Martial Artists Hate Strong People ( With Zack Telander)

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Ramsey Dewey is a MMA coach and ringside commentator for Kunlun Fight Combat League, based in Shanghai, China. Ramsey Dewey is a retired professional MMA fighter and kickboxer. If you have any questions for future Q&A videos, please leave your questions in the comments section below.
Zack Telander is an Olympic Weightlifting coach for Juggernaut Training Systems and also a BJJ practitioner. Check out Zack’s channel here: / @zacktelander
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Shanghai based MMA Coach and Kunlun Fight Combat League ringside commentator Ramsey Dewey answers questions from the viewers. Leave your questions in the comments below!
This video features original music by Ramsey Dewey
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[@imperialguard9458]

Martial arts techniques are just power multipliers. If you don’t have a lot of power, you’re not multiplying much.

[@randomperson-sn4rj]

No matter how much you multiply 0 it is still 0

[@TENNSUMITSUMA]

Gold!

[@elnombredelarosa3167]

A thousand times 0 is still 0 and the martial arts are usually a 3x

[@junejuly6060]

@@randomperson-sn4rj Hi, Sasuke

[@YamamotoKazuo]

Actually people in taichi xingyi and bagua today just don't understand that nei gung/chi kung is just a multiplier as well by combing breath work and mind power. If your base power is weak the outcome is still going to be relatively weak. Internal power is nothing Mythical like in the movies.

[@presidentjoe1959]

My judo sensei always says, “Doing martial arts without strength is like driving a car without an engine.”

[@bathtubbarracuda2581]

President Biden, do you keep falling down the stairs because you tried to learn judo without strength training?

[@GuitarsRockForever]

The coach of my sanda class (many years ago) said (while he pointed to the weight lifting guys downstairs): don't even think about to fight those guys.

[@Brugar18]

More like having a powerful engine that doesn't do shit just makes a lot of noise

[@GuitarsRockForever]

@@Mbq-sh6bj No, he was legit. There is no way, I don't care how skilled you are, to beat someone twice your weight and many times stronger than you in real fight. The big strong guy grabs you, you are dead if he wants to.

[@GuitarsRockForever]

@UCswjD6xJ_0FzXIqIyOgnaNw He wouldn't. My class was his "weekend/week night casual extra money making class". He wasn't really serious about teaching us (but he wasn't BS us either).

[@realitycheckselfdefence7840]

I definitely used to think strength doesn't matter - until I fought a strong person 😅 Strength training is a HUGE part of self defence training

[@realitycheckselfdefence7840]

Also yes a lot of people forget about aggression - especially people who like the "technique always beats strength" camp

[@sevenchambers]

Strength used to be a huge part of martial arts in ancient times.

[@idkmynametho8391]

@@realitycheckselfdefence7840 I learned this the hard way once. Me and this guy started training in no gi Jiu Jitsu at the same time with no experience. He had at least 15 pounds on me. One time, we were drilling in double legs. The coach seemed generally impressed by how technical mine was meanwhile the other guy kept on forgetting to level down before shooting and just wasn’t that great at the technical part of it. Fast forward sometime later, we start rolling standing up. Now this dude is stronger but he’s also more aggressive than me. When I shot in for a double leg, he was able to counter. I quickly recognized that I lacked the aggressive and explosive power to land it on him. He then tried a few on me and while I was able sprawl for most of them, he finally took me down and tapped me out. His technique wasn’t great but he was so much stronger and aggressive that he was able to make up for it regardless.

[@AveSicarius]

@@sevenchambers Yeah, if you read depictions of historical martial artists none of them are described as frail or weak. They were mostly professional soldiers, knight analogues, or other warrior caste, so they spent a good portion of their time practicing to fight (because they had other people to feed them etc). Training techniques like horse stance or other isometrics also use bodyweight to build strength. All martial arts had something similar at some point. Lot's of Kung Fu styles had archaic free weights also.

[@sevenchambers]

@@AveSicarius The divide between strength and skill came from casual boxers The idea that muscle and size equal slowness which isn’t true. It’s usually ego that doesn’t allow them to admit it.

[@jaketheasianguy3307]

Instead of sticking on to the lie that martial art alone will help you beat up bigger guys and you don't need strength training, why don't people think about amplifying their own techniques with strength training to make it work even better on most opponent

[@RamseyDewey]

Because that takes real work!

[@sevenchambers]

Logic right here.

[@redclayscholar620]

bUt My KaTaS iZ pErFeCt!

[@aventura8491]

Because people are stupid.

[@henrys3138]

Because it makes sense. Ramsey is also very right to say that it also takes WORK. It's hard enough to best someone in your weight class, but if he's 20 pounds heavier, even 15 then it's going to be a problem.

[@Grimscribe732]

Couldn't agree more with this video. I'm 121kg at 183cm and have regularly tapped out people who are way better than me on a technical level, just by bulldozing through their technique. It has been eye-opening for me when I moved a few years ago and had to find a new gym, where two of the teachers are more or less my size AND have better technique. Also, before Covid started we got a new guy to the gym who is a former American Footballer & Strongman @204cm/165kg, even though he is only starting out with martial arts, it was a hell of a workout to spar with him. Definitely hope he keeps showing up once this shit is over.

[@jambalaya201]

There is nothing better than to find your match and improve with them.

[@checkitoutguys1]

HOOLY SHIT I'm pretty much a few months in on bjj and when I'm training with my friend (on days that I don't go to the MA gym) who weighs 40 kg more than me (I'm 60kg) it's a damn good workout, I can't imagine rolling with someone who's twice or or almost three times my weight. That would be a nightmare.

[@iandavidvillaloboswong5180]

I have tapped out a guy that seemed to be like twice my weight because he didnt know how to use the weight to his advantage, but every time I rolled with someone who knew I had no chance. I weigh around 60kg at 175 cm

[@MrAlepedroza]

Holy crap, what's the name of that giant? The ex footballer/strongman?

[@jondoe2772]

That's because they sucked.

[@michaelrud4351]

Whats better than being able to perfectly execute an armbar? Being able to perfectly execute an armbar and being 200lbs of muscle 💪

[@ancientdarkness3102]

Nah

[@Eric-bl8lp]

@@ancientdarkness3102 how?

[@alexandriaarmstrong1459]

Precisely

[@NoName-vy8vu]

Ok try that on Tyson fury.

[@NoName-vy8vu]

Anthony Joshua

[@CXCR3]

Streng and volume by itself is already a form of self defense, no one wants to fight a bigger dude

[@peterreid9769]

Definitely not! I've seen big, strong guys getting the better of black belts in judo after just a few months of training.

