The ACTUAL Best Martial Art For Self-Defense

[@jaketheasianguy3307]

"but...but...multiple opponents......sharp bottles needles with Aids" ; "I will just do this or that, kick his balls, poke his eyes, use the super duper dangerous banned 12-6 elbow and no grappler could touch me let alone taking me down" ; "I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6, giving the attacker brain damage is better than controlling him and let his ninja friends pop out of the shadow and kick me in the face" I'm totally agreed on every point in this video and everything above is what uneducated idiots that disagreed would use in the comment section or some other forums about this video, even though you have already debunked most of it

[@thefunkslamdunk9224]

Can you show me where he debunks the 'multiple opponents' problem? Its the most legit criticism of grappling in self defence. Even in this video it is assumed everything is one on one and that's just not how things go where I live.

[@katokianimation]

@@thefunkslamdunk9224 there is a video of him dedicated for the topic. Just search armchair violence multiple opponents. I belive grappling skills are the most important defensive skills in a multiple opponents scenario. The last thing you want is getting stucked in one place while somebody is holding you. Or getting dragged to the ground... Avoiding grappling or reseting to standing without any holds on each others is also grappling

[@OldBadger1]

Have you ever seen real violence? Not in a school house yard or bar drunk? Wrestling is important but by itself? Without a good striking art, forget it.

[@thefunkslamdunk9224]

@@katokianimation Thanks, I'll look it up. I still think that if you get grabbed when being attacked by multiple opponents you are done for, so the only way to get out OK is to not get grabbed in the first place. That requires some form of striking to pull off. I haven't seen the vid on it yet through, and this channel does have a habit of showing me what I throught I knew is wrong. So that may change soon lol.

[@CombatSportsNerd]

God those guys are half the time the most insufferable of the bunch. They act as if ANY martial art is gonna save you when getting jumped by 5 guys

[@Abettergrappler]

As a former D1 wrestler myself. When I first started Jitsu no one wanted to train with me and I didn't know why. They told me I was going too hard and in my mind I kept thinking "but I'm only going like 30%" Took me about 6 months to learn how to match my partners intensity. Now I love flow rolling and ever so often get a new college wrestler graduate and I'm like "dude stop going so hard".

[@rafaelcarrera9436]

Do you feel like you have lost any intensity since moving over to jiu-jitsu? That aggressive, grinding wrestler mentality would be a shame to let slip, as much as I hate getting smashed by wrestlers during rolls 🙂

[@Abettergrappler]

@@rafaelcarrera9436 Yes and no, I can still flip that switch but it's not as readily available. It's more burst Intensity now vs constant. When I go against other wrestlers it comes out naturally still.

[@maxanderson3733]

@@Abettergrappler Happy to hear things worked out for you bro

[@gw1357]

I didn't wrestle, but I played football at a fairly high level and I know exactly what you mean about training intensity. I'm a striker so I apply it as much to bag and mitt hitting as to sparring. How can you expect to groove real muscle memory if you're training at less than half speed? If you want to get faster, you have to try to move fast. If you want to get stronger, you have to try to lift beyond your strength. etc. If you want to master a technique, you have to challenge yourself to make it work in situations as close as possible to real usage.

[@DaleKamp]

As a high school wrestler, a lot of what OP said rings true for me as well when I studied BJJ in 2005, and in 2018.

[@justinAclark2075]

"lots of fighters can make me feel unskilled. But only wrestlers can make me feel like a weak little baby" XD pure gold

[@isaack8146]

Facts, my first match in wrestling, I was so humbled when a kid hit me with a slideby, mat return and cradle in the first 10 seconds of the match.

[@ivanhannel]

I've trained with wrestlers and did BJJ for 10 years at a decently high level (no gi mostly and then gi). I also did Muay Thai for probably 10 years, too, before switching to BJJ. I recently had a street lunatic attack me on a tennis court here in San Francisco, totally unprovoked (not a tennis player, just some totally insane dude). I ended up throwing jabs and dropping him with calf kicks, sweeping him three times before he decided to quit. While I could have taken him down on the tennis court, I didn't want to be close to him because of the chance he had a knife, even if I didn't see one in his hands. Point is, knowing some leg kicks sure didn't hurt. Get to blue belt in BJJ and do 3+ years of boxing/kickboxing and I think you will be okay in most situations.

[@christiaan4music]

Very good point!

[@VenturaIT]

Smart, never clinch, go to the ground, or get too close in a street/self defense situation. Just hit him with the tennis racket and he would probably go away, lol. You never know if the guy has some disease and he might bite you even if you get too close.

[@VenturaIT]

@@BeepBoop2221 Theoretically true under special conditions, but unlikely, you are more likely to get a disease from someone biting you than by punching someone... I think this is why the 10 foot pole was invented, aka the spear. Weapons are always preferred. The old Japanese jujutsu masters thought it was ridiculous not to always use a weapon before considering going hand to hand.

[@alanmodimages]

@@VenturaIT Same as other arts. Empty Hand was a last resort.

[@anon2034]

"Get to blue belt in BJJ and do 3+ years of boxing/kickboxing and I think you will be okay in most situations." - good advice! Maybe compete in both. too!

[@TrayCaddyyy]

I train at a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu school. I really dislike how they don’t encourage people to do strength and conditioning. More strength, muscle, endurance always helps. Wrestlers are super athletic, be like a wrestler.

[@deebo1103]

I think that is the main takeaway from this as an adult. I train both Karate and BJJ and explosive power and conditioning always helps. Didn't wrestle in high school, was a complete nerd, but I always took note of who conditioned themselves the best and what they did for that and applied it to how I trained and train to this day, 25 years later.

