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Styles preference

1K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  sirdilznik 
#1 ·
I've seen too many threads decline into insult after insult. So I'm making it clear now....this ain't the place for that.

I expect everyone to produce good points to support WHY they DO or DO NOT prefer a style.

Posters like Cabby and Asskicker, two of a few who have gained my respect, are welcome to join me to take from and add to my knowledge of this great sport. Alright....on to the subject of the thread....

Striking had a "dark day" of sorts in the infancy of N. American MMA as grapplers where consistently able to take them to the ground winning via sub or gnp stoppage. Strikers caught on and started cross training in wrestling for take down defense, and clinch work as well as Jiu Jitsu for subs and effective fighting in a less dominate position.

I fell in love with striking because the training techniques used to develop skill and power are simple yet highly effective.

And there are a large number of tools at a striker's disposal which can be used against an array of opponents whether pure strikers, pure grapplers or hybrids of both.

Much like some of the grappling books I've seen that cover a very large number of set ups leading to submissions, boxing manuals covering countering stratedgies, ALONE, sometimes span a couple hundered pages!!

Because of the western emphasis on skill, striking in N. American fighting systems has become watered down omitting the use of elbows, knees and headbutts.

Though striking is only ONE skill to be developed in a style, I prefer that ONE skill overall because it provides me with the best way to fight because of natural ability and how my body is built for punching and movement using my legs and footwork for distance and quick lateral movement.

Feinting someone out of their position and into MY position for a combination to knock them out is much more satisfying than securing a take down. Drawing a fighter's fire while walking them into a punch so that they KO themselves is damn near surreal for me. Anyways, those are my reasons for preferring striking over grappling.

Please...again....only sensible responses are acceptible. :thumbsup:
 
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#3 ·
for me, i enjoy the ground game more. reason being, i just feel like as skilled a striker as you are, there are more times when a punch is lucky, than is perfectly placed. no, i don't have a textbook basis for this opinion, but i just think that two great grapplers provide so much more than two strikers. with grappling, moreso BJJ than wrestling, you have to be so highly skilled to weasel around your opponent and escape their attempts while trying to get your own on. any skilled striker or sub guy will kill an non-skilled fighter of any sort, but with grappling, i just think there is more finesse and art invovled than just throwing your hand into someone's face and hoping it lands right "on the button".

to me, a great grappling war between two great grapplers is infinitley more exciting than two strikers of the same level. don't forget, with striking, the excitement is only at the moment of impact, and the KO, while with grappling, the entire fight is a chess match. and yeah, i don't like that term, but it fits. striking based fights come down to 1 second, where as grappling contests can encompass an entire match, filling it with tense countermoves and unsuspected tension!
 
#4 ·
I like strikers, mostly because I was brought up watcging boxing, so I gravitate towards that. An action filled grappling match can be almost as good though, if there is such a thing as an action packed grappling match (just kidding).

There is just something more exciting about seeing somebody get KTFO than seeing somebody tap from an armbar or choke.
 
#5 ·
For me, wrestling, although technical, as some fighters use as their main source of offensive (As in lay and pray) can be effective but boring to watch and likely very frustrating to their opponent. I agree that the BJJ can be exciting to watch and like a chess match but I really love to see great striking and KOs. This all stated, today's successful MMA fighters are generally well rounded.

Good topic.
 
#7 · (Edited)
pt447 said:
for me, i enjoy the ground game more. reason being, i just feel like as skilled a striker as you are, there are more times when a punch is lucky, than is perfectly placed. no, i don't have a textbook basis for this opinion, but i just think that two great grapplers provide so much more than two strikers. with grappling, moreso BJJ than wrestling, you have to be so highly skilled to weasel around your opponent and escape their attempts while trying to get your own on. any skilled striker or sub guy will kill an non-skilled fighter of any sort, but with grappling, i just think there is more finesse and art invovled than just throwing your hand into someone's face and hoping it lands right "on the button".

to me, a great grappling war between two great grapplers is infinitley more exciting than two strikers of the same level. don't forget, with striking, the excitement is only at the moment of impact, and the KO, while with grappling, the entire fight is a chess match. and yeah, i don't like that term, but it fits. striking based fights come down to 1 second, where as grappling contests can encompass an entire match, filling it with tense countermoves and unsuspected tension!

Sounds like you appreciate grappling for the same reasons I do. BJJ, moreso than wrestling, has opened a door for me to become proficient in grappling without sacrificing the tools I heavily develop for striking.

With BJJ I can sweep guys left and right relying more on leverage....less on strength. :D :thumbsup:

Good points from everyone. However I want to shoot down a myth that seems to be building here. There is NO such thing as a lucky punch. Trust and believe that a skilled striker is "SKILLED" beyond merely "catching someone on the button".