[@Beastzz77]

@@peterreid9769 I have seen big and strong dude come to my wrestling club and rag doll intermediate level wrestler all the time.

[@knightveg]

I seen men weigh 124 lbs beat bigger men, As they unnatural wiring strength

[@meaningfulmindfulness15]

No matter what people say, there are physics to this reality. You may get the better of a big and strong person once, or vice versa. But it won't happen all the time, that's for sure. The animal kingdom teaches this stuff. 👍 (135 lbs here, former wrestler with lots of strong people I had to train with. My only true advantage on many of them was my endurance, otherwise it was very hard to even use speedy technique against brute force. Not saying it's impossible, just very different than many people believe. It doesn't take much for them to turn you into a pretzel if you aren't careful.)

[@joethesheep4675]

@@peterreid9769 thats, obviously not the context the OP gave, though.

[@knifetricks4373]

I think the problem is that most martial artist have a wrong idea of what strenght is.. they see this druged up bodybuilders and fake natty instagram people showing their muscles and they think nahh i dont need that. But getting really strong on things like squats, deadlifts, powercleans, push presses, aka the big exersizes that uses your body as one unit, can make you a mutch better fighter and you are missing out a lot if you do not get strong. Maybe not if you only compete against your own weight class, but for yourself getting a more strong and fuctional body, you cannot skip on strenght and power.

[@MUST-TRT]

Well said (from a non-instagram model). I'm 240lbs ans 5'9"...been strength training since I was 12. 2002-2016 when I lived in LA, the toughest guys despite rank to roll with were lanky-ish dudes that ALSO trained basic lifts hard and were pound for pound strong. If they were relatively tall to boot(6'0"+), forget about it - soooooo tough. WAY...better for grappling than physiques like mine, even when they were similar height and 190lb. But the 150-170lb guys that didn't strength train...only the absolutely exceptional ones could play with me on the mat. I sucked at BJJ but I was a bulldog for the first 2-3 minutes - lol. Striking slowly became a different deal once I learned that I didn't need my strength and power to do it - rather the relaxation looseness gradually made me be able to USE THAT POWER and eventually to hit more commensurate with the way I look. BJJ was another animal though...and I never ended up spending the time to get good but rolled enough to know what I said above is true: all else being equal with respect to the grappling arts, having more strength and not less is ALWAYS BETTER.

[@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252]

I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and say that you might want to avoid some 'bang for your buck' lifts. The risk of injury in all those exercises is very real and I have the injuries to prove it; so does my dad. I'm more muscular now than I ever was before but I completely changed my lifting around. I'm still lifting heavy weight but prioritizing safety instead of leverage. Also you want to be training individual muscles just like a bodybuilder if you want those muscles to be maxed out; a lot of people don't like it because it's not convenient but that's just the way it is. Not doing it is like being a striker on a football (soccer) field and expecting to be a good goalie as well so there may be carry-over but you need to go to the specifics if you want to see what you are truly capable of. I understand the fascination with leverage and using the biggest weights possible with maximal body English all the time but there are numerous potential situations where you cannot rely on the strongest biggest muscles, cannot generate acceleration or leverage and the ability of your smaller muscles to produce resistance could be the difference between loss and victory. Ramsey himself said that some guy curled himself out of his arm bar; you can expect that kind of strength from an arm wrestler who takes his arm training very seriously and does a bunch of stuff for every forearm muscle alone. A pure powerlifter might not be very strong in that position.

[@ca4159]

@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 You don't wanna AVOID anything. You want to do it properly. People don't get injured for no reason. 100% of the time it's the persons fault, not the exercise. Especially now that there is so much free information and how to videos.

[@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252]

@@ca4159 OK...I have had to explain this to a thousand people before you so here I go again; it is true that "proper form" can help with preventing injury but different exercises come with different levels of risk. If you have horrible form in upright rows, the worst that can happen is you'll get some pain in your elbow or shoulder. If you accidentally slip a bit in deadlifts or back squats, you could herniate a disc and have full body disability; every time you do these two exercises you are putting major pressure on the discs regardless of how good your form is. There's also this thing about people having different bodies and injury histories in the first place so forcing everyone to gnash their teeth at the same exercises is malicious.

[@ca4159]

@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 So? Of course everything has some level of risk. You could die in the toilet. Anyways, good form wont help prevent injuries. It will prevent it. Unless you have a history of previous injuries. Which doesn't disprove my point because like I said, it's the person doing the exercise at fault. I can do all exercises without pain. And the fact that pressure is put on your discs is of no importance. Preesure is put on your discs everytime you walk, run, or jump. And your body adapts as you get stronger. You dont see Ray Willaims whole body disabled even tho he is a squat monster.

[@ironmikehallowween]

I played football and threw shot put all throughout my schooling. When, I went was in college, I was 6’4 250 lbs and benched over 500 lbs.. I was very interested in martial arts, but everywhere I went, and I went everywhere I could find, they were like, why are you here dude? I felt very out of place. Virtually nothing they did worked on me anyway even when I wasn’t resisting much. Then, I went to a Judo club. The head instructor was like, this is awesome. You will be a monster. I loved it. Unfortunately, I had to move. There were no Judo clubs anywhere. I had to go back to a traditional TKD/Hapkido place again. I tried a Kung Fu place, an Aikido, place. Once again, why are you here man? “No one is going to bother you. You are a hulk’ I said, I am just looking for a new sport that I can train in for the rest of my life and enjoy. You can’t play football and throw shot put when you grow older. I had boxed as a child, so I thought about that, but there were no boxing clubs anywhere. No wrestling for adults either. I went to a kickboxing/MMA club. They were like, dude you will be awesome. So, I have stuck with it ever since. I still practice 4 times a week, I have throwing dummies to practice my throws, lift weights, and have a small kickboxing club. I have come to the conclusion that most traditional martial arts and I, are incompatible.

[@psychopompous3207]

Traditional Martial Arts, by themselves, have no place within the realm of self defense. However, they are good as a leisure activity, just like dancing.

[@kallepikku4991]

You're right, I have exactly the same experiences. I think the "Martial artist" in the video title means: - Bjj players - Karatekas (excluding Kyokushin) - Taekwando guys - Aikido gurus - Kungfu ponytailists - Taiji masters It does not include: - Freestyle wrestlers - Greco-Roman wrestlers - Sambo wrestlers / fighters - Judokas - Muay Thai fighters - Boxers

[@zozovavavum1370]

Bruce Lee said that before.

[@1nathandixon]

You sir, are the big boss at the end of an action movie. Only in real life you would probably win.

[@MrCmon113]

Damn, I wish I had done shot putting. I'm only 5'8.

