be recognizable to grapplers, but are somewhat different than thse traditionally taught in grappling. These techniques would also include some very specific striking techniques.

[Knifefighter]

If by 'the majority of grapplers' you mean some majority whose takedown skills were also gained in some three-hour seminar/scam, then you are probably right.

No, I’m talking good wrestlers with solid takedown skills.

[unkokusai]

No, I’m talking good wrestlers with solid takedown skills.

Well, then you are full of ****