Who is better the grappler or the striker?

There seems to be a great debate on which martial art is the best. I’ve never understood this question. The best martial art is the one that works for you. MMA (mixed martial arts) tournaments were created to answer this question, and in the early stages of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) BJJ showed the world that it was very effective. After several iterations, of the tournament, more matches were won by a combination of striking and grappling, so we’re back to that same unanswerable question, “Who’s system is best?” Recently a BBJ/MMA instructor tried to break up a fight, in a parking-lot, and was knocked to the ground. Even though he was comfortable on the ground this is not where you should be in a life preservation situation. While on the ground, he was then stomped on by several standing assailants and was left in critical condition. Hopefully, he will make a full recovery and his attackers will be jailed. The answer to this question could be it depends upon the situation.

Are martial arts obsolete? Everyone intuitively knows the absolute best defense is to shoot your adversary from a distance. No grappler or karateka can catch bullets with their teeth except in the movies. A few weeks on the shooting range and almost anyone can be proficient with a firearm. It takes years to become proficient in the martial arts. Armed with a knowledge firearms renders BJJ, Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, and Kickboxing obsolete, yet we continue to study them, and in many cases for a lifetime. The old firearm fallback argument, of the karateka, is you can’t always carry your gun, but you can always carry your karate. Today that argument does not hold water. I live in Arizona and anyone can carry a concealed weapon legally. Mess with the wrong person and the consequences can be dire. Maybe the question will become “Who’s better a sniper or kickboxer?” Kind of a stupid question don’t you think? So, if martial arts are obsolete why all the rivalry between the styles and types? Probably has more to do with money than a martial artist’s quest for who’s best.

Many BJJ blackbelts claim that style is better than kickboxing, karate, or wrestling. Your style does not make you better. I’ve studied karate, kickboxing, jujitsu, boxing, and weapons seriously since I was twenty years old. I am now sixty-five and still training. If I were in an altercation with my younger self, my younger self would beat me to a pulp. From all my decades of experience I’ve learned that age, size, speed, and overall athleticism does matter. I’ve fought with professionals and had my head handed to me, yet I probably knew more about the nuances of executing the techniques than they did. A hundred pound trained male jujitsu blackbelt fighting a two-hundred-pound kickboxer and wrestler may not always be victorious. The same is true when the roles are reversed. When I was younger, I was in street fight with a much smaller opponent. I thought I had the advantage because of my reach and quick hand speed, but that guy showed me what real speed and footwork was. Later, while I was pulling my lips out from being crushed between my teeth, I realized the importance not underestimating your opponent. Everyone has different abilities. One person may be a great grappler while another is a skilled puncher and kicker. Conditioning also makes a difference. A two-pack a day smoker that spends more time in his/her recliner than walking and exercising, stands little chance of winning a protracted fight with someone that is good shape regardless of their training. Because you study BJJ, wrestling, kickboxing, karate, ninjutsu, or some other obscure martial art, that in and of itself, does not make you invulnerable.  Think it does, and you will get hurt. Underestimate your opponent, and you can wake-up hours later soaked in blood asking, “What happened?”

Some instructors believe that their knowledge makes their system the best. This knowledge somehow sets them apart from all other styles. Knowledge does not make you king. Just like studying boxing will not make you Heavy Weight Champion of the World or give you much of chance of victoriously defending yourself against a professional fighter. If knowledge made you a great fighter, Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali’s trainer, would have dominated boxing. There is a place for people that have a great understand and amass knowledge. They’re called teachers, coach, or sensei. They’re in the background and seldom win adulation or fame. No, they only teach the gifted and pave the road for their success. In karate we call these people sensei, and in the case of the AOKK we award the coveted blackbelt. Knowledge will not overcome athleticism.

Some schools believe that they’re the one and only total system of martial arts, so they brainwash their students into thinking their techniques are the only viable ones, and will expel any student that dares to reach out to learn things outside there prescribed curriculum. They claim they’re the best and better than all the rest. To them the question is already answered. If we’ve learned anything from the UFC experiment, it is that there is no one and only dominant fighting system. I’ve seen MMA fighters slammed to the ground via Daki-age (high lifting throw) after they placed their opponent in the closed guard. When their head hit the tatami, they were knocked-out, yet this is a common Judo technique. Surely a judoka cannot beat a skilled BJJ practitioner. I’ve seen spinning back-fists drop grapplers in their tracks. Surely grapplers can’t be stopped by a karate technique. I’ve seen BJJ blackbelts choke out collegiate wrestlers. Surely this could not happen, yet it does. In the AOKK we encourage our students to step outside what they’ve been taught and if there is a technique that is viable, we encourage them to learn it and then teach it. Don’t be limited buy a system’s curriculum. Every karate organization I’ve trained within has recognized the need to rejoin standing technique and grappling. Don’t limit your students by believing your way is the only way.

Should, who is better, be a question worth our contemplation? Can martial arts survive if its’ only function is to train students to hit others harder or choke them unconscious. I’ve enjoyed the martial arts, and trained a large portion of my life, and if God blesses me, I’ll train longer. I don’t know the reasons others train. I train for the sheer pleasure of it, and the fellowship. At my age I will never be able to dominate my opponents. Honestly, I was never a great fighter, but I have been told, by my senior instructors, that I’m a great teacher. Sure, I can defend myself better than an untrained attacker, but even an untrained fighter can get lucky, so should I turn my belt in and demote because I’m no longer at my peak?  Because I no longer can hang with the youngsters on the mat should I pack it in? Is all the knowledge I’ve amassed worthless? Should we abandon students that will never be great in their chosen art? Do we penalize them by not promoting them because they do not have the physical tools of younger students? Do we promote based upon knowledge or fighting ability? Do we promote based upon time in grade? Do we promote based upon knowledge? These are questions that martial artist should be pondering, and not which style is better. Any training is better than no training, with the possible exception of the no-touch guys, karate aerobics instructors, and the voodoo kung-fu shifu that can make their devotees dance with a wave of their hand. The question for the serious martial artist is what does the future hold for an obsolete art form? Will we be relegated to the sport arena and simply become an esoteric spectator’s event? Will we lose our rich heritage? Will our purpose simply become mentoring the next generation in personal combat techniques? Will we become glorified aerobics instructors? Do we have enough mindless followers or do want to teach our students to think for themselves?  Many instructors want to use the martial arts as an avenue to make their students better citizens. A few martial arts schools exist to make a fast buck. What is your goal? Who’s the better system, in my opinion, is a pointless concern