[@MastaBlastaS99]

Ramsay - "Neil Melanson wrote the book on triangle chokes" Me Internally - " Oh wow, that's high expression of praise. Guess he's really go-" *Ramsay literally shows the book Neil wrote on triangle chokes called Mastering Triangle Chokes* 😂😂 that really made me laugh haha. The dry delivery of the shout out as well.

[@RamseyDewey]

It’s a good book

[@paragon1782]

That book is actually excellent

[@Dark89Avenger]

To be honest, I think that strength training and general fitness is much more important than martial arts. As much as I love MA, combat sports and even fighting, the overall benefit of those things is kinda limited. On the other side, being strong and fit will help you in pretty much every aspect of life.

[@mrknarf4438]

Well, strength and fitness are part of martial arts. It's not one or the other, is often both, martial arts as a mean to get stronger and more fit

[@AnnaKuznetzova88]

I loooove when a bigger stronger "less technical" opponent destroys his "more technical" competition and the purists lose it. Size and strength are massively important for any sport, especially a literal fist fight

[@Kaledrone]

Most of the time when that happens, the purists will just say that the bigger dude won because he somehow now has more technique than the smaller guy even if it's not true, seen that happen before. Those technique purists will do almost anything to not admit that physicality matters.

[@theheretic3764]

Well... the reason it’s fun is because usually when it happens( we’re assuming the more technical competition wasn’t a flat out weakling with technical knowledge but little applicative skill and talent) it’s because that person failed to respect the power. He didn’t give his opponent his due and proper...and he gets caught/puts himself in a position he wouldn’t have if he’d been more respectful. OR.... he picked the wrong place to fight.

[@AnnaKuznetzova88]

@@theheretic3764 exactly. Martial arts is not magic. If you are 5'7 160lbs blackblet a 6'5 280lb usa football player who can bench press 405lbs for 20 reps could very likely destroy you in a bar fight and real martial artists know this and keep distance and avoid confrontation when possible.

[@Chris-hz8lj]

It is for this reason that the ultimate martial art is learning how to shoot a glock. God bless.

[@MrCmon113]

@@theheretic3764 It doesn't matter how much you "respect" anything when the other guy can simply throw you across the room.

[@TheAesirGod246]

Never understood why people can’t accept size and strength matter. There not the only factor of course but so much goes into fighting, technique , experience, mindset, skill and the size of the person there fighting. Like no legit fighter goes into a fight with a much bigger stronger person the same way they would against someone half their size. They adjust because size is a factor .

[@tonycrabtree3416]

You don’t get out of most real world fights unscathed - Signed, real world.

[@bradp.3192]

silly hollywood movies try to make us think otherwise. people watch too much TV

[@jamescanjuggle]

i pet my cat and she let me know fast she is faster with knives for feet. the world will let us know in all manner of ways

[@ibiza1290]

But Steven Segal?

[@vgman94]

I have not had the chance to train in martial arts yet, but when I saw a video from Ramsey describing how one technique for a choke could be overpowered if he was around 30% stronger than his opponent (and then clarified that a different technique would be better for opponents that much stronger), that’s when I understood the importance of strength. It’s also why I value his lessons. They’re nuanced, descriptive and honest.

[@JG-yd1ys]

Being a strong guy and knowing martial arts are the best combo.

[@lukeskywalkerbutasith2996]

Of course, it's true to what you said. After all you're the strongest creature on earth be it in technique or strength.

[@peterreid9769]

Strength definitely makes a difference. Hence the reason there are weight categories in martial arts and boxing competitions.

[@krane15]

Size and strength. Its not rocket science folks.

[@rallen7660]

My first instructor (outside of family), was a US nationally ranked fighter (bantam weight class full contact - 8th in US at the time). He made me work out in the back room for months before I was allowed to join the other students. Knuckle and fingertip pushups on concrete, crunches and situps, practicing kicks, blocks and moving. Just so I wouldn't be an eyesore compared to the others. Made me hella tuff for the first high school fight I was in. Being able to shrug off a kick to the chest like it was no big thing took a lot of the fight out of my opponent (who was bigger than me).

[@Kaledrone]

Yes, I know some doofuses would disagree, but I am pretty sure someone like Tai Tuivasa could beat the shit out of Khabib even though Khabib is one of the p4p best and Tai isn't even in the top 15 for the current ufc heavyweight rankings.

[@MG-bi6mq]

Ah yes, kettlebell motivation. I had an instructor who told us not to lift weights or practice stretching. Because strength training would block our Qi and stretching would build up ‘scar tissue’ (it doesn’t. Please lift and stretch). Funny thing is he was a former champion power lifter and could pull off all kinds of crazy stretches. And when he fought he wouldn’t use the soft internal techniques he tried to teach his students. No, he would drag people in close using his superhuman squishing power - always barreling down the middle. Years later I got to train with the teacher of this aforementioned instructor. Skinny old Korean man who could actually use internal striking power and flawless grappling coupled with perfect evasive footwork. One of the first things he said to me in his broken English was “need lift weights. 50 reps! 50 reps!”

[@MG-bi6mq]

@1.0mk2 How does lifting weights block Qi? What is the mechanism?

[@MG-bi6mq]

@1.0mk2 I think I understand what you’re getting at. Try some kettlebell lifts. The moving nature of kettlebell swings, clean, press, etc puts the muscles into a constant flux of contraction and relaxation. And because kettlebells aren’t usually super heavy, they won’t over tighten your muscles with moderate use. You can train kettlebells almost every day. In fact, kettlebell halos and Indian club exercises use the same motions/muscle groups as Taiji silk reeling and bagua ‘serving teacups’ exercises. The breathing used in weight lifting is identical to karate’s shallow vertical breathing. Just do some stretching and transition back to your usual abdominal breathing afterwards and you’ll be fine. Essentially training the jing and then reconnecting with the Qi if you know what I mean. It would be silly to walk around all day with excess tension.

[@mayanboricua]

Where can I read more about this subject? I'm very interested in learning more. Googling "Lifting weights blocks qi" only results in unrelated garbage.

