WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT
IS THE ULTIMATE GRAPPLING ART?
What is the
Ultimate grappling art?
Judo, it
must be Judo? No? Then it must be Wrestling? No? It must be BJJ surely? What’s
that you say. What about Russian Sambo?
Wait hold on
a minute. Now this is a question to really grapple
with isn’t it. Whose camp are your in or maybe it is whose camp did your
instructor convince you to be in?
Well in my own
opinion there is no one style or system that can be called the best or indeed
the ultimate.
Each one has
something to offer. Each has its strengths and its weaknesses.
I have never
lauded any one system as being superior to another.
Each is
suited for a given situation or set of circumstances.
There are
many combat systems worldwide that practise the grappling arts. In this article
I am just addressing the main players so to speak that I have experienced.
If you are
looking for a standing grappling art wearing a Gi you are going to be hard
pressed to find a better system than Judo.
Most Judo
people I have trained with were beasts. In my years on the mats I have been
fortunate to train on seminars with the legends that are Brian Jacks and Neil
Adams MBE.
Although the
time was only a brief one on both occasions just to see these men first hand,
perform their judo skills made you realise just how good they were/are.
Not only
were they masters of grip, unbalancing and throwing their groundwork was
awesome.
I believe back
in the day members of the Gracie family attended a Neil Adams seminar in the
USA to learn his newaza (groundwork) techniques. (Yes he was that GOOD).
Standing grappling
without the Gi? Then it has got to be wrestling in its many forms.
Wrestling
has been around forever. But for many years its effectiveness overlooked
because most people couldn’t see past the WWF stuff.
Monsters in
this sport were many but some of the legendary names from the past were Frank
Gotch, George Hackenschmidt up to Dan Gable and UK’s own Billy Robinson.
Russian
Sambo also certainly deserves a mention for its prowess with its many jacketed
throws and take downs and its array of devastating leg locks.
You would
probably have to live on planet Mars if you haven’t heard of Brazilian jujutsu.
Renowned for its effective and classy groundwork and submissions. I would say
it also revolutionised how to fight effectively off your back and took it to
new levels.
Although not
graded in the art I have experienced it many times. Firstly in 1997 when Carly
Gracie held the first BJJ seminar in the UK to experiencing training and
rolling with Renzo Gracie and John Machado back in the day.
Japanese
submission wrestling is also massively popular of introducing more diverse and
unorthodox submission holds and finishes. Many not legal in other grappling sports.
These are
all mainly but not exclusively practised as combat sports which mean they carry
with them rules and regulations.
As these
rules evolve and change it can improve the art or indeed impede it. Depending
on your point of view.
All of them
in one shape or form have had immense success in the world of MMA and the cage.
Pioneers for
these combat sports in the cage were the Gracie family (BJJ). Wrestling (Dan
Severn, Mark Kerr, Dan Henderson and Mark Coleman are prime examples. Judo,
(Ronda Rousey, Dan Kelly and Hidehiko Yoshida). Sambo, (Oleg Taktarov, Fedor
Emelianenko. Japanese submission wrestling ( Sakuraba, Erik Paulson, Enson
Inoue.)
Way before
this in 1963 Gene LeBell an accomplished wrestler and Judoka fought boxer Milo
Savage in what some call the first ‘MMA’ match ever in Salt Lake City, Utah and
choked the boxer out.
Outside the
realms of sport grappling then Combat forms of Jujutsu, Pankration, Dumog and
San Shou are certainly worth looking into from a street perspective of
grappling when you are fighting for your life and not just medals.
Where
punching, butting, biting, eye gouging, groin striking, weapons and multiple
attackers will come into play. This creates a different environment and
mindset. In these circumstances choosing to roll around on the floor may not be
the smartest option.
let’s not also forget the obvious, to grapple another
person they have got to be willing to engage in it with you or allow it to
happen. They may decide to stab you is a better option.
If you are not
experienced in the laws of the pavement arena you won’t even know you are in a
fight until you are out of it. Tapping out does not exist outside the realms of
sport. There will be no rules, time limits or referee.
Hence the
need also for the striking arts such as Boxing, Muay Thai and Karate etc.
When the
grappling arts entered the cage, they had to adapt to the fact that their
opponent may not be mirroring their style, so a lot of experimentation went on.
It was trial and error until the best techniques were found for that arena.
A few examples
are, wrestling fared better than judo for a couple of reasons.
Firstly,
most MMA fights were without a Gi or indeed any kind of jacket or top, so
gripping was difficult.
Secondly the
freestyle wrestling single and double leg takedowns were a more effective way
of getting a striker to the floor than a hip throw or leg sweep as the latter
required you to get hold of your opponent. Greco Roman wrestling also worked
better up against the cage for the same reasons.
