I don’t know if this is just a rant or a question, take it how you will. But this goes out to those of you who feel the need to tear down other styles, etc. You take a single tactic that you see someone do in a video or whatever and even though the tactic or drill is part of a huge picture you judge a whole system on it. Not to mention it’s the man more than the style that will determine a good fighter. To me this is common sense and apparently others don’t have this view, which I find very ignorant. But that’s fine you can have your views I’m not going to degrade you on some board on the web. I’ll just keep doing what I do like I always have. Bottom line the things you say on these boards would not be said to my face without a verbal or physical response that you wouldn’t be too happy with.

For example two man partner drills as of recently have been brought out to be useless and un practical in the videos displayed. Now I myself have seen drills that yes need some fine tuning. Distancing, etc. but I'm not going to judge that style on that one single video I saw.

Many questions follow as to what the drills are for, etc. When you begin to defend yourself verbally and explain that this is how you start the training to get the mechanics, then you move to a more broken rhythm, free form training of the tactic. They still keep saying the same things. Example: It’s useless, no resistance, you know what’s going to happen, it’s not practical, can’t do that in a real fight. Even though you say eventually you get to that point in the training but you have to start somewhere to learn the mechanics before they start to judge. They still don’t get the point.

I’m sorry but this whole modern grappling “fad” is getting old. It has it’s uses but it’s not the ultimate fighting art. It’s mostly because of these kids out there who sit around all weekend watching UFC and thinking they can wipe the floor with anyone who trains a traditional MA because their “sport” is built around rules that suit their style of fighting. Yes there are some really bad practitioners out there, and styles for that matter. But no style is the end all be all, we pick what suits us and we train. Just because you beat a guy in one style doesn’t mean that someone else in that style will not come along and make you wish you weren’t born.

It’s always the same argument, you can’t use that in a fight blah blah blah. One reason that they bring up is that you’re not training the tactic in a real fight environment. Well let me ask you, do the people who train ground grappling train out on the concrete, gravel, or do they train on a mat? Do they do all of these take you to the ground techniques in a controlled environment? In order to practice an individual take down or other tactic you have to drill that tactic right? So what is the difference between that and a drill that you’re doing while standing up moving on your feet? I don’t see anything different other than the tactic itself. NO that slap trap isn’t going to work on the ground. BUT your ground tactic isn’t going to work standing on your feet either. So the argument goes both ways. Every tactic has a purpose and there is a time and place for that tactic. So the phrase “I’d like to see you use that against a ground fighter” has no merit. I throw that question back at you “well I’d like to see you mount me when I’m not on the ground and moving”. You can come close but unless you are wanting to hurt your training partner you are never going to be able to train a real fighting situation period.

What does the modern ground fighter have in his arsenal to deal with the opponent that they can’t get a hold of?

mark