[@MG-bi6mq]

@@mayanboricua It’s a rabbit hole to be sure. I’m not entirely sure who started the myth that weight lifting is bad for martial arts. There is a Chinese proverb that says “one ounce to move a thousand pounds.” Some people claim that means less strength equals more internal power - but actually it refers to building oneself up to where one “ounce” of your strength is enough to move anything with strength left to spare. Thus, weight lifting. Not to mention all the so called internal martial arts use strength training of some kind (Taiji ball, bagua big saber, Hsing I spear). On KZbin Hai Yang released a video discussing his version of “one ounce moves one thousand pounds.” He concluded that all successful martial artists must do strength training. Conversely, Damo Mitchell released a video saying weight lifting hampers our ability to release jing. But Damo is full of crap. His fa jing is based on no touch knockouts instead of subtle use of the hips and core muscles. This is the same guy who claims electricity wards off ghosts and practicing next to the ocean drains kidney Qi. Just another guy perpetuating poor martial arts. In my opinion: if you want more Qi, you need to build your body and train your body to do what you want it to do. Who has more Qi in their punch: a man who meditates all day or the man who lifts properly, eats well, and trains good body mechanics?

[@YevhenRawrs]

@SkEy3net C3ntral I'm not listening to this Cyberdyne propaganda!

[@energybasics]

Its not about being able to beat everyone in the world or living forever. Just being able do your best.

[@josheternal]

This. This this this. I mean, how often in life are you going to have to go up against a well trained experienced fighter. If you mind your own business and dont bully people, this will likely never happen. And the fights that do come to you should manageable

[@valdviking292]

Damn, well said brother

[@KenOmollo]

Thank you!!

[@johncadden202]

@Emerson Amaya Except for Chuck Norris . He's the reason Aliens don't invade Earth.

[@strongbear3369]

@Emerson Amaya nope I don't think so

[@TinyTitian]

Put on over 10 pounds of muscle over quarantine and hardly anyone rolls with me now.

[@juhanaberman964]

How?

[@TinyTitian]

@@juhanaberman964 By lifting heavy none stop for almost a year.

[@IAmBeingSilenced]

Sounds like you play too rough.

[@Kaledrone]

@@IAmBeingSilenced As Ramsey said, Aggressiveness is a factor too.

[@IAmBeingSilenced]

@M B A 120lbs man who hates you is far more dangerous to you than a 220lbs. man who doesn't care about you at all. In other words, you are right.

[@jahigains9201]

During my first year of high school, I remember my ability to fight went through the roof after just one season of cross country. Suddenly I could kick harder, more often, and I never got tired.

[@andrebaxter4023]

100% man. Weight classes are there for a reason.

[@ky-passley4769]

Francis alone shows you why being big and strong helps you in martial arts he isnt even the most skilled of heavyweights but he is the scariest

[@killthemall55]

He is far from the most skilled. But guess what? Turns out, when you have inhuman strength and power, it is more than enough to make up for it lol

[@jondoe2772]

It's because the HW division lacks large wrestlers right now. A Brock sized wrestler would be a nightmare for Francis.

[@killthemall55]

@@jondoe2772 you are onto something. Size difference was too big on his last fight it was very apparent. When francis sprawled on stipe, stipe layed down like there was an elephant on top of him. 265 lean wrestler would be the strongest adversary to francis

[@Kaledrone]

@@killthemall55 Stipe also purposely reduced his weight for extra endurance and ended up with a 30+ lbs disadvantage. But as it turns out, Francis is patient now and didn't gas himself early and as for Stipe, endurance isn't going to help much if you aren't conscious to use it.

[@sjcobra84]

And now his the HW champion.

[@Solcollector1]

I did boxing and judo, and I've always found it strange how some martial artists are basically against strength training. I've been lifting since high school, and its basically improved every facet of my martial arts training by leaps and bounds. Great video explaining things! Insta subbed!

[@lalli8152]

I remember these types of comments on hafthor vs mcgregor scenario when you said something like its Connor that needs the training "run little gingerbread man run". People basicly saying Connor knows bjj he would choke him out, and all that. To me its same type myths that 50 kilo female if she just knows bjj will beat 100+ kilo strong man.

[@josheternal]

Yep. Putting someone in a rear naked choke wont help when that person is strong enough to grab one of the arms thats choking him and squeeze til some bone breaks

[@AveSicarius]

@@josheternal A properly locked in choke is one of the few ways to reliably deal with a stronger opponent. If they could just pull you off, well, you are beyond screwed. Honestly, while BJJ was in part designed to deal with larger opponents (the Gracie brothers were pretty small), it was designed to do so in a more regulated environment. Going to the ground with a much stronger opponent is a bad idea even if they are alone, they could just repeatedly smash you into a surface or try to crush you, and good luck trying to leverage a limb in that situation.

[@killthemall55]

Connor would get absolutely obliterated. We are talking about guy who more than double his weight in pure muscle. Even a guy who weighs 10 20lb more than me causes such hassle.

[@lalli8152]

@@AveSicarius I kinda agree that actually if Connor would somehow manage pull of rear naked choke or something he could make even Hafthor sleep or maybe something like heel hook to tap him out. I think Ramsey mentioned heel hook in his original vid too. Problem obviously for Connor would be somehow to get into position to pull that off without been just mauled. Gracies technigue beats everything approach would not really work against other skilled wrestler who is just stronger than them. Then at some point if the guy is just massively bigger, and stronger than the opponent he wouldnt need to know wrestling, and would still most likely win.

[@AveSicarius]

@Στεφανος Χατζηαναστασιου For sure, and honestly the deciding factor between two trained individuals is always strength and flexibility. You are often better off spending more time training those two than techniques. In my experience after taking a break from martial arts and focusing on gymnastics style training, I came back to it far more able and quickly picked up techniques I would have called advanced beforehand. General physical conditioning increases your control over your body, the range of motion you are capable of (which is a definite advantage), and it gives you better kinaesthetic ability (in terms of awareness). Gymnasts come to BJJ and can outcompete most players incredibly quickly with relatively little training. They are strong as hell, crazy flexible, and have spent so long practicing neurologically demanding movements that picking up new skills is easy. Honestly, I feel that advanced bodyweight conditioning alongside heavy compound lifting would benefit so many people. I've only ever really seen two professional fighters seriously train like that, GSP and DJ, both of whom are incredibly strong in a functional manner. If more martial artists focused on physical conditioning, we would see more high level fighters I believe

[@douglasmacneil4474]

This. I have always had other martial artists be super rude just because I'm stronger than most

[@bradp.3192]

sounds like they were just insecure. keep being strong, bro

[@idkmynametho8391]

Both Stipe vs Ngannou fights show why strength matters. Ngannou wasn’t at Stipe’s level technically in the first fight and lost. By the second fight, he had closed the gap enough to land that knockout punch. Everyone knows Ngannou throws bombs but once he developed the right approach, his strength helped end the fight.

[@dwaneanderson8039]

The appeal of focusing on skills for self defense is that they're relatively fast and easy to improve. Improving strength takes far more time, exertion, and persistence. Even after months of training you might not see much improvement in strength. Learning new techniques can improve your fighting ability almost immediately. But this advantage is also its biggest disadvantage, because your opponents can learn effective techniques just as fast and easy as you can. So you can't count on having a skill advantage.