As mentioned early it is a lot harder to grapple
and throw when the opponent doesn’t want to engage but instead punch or kick
you.
BJJ over the
years adapted their guard game for Vale Tudo (anything goes) matches and the
cage to deal with punches and elbows being thrown down at them whilst they were
on their backs.
As stated
each art or system in it’s pure form and abiding to its rules and purposes has
its strengths but also its weaknesses.
Again, in my
opinion here are my observations from experiencing at time or another all the
above mentioned. I am talking about the arts in general across the board not
discussing an individual of these sports.
Wrestling
has great ground control and pinning but lack of finishing submissions.
BJJ lack of practising
throws and take downs in favour of pulling the opponent to the floor or starting
a match already sat on the floor.
Judo which
is extremely strong on throwing and take downs but maybe do not allow the ground
fighting to go on longer if it is not deemed as being progressive. Therefore,
throws are favoured for winning a match. Also, there are a lack of leg locks in
competition.
Sambo’s
weakness maybe the omitting of chokes and strangles in most of its contest forms.
So what
conclusions do I draw?
That no one
art or system has all the answers, which is what Mixed Martial Arts has proved.
All MMA
fighters these days practise many disciplines even if they have their own base
art.
This was the
idea of ‘cross training’ in the first place.
Every dog
can have their day no doubt. But there is no conclusive evidence one system is
constantly superior to another.
When I
fought in MMA and some of its earlier hybrid versions and when I coached it I
never recommended one style over another I encouraged practising from all
sources just as Bruce Lee was promoting as far back as the 1960’s ‘absorb what
is useful from any art’.
I have
trained and fought with a Gi and without it and I loved both as well as the
grapple and strike of MMA, the ‘Animal day’ sessions of Geoff Thompson and of
course my base art of Combat jujutsu for Combatives.
I done all
these things to increase my knowledge and step into other people’s arenas that
weren’t my own and have a go.
So at least
I could speak from first-hand experience about them rather than be a keyboard
warrior with opinions based on nothing of substance.
I have many
good friends and fellow instructors in most Martial art/sport systems and their
chosen systems all have something to offer depending on what you are looking
for and what your goals and priorities may be.
We have some
superb Martial artists here in my home city of Bristol. I like to think we all
respect each other for our achievements but also keeping martial arts alive and
well, no matter that style or system.
As a
business man I also know and understand how your Martial arts must be packaged
and marketed to the public and how we might have to be allowed a little
artistic license.
But I have
always been a realist and will not buy in to the blinkered blind faith that
some individuals preach which almost make them like a religion or cult were
once you are in it is very hard to get out again or be allowed to also look
elsewhere.
When I first
got into grappling it was just well ……. grappling. I was on the mat at the same
time as people from Judo, BJJ. Sambo, Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo etc.
There was no
thought of weight categories and no rules. All submissions were fine to use.
Nobody knew any different. That was what
you did. Some wore a Gi, others didn’t. T shirts and hoodies were also worn. If
their underpants were kept on, it was all good!
It was just mix and match, get on with it and
no fucking whingeing.
These days
many people spend more time discussing what the rules are and what they can and
can’t do.
For me
personally this is all to limiting. Because my prime interest is grappling for
real combat then I won’t be asking my attacker if I can do heel hooks or neck
cranks on them or is it ok to reap the leg when I do an Achilles hold!
My thoughts
are you should want to know how to apply every horrible fucking hold and know
how to get out of every fucking horrible hold or have a good go.
If not in
the real world you are broken or dead. Make no mistake. A tap out is a sporting
way of living to fight another day. Outside of those parameters you are broken
or dead.
If you get
choked out on the street you may never wake up again. Now, that is a sobering
thought.
If Bas
Rutten chokes you out, you may possible wake up to find his trademark bottle of
Tabasco sauce inserted up your arsehole as punishment. I kid you not! (No, I
haven’t experienced it personally).
Its all
about ‘horses for courses. ’What is it you want to get out of grappling?
What are
your goals and preferences?
Don’t get
overwhelmed or confused by all the decorative branches of the grappling tree.
At the end of the day the trunk and more importantly its roots are what counts
and what you personally are seeking to learn and achieve.
Enjoy your
training and peace.
Kevin O’Hagan.
Jan 2018.
‘’If you are interested
in training in a totally unbiased and learning environment without any
bullshit, then you may be interested in my up and coming seminar ‘Down and Out’
where I am going to re-visit the techniques and lessons I have learnt over my
time in the grappling arts and how they have involved from the early days and
their links to the past and the present.
Whether it be the cage,
mat or street there will be something there for everyone. You are most welcome
to attend. No politics and don’t worry you haven’t got to sign your life away
to me, just come along and experience what I have to offer with no obligations’.
