To strike or to grapple

[Vito]

This is a subject a lot of people try to talk about and usually seem to get off on tangents, so I'll try to make this as specific as necessary. For STREET CONFRONTATIONS, if you had to choose EITHER STRIKING or GRAPPLING skills, but not both, which would you rather have, and WHY? (By choosing one or the other, I mean as if you had trained the past ten years in one or the other) I DONT MEAN that a striker is not allowed to clinch or trip someone if given the opportunity, or that a grappler cant punch someone on the ground or elbow them, etc. Real world experiences would certainly help your arguments. So lets hear it!

[wing chun kuen man]

Vito,

 

To make it short, because of the uncertainties involved in a street fight. e.g. multiple assailants, hard or rough floor etc. I would pick a striking MA.

 

Wing Chun Kuen Man

[AngelaG]

Definitely striking. I have seen very few fights go to the floor. Most tend to be one person being sucker punched, either from the side or back, and they hit the floor and then they get kicked by the assailant, who is still standing.

[ShadowGoomba]

If the guy attacking you has a buddy with him, as soon as you go to the ground you're toast. Plus if you are in an alley, there can be broken glass and stuff on the ground too.

[aefibird]

I like grappling, but if I had to choose one over the other (as the question asks!) I'd pick striking.

[47MartialMan]

Been There, Seen, and Done That!!

 

Many loses, many lessons....

[White Warlock]

Definitely subjective. It's subjective because it is dependent on the individual's skill level of each 'form' of combat, as well as the skills of the assailant. Also, striking and grappling aren't the only choices available, despite your posing them as such. Personally, i can't see myself 'choosing' one over the other. Anything goes in the street, as far as i'm concerned. Setting limits on what you can or cannot do in the street, is essentially just defining rules for a competition.

 

"Queensbury anyone? Oh, i'm sorry, is that a knife you're thrusting into my kidney?"

[wing chun kuen man]

Vito,

 

I see you practice both, butwhich one would you choose?

 

Wing Chun Kuen Man

[Vito]

you know, i debate that a lot. (that why i wanted to hear what others had to say.) because of the multiple opponent problem, i like striking because, though youre still in trouble, if you move a whole lot you could have a chance to take them down. against a single opponent i definitely prefer grappling because i have more control over the situation, and though i cant manuever as much- a good grappler can throw a guy without ever having to go to the ground himself, plus he can avoid being taken down to begin with. i guess i lean towards grappling because of the control issues, and the capability to dominate (and get back up off of) the ground aspects. plus, im more likely to have a problem with one person rather than a group- especially the ones i dont sprint from. i focus more on that grappling striking at the moment, because im better at striking. so, i dunno- ill say id rather be an expert in grappling, to answer my own question, but obviously both is best.

[SevenStar]

Guess it's time for someone to be different. I pick grappling, even though I am primarily a striker. Contrary to angela, I've seen several fights go to the ground. Now, some things to consider:

 

1. most people who are untrained are poor strikers. Between movement and keeping your guard up, I put my odds on the grappler taking the untrained fighter down before the untrained guy manages to land something solid.

 

2. This is something that people tend to overlook - the term grappling does not imply groundwork. I am a judoka before a bjj exponent - I like to throw and sweep. Even though not all fights go to the ground, many of them end up in at least a clinch, and all of them are in such close proximity that I can initiate a clinch. From there, I can throw, sweep, etc.

 

Also, by having that contact with him, I know where he is and can control him - in the case of a multiple attacker scenario, I may be able to control him enough to keep him between myself and the other attackers. I may not have that luxury from striking distance.

 

3. the possibility that you do get taken down. So let's say the impossible happens - you end up on the ground. Now what? with grappling, I know how to get up quickly and efficiently if I want to. A striker does not have that luxury. That skill alone will prove invaluable in multiple attacker situations.

 

4. tactics - If I am standing against a striker, I can cover when strikes come in. Also, since we are standing, I have free range of motion, unless I'm cornered. All things considered, we are on equal ground. You have all of your limbs and so do I. You have a chance to run and so do I. Even though you are the striker, I have a chance of landing that lucky shot that knocks you out. On the ground, the odds are in the grappler's favor - no equal ground there.If I have you controlled, you can't move. It's a lot easier to land a lucky punch than it is to land a lucky arm break, choke, secure pin, etc.

 

5. environmental factors - crap happens - it's murphy's law and a fact of life. people love to bring up the "glass on the ground" argument. you have similar hazards while standing - you're in a bar and there is broken glass on the floor. You're in a bar, remember, so that glass had to have some liquid in it. You slip and fall. Crap happens. We are in the same bar, and you are backpedalling and trip over a bar stool. Crap happens. That same bar has a nice wall that I think would be even prettier if it had your blood on it, so I slam it into said wall repeatedly. Crap happens. You can't control the environmental factors involved, regardless of whether you are striking or grappling.

 

6. weapons - we all hate to deal with these. But, as I said, crap happens. If I am facing someone with a knife and have no choice but to fight, I WANT to be close to him - as close as possible. If I am close to him, I have a chance to control him. If there is space between us, I can't control the weapon hand an am more likely to get cut.

 

In the case of blunt weapons, I still want to be as close as possible. weapons like that require space to build enough power to produce a damaging strike. The closer I am, the less power he can produce with the weapon.

 

Grappling offers alot of benefits in a street confrontation - maybe more than many people realize.