[@rolandmalone5431]

Strength training is a must for longevity....

[@farhanhussain_]

Bruce Lee was among the very first people who realized the importance of strength training. He regularly Incorporated typical strength building lifts and workouts in his training. After all, if you don't have the strength, your punched and kicks are useless, no matter how perfect your technique is.

[@farhanhussain_]

@Joske Vermeulen @Joske Vermeulen well, even if Greeks were using strength training, Bruce Lee was among those who not only realized but also strived to revive it at that time because strength training was not so very common among general practitioners of martial arts at that time.

[@viscount0405]

First time going to BJJ I was mopping the floor with white and blue belts because I had done judo as a kid and and an insane amount of strength training (12 years) of heavy compound movements. I also played cricket professionally so I did a lot of plyo's and anti rotational core work. Watched a few youtube videos on how to do shrimping, kimoras, arm bars and triangles and went to my first session. Everytime someone got into mount I was just able to stand up or casually toss people off me and peeps looked at me like WTF. I thought I was doing shit wrong but everyone I was rolling with was like you're built like a brick shithouse and you've got some basic techniques down. You've already shot past most people by default.

[@squirrelbong]

I think most martial artists are 'sold' the idea that their martial art can teach a smaller person to defeat a larger person. They cling to this idea so much that often they don't realize that *every* martial art boasts this same advantage.

[@TheCjcoon]

Being In muay thai and jujitsu is a killer combo! In a street fight scenario I'd bet on Mr muay over the steroid junkies! Head kicks and pavement is a killer combo....just ask that Russian weightlifter...o wait he dead. Martial arts work. You need to know which ones actually work tho. This video is saying that martial artist like my self should be more disciplined and not only train my muay thai/jujitsu but also gain muscle to be well stronger.

[@TheCjcoon]

@Du Hast true! Best advice is dont fight walk away! Life is more important than ego battles and drunken bs! it dont matter who u are what drugs u inject or dont what you train or lift it wont save you from being jumped and stomped out by the losers angry friends

[@PariahKamikaze]

Oh yeah, as a guy that's always been complimented on how fast, strong and overall athletic he is, I've always had to deal with the eye rolling of anti-muscle, anti-strength, "technique-aholics". Always quick to lecture me on how strength means "nothing" and the common spiel. It's like dude, I have nothing but respect for martial arts and learning proper technique/fundamentals, but to try to down on strong or athletic guys so hard only makes you look insecure and self-limiting. Which is ironic because a true martial artist would be open to doing things that enhances their abilities. This includes getting stronger.

[@gokussj397]

Contact sports are still prohibited for adults over here because of the virus, and most 'normal' gyms are closed too, but I have found one that's open where they have put barbells and squat racks outside on the parking lot. Your video inspired here inspired me to lift like a madman over there so I can try to Hulk Smash my training partners when the combat sports gyms open up again.

[@MaxLohMusic]

You know what else I hate... when people say "if there's a skill disparity the more skilled person will win, but if they're the same skill the bigger person will win". Obviously everyone agrees a big person will beat a small person if they literally have the same exact skill, but what no one talks about is just how much less skilled a big person can be to still defeat the smaller skilled opponent.

[@justinfilipovic8939]

I would compare being a good fighter to being a good British longbowman; it doesn't matter how good you can aim with some jungle tribe hunting bow if you're not strong enough to pull the string back on the longbow you will be no good as a longbowman

[@imawarrior313]

Your opening statement summed it all up Ramsey, this is true guys. Many examples to share about how much of an astonishing difference strength can make when you combine it with martial knowledge! A couple of examples would be 1. Jan Vs Adesanya .. Israel Adesanya is an elite kickboxer and one of the most wonderful strikers in the world but Jan being a well rounded martial artist whos also hella strong turned that fight around like no other! And example 2 is Derick Lewis .. this guy gets up off the ground with such ease it makes his opponents doubt their ground game and Jiu-Jitsu for months! .. yes strength will - god willing - take you to heights you can’t reach with only skills! Edit: an oak tree like strongman who also know how to fight proficiently will be your worst nightmare no matter if you have a 100 degree chrome belt. Remember that!

[@johnmacgyver4928]

My friend said 20 pounds doesn't make a difference, I told him "drop it on you and tell me how you feel afterwards."

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

Ironically in TKD and other arts and schools they sometimes emphasise the need to become better, physically. Whereas other less decried arts do not necessarily. At my school the instructor says to be a black belt you need to answer the question. "Am I physically better than when I started?"

[@sevenchambers]

Facts.

[@jorgerp7506]

In judo it's the same!!!!

[@FreebyrdFayelanx]

@@jorgerp7506 Oh, nice! I’m only a yellow belt in that but want to resume when my shoulder is ok.

[@jorgerp7506]

@@FreebyrdFayelanx Hope your recovery is good. I have a question: can you guys compete already? Because in judo we can't compete yet ;(. Just curiosity ;).

[@jorgerp7506]

@@FreebyrdFayelanx Hope your recovery is good. I have a question: can you guys compete already? Because in judo we can't compete yet ;(. Just curiosity ;).

[@artas9371]

When I started going to MMA class there were these two dudes that went there for some time and weighted like 10kg less. Anyways on my first day with no experience what so ever we did wrestling and they were just flying around the mat. The thing is when you're used to deadlifting 3x their bodyweight you don't even have to try you just grab, toss, grab, twist and wait for tap.

[@burrah4101]

Martialists should focus on powerlifting style training of heavy sets with long rest intervals coz that increases strength without increasing size and helps in being same category. Nowadays martailartist are more focused on strength than technique

[@sevenchambers]

You’re talking about neurological recruitment.

[@demoncore5342]

That's drilling your form and technique tho. Brunt of your session is boring bodybuilding. It's the same idea as in fighting, technique gets you only that far, at a point you will have to get phisically stronger.

[@mikeCD62]

I think olympic weightlifting (clean, jerk, snatch) probably has more carryover to fighting than powerlifting.

[@Saw_Squatch]

Too many people have grown up hearing "work smarter not harder" but took that to think that if they're just smart enough they won't ever have to work hard, which is crazy. Some things in life, no matter how optimally they are preformed, are just going to be hard. So maybe we should teach kids to work hard and do it smart.

[@tjnlindaoconchuir1312]

I wasn't aware of this. I always liked lifting and martial arts.

[@Plato86]

Agreed, I think it really depends on the martial art. If you do any combat sports you will see strength training is vital. If you practice traditional martial arts like Kung Fu, Karate, or TKD, you will see an obsession with technique. You see balance.