IMO grappling has advanced much moreso than striking in MMA from the early days.

Here's why I think this. Before MMA came to N. America via the Ultimate Fighing CHALLENGE the only combat sport we had was boxing.

Western boxing has been "refined" (I say that sarcastically) many times over to the point that most american gyms are no longer teaching techniques used long time ago.

And from what I've seen, striking is still sorely underdeveloped in alot of MMA's best strikers. Understandible totally as the sport, I feel, is still relatively in it's infancy. And since that's the case I look forward, with excitement, toward further development in striking techniques in mma as fighters will come and go.

A good striker knows HOW, WHEN and WHERE to hit an opponent as there are more "buttons" on the body than just the chin.

The use of punches can be skillfully used to physically move an opponent in a preferred direction be it straight back or laterally in either direction to be KOed. And combined with foot movement they can be used to set traps for opponents to be KOed by knees AND/OR punches.

Also a combination of foot work and strikes can be used to explore an opponent for exploitable weaknesses....even if the opponent is a better fighter. So don't believe the hype fellas. Striking is a diverse set of techniques used to set up the knockout, not just land a "lucky" punch.

Finally, no matter what your style is, it's the SET-UP that leads to the FINISH, be it by strikes or subs.

Good points from everyone. Keep it coming. :thumbsup:
 
#8 ·
pt447 said:
for me, i enjoy the ground game more. reason being, i just feel like as skilled a striker as you are, there are more times when a punch is lucky, than is perfectly placed. no, i don't have a textbook basis for this opinion, but i just think that two great grapplers provide so much more than two strikers. with grappling, moreso BJJ than wrestling, you have to be so highly skilled to weasel around your opponent and escape their attempts while trying to get your own on. any skilled striker or sub guy will kill an non-skilled fighter of any sort, but with grappling, i just think there is more finesse and art invovled than just throwing your hand into someone's face and hoping it lands right "on the button".

to me, a great grappling war between two great grapplers is infinitley more exciting than two strikers of the same level. don't forget, with striking, the excitement is only at the moment of impact, and the KO, while with grappling, the entire fight is a chess match. and yeah, i don't like that term, but it fits. striking based fights come down to 1 second, where as grappling contests can encompass an entire match, filling it with tense countermoves and unsuspected tension!
agreed, i also enjoy a well played out bjj/wrestling match over a striking war....unless it is bonnar and griffin:)
 
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#10 ·
doublelegtakedown said:
agreed, i also enjoy a well played out bjj/wrestling match over a striking war....unless it is bonnar and griffin:)
Bonnar and Griffen are examples of how to fight a war of attrition. They both attacked head on with no real stratedgy to set up a clean ko. But boy was that fun to watch.
:D :thumbsup:
 
#12 ·
Organik said:
i LOVE strrikers.... nothin like seein someone get put to sleep...

plus i love seein the look on there face when they wake up...

Solomon after gettin KO'd by Rory "What Happened.. Who Won?"
I gotta see that video.
 
#13 ·
IDL said:
I certainly enjoy watching a good grappling match but I preffer well rounded strikers that can make use of varied kicks/knees/elbos/fists, like GSP or Crocop.
I have to say, watching guys like CC and Wandy is just as fun to me as watching guys like Renzo, Newton, etc... because they utalize all aspects of striking. i hate "strikers" who just throw punches and the occassinal low kick. a striker better use all available strikes, effectively, otherwise they're a waste of time!!!
 
#14 ·
I'm beginning to appreciate CC much more than I did before because his hands have gotten better along with his movement. It would piss me off to see him ***** out at punching with anyone only to move off for one of those baseball bat kicks upside the head....the only excitment he'd give. I'd sit there holding my breath, waiting on that super kick, and cussing him out, for not punching, all at the same time.
 
#15 ·
pt447 said:
I have to say, watching guys like CC and Wandy is just as fun to me as watching guys like Renzo, Newton, etc... because they utalize all aspects of striking. i hate "strikers" who just throw punches and the occassinal low kick. a striker better use all available strikes, effectively, otherwise they're a waste of time!!!
Exactly, but with one exception that being Chuck Liddel. Probably because he throws such crazy punches and because he's so damn good at throwing them.
 
#16 ·
It's hard to say because there are boring and exciting fighters in both categories. You boring strikers who just throw cheesy jabs all day and you have exciting guys like Shogun and Lawler that throw flurries. By that same token you have boring lay n pray fighters, but there are also aggressive grapplers like Fedor and Ishida that are constantly working for position and throwing leather or attempting submissions. I like them both, but if I had to pick one style, I would choose aggressive Muay-Thai striking. I love knees.
 
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