[@tjnlindaoconchuir1312]

@@Plato86 BJJ does the same. I've been a little disappointed by it.

[@garydavis9844]

As a 3rd deg in Kempo strength training along with muscular endurance teaches you the the best points of leverage to apply your moves and you cannot win if you don't know your own limits and weight training helps you find those limits (also it is the man not the art that wins or loses) Someone will always be stronger or smarted you can only be your own best self.

[@yikelu]

Oh man, didn't realize you two collab'd. Zack's a buddy from way back, whereas I'm only now on a martial arts YT deep dive.

[@shnagglepuss2537]

It's like I keep telling my own students, "watch BAKI on Netflix, I can only take you so far, BAKI will take you the rest of the way".

[@douglaskurtz8357]

"In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn" -Phil Collins, Son of Man, Tarzan...it might be from some Disney movie, but when it comes to martial arts I live by this sentiment.

[@miskee11]

I started practicing BJJ at around 12-13 years old before I ever did strength training at the gym. I did okay, because no one at that age was lifting and everyone was on a pretty equal footing. I had a little natural strength and size to help me along, and I reached the orange-black belt as a junior (4th highest youth belt color) and I considered my progress fairly decent. While I was outperformed in sparring by some, no one could overcome me with brute strength alone. Then I got to around 16-17 years of age and I started sparring with a kid my age who had been lifting actively for around 2 years. This kid was incredibly strong. I still didn't work out besides doing some running, push-ups and pull-ups. My strength just wasn't enough to match him. The guy had a lower rank, but he was actually able to break some of my holds with pure strength alone. He was tough to handle even before he had learned much of the technical aspects of the sport. That's when I finally realized the importance of strength in martial arts. Needless to say, the guy really inspired me to join a gym. He had some crazy numbers, but the only lift of his I can remember was a 230 kg deadlift at 16 years of age. I pulled a difficult 130 kg on my first deadlift attempt and I just couldn't believe how someone could pull a 100 kilos more. I was humbled, but I got hooked on lifting. My coach was a little mad at me at first for coming to a BJJ session sore as f*ck from lifting (so sore I couldn't spar, basically), but my body adapted fast and I became a better martial artist thanks to the gym. Eventually I took a break from martial arts training because I moved and had other stuff going, and when I joined a new gym, I just couldn't get back to it with 100% new people and in a new environment. Lifting metal plates in the gym just felt much more familiar and cosy even in a new environment, and I ended up quitting BJJ and switching to just pure lifting. BJJ still influences my training a lot and I use many of the drills, movements and mobility exercises I learned from there as part of my lifting. Even though I haven't practiced BJJ in a few years now, I think I'm still as capable, or even more so, as a practicioner thanks to the huge strength progress I've had over the years.

[@mexikleo8449]

For some reason it reminded me of Dragon Ball. Goku and Krillin train for a master of martial arts, and instead of teaching them martial arts, he puts them to workout their muscles for months. Subtle hint that all this crazy techniques don't amount to anything without strength.

[@davidbailey6397]

I’m 5’6” and when I grappled a 6’6” person at a meat factory I used to work at in 1995, the only thing that helped me hurt him was head butting him in his lip. He was known for bullying others and didn’t expect me to do what I did . Having said that,after we were finished ,my eyes were bloodshot and I felt like I had wrestled a grizzly bear. I avoid conflicts with bigger and stronger people no matter how skilled I am . Especially at 50 years of age. Too old for that garbage.

[@OVERDOSE7002]

Love this video and respect the humbleness in the presentation!

[@rogerclarke4760]

That 1 dislike was some skinny dude who thinks strong people can't fight 😂. 48mins into this upload

[@ajshiro3957]

i've seen so many people try to say that strength doesn't matter. my sensei knows the importance of strength training. he has us do strength training. every... single.... class. strength is super important. he tells me and others that you need to be pretty healthy to really make it far in martial arts. I see why now.

[@MartialistKS]

I buy this 100%. If you look at a lot of traditional Okinawan training regimes there is a huge emphasis on strength training.

[@Mr440c]

In my dojo weightlifting is a part of warm up routine. They're just specific excersises that are aimed to develop specific tendon and muscle strengh for techniques we learn.

[@edi9892]

Strength is a cheat code. However, it makes it much harder to learn techniques right because even sloppy execution usually overpowers weaker opponents...

[@demoncore5342]

One could say technique is cheating, but let's not get in to stupidity.

[@edi9892]

@@demoncore5342 I see technique more of an art and one that emphasizes on efficiency.

[@demoncore5342]

@@edi9892 Sure, it's a skill in the end. Something you can learn and hone, you can't learn to be stronger tho. I don't think either is cheating to be fair. It's like your school tests, is natural intelligence a cheat?

[@gdzietotak]

I trained Judo for 7 yrs in Poland in 1993-2000, strenght traning was part of every training 20-30min out of 90 min. Push ups, pull ups, squats (also with your partner on your back) jumping on boxes.. . When kids were 15 or older we have also weights and kettlebell. My trainer was in 65kg weight division (participant in Olympic game) and he could bench press 140kg. During sport capms we train 3 times per day, 1 technique or sparing, running, strenght training. What we hated was guys on steroids, no cardio, stiff, no dynamic power.

[@ab-mc3sb]

exactly that guy is an idiot he says most martial artists are wimps and delusional, were martial artists are actually does "strong people" who train strength

[@CP-uw4ts]

My teacher runs his martial arts in half of a steel building, the other half is his wife’s personal training business with a mini gym, they have a furnished shed outside they made into a mini apartment. When I try to mention the benefits of doing more than just martial arts for conditioning and proper nutrition(including sports nutrition because I work at a GNC) to my classmates they scoff at me especially those in the hapkido class, now the BJJ and Muay Thai classmates understand what I’m talking about. But one of the hapkido guys he started training in the gym part of the building and they’ve been giving him nutrition counseling. His performance in hapkido has improved so much.

[@jackiereynolds2888]

It takes many other characteristics of person to truly realize the reason and potential of your art.

[@KeenAesthetic1]

Technique is not the triangle choke, it's the misdirection, tactics, angles and timing disruption to allow you to apply the triangle and end the fight.

[@deansander441]

100% agree. Im working on opening a combat/strength sport gym.

[@matheusjoao1511]

Well, i think this myth that size and strenght doesn’t matter exists in most martial arts communities. The thing is, even with enough scientific and practical evidence, ppl tend to ignore the fact that size end strength DO MATTER in a fight. Now, I’m not saying a guy weighting 70kg can’t beat another one who weighs 90kg, because he may, but the odds are against him and he’ll probably have a hard time trying to do so.

[@krane15]

It does, and they all say that. I've seen guys with far superior training and skill go up against bigger guys, do everything right, and still not win.

[@sethgilbertson2474]

Awesome conversation!

[@LosDjango007]

Always learning. When you think you know it all you lose.

[@theonewhoknocks2809]

*Taps training partner with perfectly applied pull dominant kimura that and precision application of weight along the power line whilst controlling the head with my legs* “Bro you’re too strong”

[@RamseyDewey]

The first time someone told me I was too strong in BJJ, my inner voice cried out “YESSSSS!!! I have been waiting for this moment my whole life!!!”

[@redbaron1953]

I'm a reasonably strong casual weight lifter with a bench press of 400 lb and a seated shoulder press of 250lbs.... I'm only 5 foot 6 but wide in the shoulders ..when I'm either in a grapple or sparring with someone I never use my strength because it requires me to stiffen up in certain things especially when I'm doing the Filipino martial arts which isn't a good thing because inhibits movement of the blade and stick.. and I always thought that using strength was not a good thing until my instructor surprisingly told me that I should be able to power out of certain moves which kind of stumped me because I thought it was always counter productive to use strength... But he told me that sometimes when he watched me grapple there were situations he said he knew I could power out of and should have powered out of but didn't.. he said if you have the strength to break a hold then do it but if strength sometimes cannot get you out of a hold then you use technique... I was like wow! Some of the guys who were beating me with pure technique I was suddenly evening out the playing field by powering out of a lot of movements that they applied on me where previously before I thought that was just an indication of my lack of skill but he opened my eyes so My philosophy is now if I can power out of a technique without tiring myself out then why not and Any situation where cannot power out then that's when I use technique...so I think martial arts and strength go hand in hand .

[@wilsonlee63]

You guys are very insightful into how most unexperienced people usually view muscles & strength versus athleticism & technique, both opposing sides will believe their side will destroy the other completely. I have to believe the deciding factor has to be the speed & reaction of the fighter, nobody can win a fight for being slow.

[@bubblewhip382]

I kind of get tired of people asking" How do I beat someone bigger and stronger than me?" Can you win against someone smaller and weaker than you?

[@davidwasilewski]

As my grandfather used to say - “A good big un will always beat a good little un.”

[@minhducnguyen9276]

Strength is important to me because I have experienced something similar to a feedback loop. The stronger, better conditioned I get, the easier it is to go through the motions. This lessen the mental strain, allow me to concentrate and do the technique more efficient and inturn, allow me to train for longer which of course, makes me stronger. Fighting is a brain game. And how do you suppose to support the brain? Through a strong body of course.

[@tomwaschesczio5710]

As I asked my first Karate Sensei what is the best self defence training when I was 15. He said: "Strength training." I thought about this often and my first idea was, if you big nobody wants to fight you in the first place... I'm pretty strong myself and I often realize that I can overwhelm technical advanced partners, which is frowned upon quit a lot by my Sensei, who of cause wants me to learn and use technique not strength. I'm an ex Judoka and Karate (Wado Ryu) black belt. I currently train in Hanshi McCarthy "stile" called Koryu Uchinadi. I hope he never finds out that I called it stile.

[@justinfilipovic8939]

And was he aware of the fact that strength training (hojo undo) always was an essential part of karate? And if yes did he do it and teach people to do it?

[@tomwaschesczio5710]

@@justinfilipovic8939 Well the Dojo was very Kumite Competition fixated and in produced some good athletes in WKF Championships national and international (Europe). He was/is incredible fit (walking in Handstand, over two hundred Push Ups, I saw him last about 4 years ago in his mid 40 doing 30 pull ups...). But his approach was modern so no traditional strength training. I did a good amount of Push Ups on my two front knuckles and Burpees in the early 2000 when nobody in Germany called them Burpees. We called them "Indianer" (Indians). But I think he was aware of this stuff but the sport was his focus more than the traditional way(self defence). Which is a reason why don't do Wado Ryu anymore.

[@justinfilipovic8939]

@@tomwaschesczio5710 yeah I guess nigiri game exercises wouldn't be useful for sport fighting. But tetsu geta exercises would be beneficial for kicking

[@andrewgstewart1794]

Insightful interview - from both sides. Triad of performance: Aggression, Athleticism & Technique - absolute gold right there.

[@fikriasrofi5312]

How about presicion?

[@notgonnaputmyrealname]

It took me a while to appreciate strength training, as a slim and tall martial artist I thought Martial arts would allow me to negate my strength deficiency but I realized recently it’s best to use the two together !

[@Mr440c]

3:50 Imo technique is basically the ability to put the maximum number of muscles and tendons into the performed movement with the most efficient timing possible. The timing splits into 3 sections which are: max tension, max relaxation, max tension. That means that the technique is a labour mostly done by your brain (or rather whole nervious system) rather than the body but that doesn't mean it is not difficult. It's sure difficult to learn and embed into your system so that in a fight it ceases to be difficult. Once you did however fighting itself becomes not as difficult. That's the difference between technique and strengh. Former is difficult during training and the latter is during both a fight and training.

[@Yoshin3000]

I was competing in Olympic Weight Lifting and training Kyokushin Karate at the same time. Later also Aikido. And there was alway a strong doubt towards my weight liftin gtraining at my Martial Arts clubs. It really a strange bias the MA folks harbor against strength training.

[@jellevanbreugel325]

Enough quantity has a quality of its own.....

[@ETBrooD]

Tactics are asymmetrical means to get into a favorable position. In the case of fighting technique: you try to (over)compensate for a lack of numerical superiority (strength, mass, endurance) by using a superior tactic, i.e. moving the fight into a favorable position. The triangle choke is an example of asymmetry because legs =/= neck in form and vulnerability, but also legs > neck in strength and k.o. potential. Neck tends to lose. An example of symmetrical fighting would be two equally built fighters using their fists to punch each other's faces over and over. That scenario is only a matter of luck. It would instead be an asymmetric scenario if one fighter had a) a more powerful punch b) a stronger chin c) more gas in the tank. This means asymmetry can be created not only in the ring but also prior to the fight.

[@ohmy9261]

Very true you should mix both strength and technique if you want to be a force in martial arts, I'm 6'7 200lbs only, I could take down almost everybody in our academy and then my 5'11 elder cousin whooped my ass. You need both things.

[@sukotsutoCSSR]

You forgot the fourth part of the trifecta - AESTHETICS YOU and YOUR TECHNIQUE has to LOOK GOOD on camera to make you an even better fighter!

[@edwardkulcsar4040]

The Martial Art is the recipe.... the "strength" are the ingredients !

[@ab-mc3sb]

you comment is more accurate then this whole video

[@CrazyLinguiniLegs]

I had a Kung Fu instructor, and he taught me a lot of cool stuff, but he said that weight lifting impedes _chi_ flow and that if you’re shredded it makes it easier for the opponent to locate pressure points 😂

[@josephleisses3997]

5'10 and 150 lbs (70 kilos) here. Had to do strength training for a full 10 months before I felt comfortable to move on to martial arts. Even now the new workouts from Muay Thai are kicking my butt from time to time. I couldn't imagine doing that without that 10 months to strengthen up.

[@JacksonHighlander]

I've 100% felt this. I'm also extraordinarily flexible, another thing that brought on alot of jealousy.

[@11Khalid11]

I think technique can make up for an opponent up to certain level of strength. But if the opponent is way too strong then its going to be really hard.

[@Daniel-nl5un]

If the dude is much bigger than you, he can take a whole bunch of your punches without flinching while he only needs one knock you out.

[@DanielOrtiz-dl8eo]

I appreciate this discussion... it is very much needed. One of my old students could curl 60 kg in one hand... he was a brickwall when sparring.. and when rolling we could not pin him or lock him. His technique was very robotic though and lacked flow specially in weapons training. But yes, strength is massively important in martial arts.

[@AllegroFitnessArt]

Too many people have deliberately convinced themselves (whether consciously or subconsciously) that they don’t need to do any strength or athletic conditioning because at the heart of the issue, they don’t want to dedicate the time to doing it and don’t want to deal with the physical and psychological discomfort that comes with said conditioning, despite the fact that said training will result in massive physical and psychological improvements if done correctly and consistently. On a number of occasions, I’ve sparred with people who had been training in their martial art for longer than me and would get the better of me if I held back and abided by certain rules (limiting myself to the techniques of that particular system), but whenever I decided to turn it up and use what I knew worked (without cheating or trying to hurt them), my aggression, level of fitness and technical knowledge outside of that particular martial art would usually lead to me overwhelming them, and that being in a simple sparring setting, as opposed to a street setting, for which anyone practicing martial arts needs to be properly prepared.

[@jonathanlochridge9462]

Cool points, In some of your other videos you talked about 70% or even 50% strength applied at the right angle being better than 100% at a bad one. (Or that misses.) But it does seem pretty obvious that strength and reach make a big difference. Particularly in wrestling. I think to an extent in striking, if you fight smart and are more physically fit, better cardio, etc. that there is still a pretty solid chance of being able to beat someone stronger than you. Since strength isn't the only aspect of athleticism. I am unsure how much that might generalize to grappling, if someone has good enough cardio and control that they pretty much never gas out, it might not matter if the other person is so much bigger they can twist you into a submission before you can wear them out.

[@stephenfawkingiii8779]

I've been doing weight training with martial arts for 20 years. I'm about 6ft and 260+ lbs. My kicks are pretty crazy. I've had people walk up to me and say they have never seen anyone kick so hard. And I'm not even doing my hardest kicks. It sounds like someone is shooting a gun in the gym.

[@RDA8191]

It's very simple, most dudes, regardless of martial arts, are just jealous of big, "buff" guys. So the martial arts community uses their training as a means of demeaning people they were already jealous of. Real training is a bigger edge than strength on its own, but if you're not much better trained than the stronger guy, he's probably going to fuck you up. I had little to no training in my early 20s, but I loved lifting weights and I was very strong. That raw power allowed me to easily win most conflicts. Times have changed now, a lot of guys are well trained now

[@Luke-te2ez]

size, speed, technique, and strength are just some advantages among many a person can have, all things being equal a bigger guy has an advantage.

[@scottheaton8469]

There is definitely an upper limit where strength becomes detrimental. Fatigue, cramping, tightness creep up. But few men ever get to that point.

[@lovecraft4780]

Real talk on the internet. It happens but not very much.

[@stevlehr]

In the 1970's I became friends at the city chess club with an engineer who was built like a large professional football line backer. I was about the same 6' height but weighed 145 to his 250. I was a good chess player but he was better. We played tennis a couple times. His technique was good, he was athletic, and he was a good mover. With much more experience, I won easily. He participated in martial arts tournaments, winning the unlimited weight division routinely. His company sent him to New York for additional training, which enabled him to attend a class at the studio of the master whose discipline he studied back in Kansas City. The first time he attended a class at the NY studio, the master briefly interviewed him and asked to spar with him. The master was 130 lbs. The master's moves didn't work against this giant. My friend became concerned that he might inadvertently hurt the master. Master became visibly frustrated and began to foul my friend. What a let down.

[@SweemTim89]

As someone who likes hypertrophy and perhaps a more holistic or generalist approach. I try to think about 3 things, neurology, physiology and psychology. I can see how martial arts have a higher demand on neurology because of skill acquisition than swimming and bodybuilding for example. But I would still argue that there is still basically limitless potential to improve your skills/technique in martial arts while other sports have a ceiling for skills. Take sprint 100m sprints. It doesn’t matter if you have the best technique in the world if you are not built like a sprinter.

[@ThePaladin5084]

I focus on mixing the idea of strength training, powerlifting, strongman training with self defense. The fast twitch Muscle is comprised of exactly what it sounds like, fast-acting contractile tissue. You can’t expect to make much affect on anyone if your contractile tissue is the same consistency as a napkin. My teacher was a short, DENSE BRICK of a dude, who’s tendons were like steel wire, weighed 167-170, sent my arse flying into a tree quite a good distance away with a well placed, fast, aggressive palm to my chest, which was callused to the point his hand felt like it was filled with gravel and wrapped in sand paper.

[@wanna-be-cowboy]

Even if you are more skilled than the bigger stronger guy. His muscularity will enable him to take a lot more punishment than you are used to dishing out in Sparring plus he will be able to take it and therefore throw as you are as he is not intimidated by your power. A good solid shot to the sweet spot may do it but that's rare

[@MF-bl6ed]

Aim for the trifecta. Strong, fast, endurance!

[@justinfilipovic8939]

Have you ever seen videos of kushti werstlers in the akhadas? they don't muck around at all with neglecting strength training exercises it's an integral part of kushti training

[@RamseyDewey]

Yep

[@linusji1732]

To become big and strong does not only require hard training, you need to have top genetics that most people don't have. It's more bang for the buck for most people to train techniques than train muscle. Then in the end of the day you say "well I can beat that big strong guy even though I cannot become that big and strong" to ease your ego, despite the fact that "big strong guy" can also learn your techniques but you cannot learn his genetics.