[@Kalashnigod]

falou pouco mas falou merda

[@MrCmon113]

Wtf do you mean with "encourage"? Do you need your hair cutter to tell you to eat enough protein?

[@leonardo9259]

I think it's a nice way of saying that's there's idiots in his gym that say "oh no I don't wanna be muscle bound, size don't matter, just do conditioning bro" ​@@MrCmon113

[@JustAnotherSomeDude]

I think that's more of something your gym and coaches do

[@bizikimiz6003]

One more point: all wrestling techniques are practiced full-contact and at full intensity, absolutely stress-tested with opponents who want to win.

[@bdjsbsudbjdjdbsuxj4xzdjjxj833]

​@kevinhart46sounds like an ego problem bud.

[@ginokrol]

@@bdjsbsudbjdjdbsuxj4xzdjjxj833 doesn't really sound like a problem at all. More like another advantage

[@InkSheep27]

What did the person say?

[@Ferbocarbo]

He did say all that

[@counterblocc1466]

Jock sport

[@NDOhioan]

People often forget that, prior to the advent of firearms, wrestling was one of the core skills that everyone fighting on the battlefield needed to know. Sure, you'd be using a spear or a bow the overwhelming majority of the time, but once things got close, basic wrestling could very well be the difference between life and death. It was also a huge factor in single combat, as well. Many duels in history were settled when one man took the other man to the ground and stabbed him to death with a dagger. 16th/17th-Century fencer George Silver wrote in one of his treatises, "Of the single rapier fight between valiant men, having both skill, he that is the best wrestler, or if neither of them can wrestle, the strongest man most commonly kills the other, or leaves him at his mercy." And many surviving treatises from Medieval and Renaissance Europe begin with wrestling techniques.

[@Wastelandman7000]

This is true. It was integrated into the fighting style of everything from pole arms to dagger fighting.

[@Wastelandman7000]

Also, its worth noting that wrestling is probably the first martial art. So its truly ancient.

[@colinhaney]

@@Wastelandman7000 Seems like it could go back to the earliest primates but you know, "definitions." At some point in "our" history, sex was probably a martial art but thankfully we are doing away with that...at least at a...um..."competitive level".

[@Trebor6127]

And it's even more important in armoured combat.

[@gregorylatta8159]

Wrestling is clearly the original martial art. It is mentioned in the old testament.

[@martialartsvocationalschoo3319]

The worst combination to spar against in MMA? Wrestlers that are decent at boxing... So, I agree.

[@CastIronFist]

I think a really proficient boxer with just enough wrestling to fight off takedowns and clinches is scarier lol but same conclusion. They're pretty much all animals.

[@anti1training]

@@CastIronFist I think I'd be nervous to fight a kickboxer with boxing experience, in comp ngl

[@kalivr1908]

Makes me think of Greats like Roberto Duran and Randy Courtre

[@martialartsvocationalschoo3319]

@@CastIronFist Coming from a Muay Thai background: Most boxers know little about clinches. ;) My old man survival strategy in MMA is always look for the clinch and pray they don't have any wrestling or Judo background. If it goes to the ground, I have BJJ, but hip tosses and suplexes aren't fun when you are 47,

[@JimmyPtheman]

Let's make it even worse....a decent Muay Thai fighter ( specifically Muay mat style ) that's a great wrestler.

[@ben-arte8936]

As someone who came to MMA and BJJ after graduating, I give the exact same advice. For those who missed the boat on scholastic wrestling as kids, finding an MMA school with a dedicated MMA wrestling class is a good alternative!

[@maxanderson3733]

Yeah I got lucky and finally found an MMA gym that teaches wrestling on Fridays and wrestling intensive BJJ every other day

[@connorperrett9559]

I wish it was easier to find wrestling classes as an adult. Judo is great but because of Olympic rules many of the throws that are the easiest and most useful for self-defense are no longer trained by most dojos, and many BJJ gyms rarely focus on the stand up game, which is the most important for self-defense.

[@metrolinamartialarts]

I think one negative thing you missed for wrestling as a whole - it can cause some nasty binge eating and dietary habits. Especially post wrestling career. The constant weight cuts and management causes people to have an unhealthy relationship with food. Other than that - spot on.

[@ArmchairViolence]

That's true. Former wrestlers are either the most ripped people I've ever seen, or they're fat lol However, I don't know if that technically matters when we're just talking about self defense

[@metrolinamartialarts]

@@ArmchairViolence I don't think it does. Just throwing it out there lol

[@shooby117]

​​@@metrolinamartialarts I used to wrestle in 72 kg when I won city finals in highschool, then ballooned up to 100 kg after I stopped competing lol But I recently started wrestling again and I've cut down to 80 kg. Won't make the mistake of overeating again if I ever stop 😂

[@metrolinamartialarts]

@@shooby117 good. Lol

[@Cuffsmaster]

@@shooby117 This is true for lots of High school athletes, be it football, Basketball or whatever. You eat a lot to keep the energy up while in training.

[@lazarobabich6696]

Old school fighters were tough guys, they were both boxers and wrestlers, and some were customary street fighters. Since boxing and wrestling were once practiced in the same places, boxers constantly alternated between both disciplines and there was no false dilemma between grappling and striking. The dichotomy is relatively new in the martial arts, fueled largely by people who wanted to sell their "only grappling" style to the American public and to do so they didn't hesitate to falsify statistics and organize competitions of dubious veracity to convince the martial market.

[@SoldierDrew]

Teddy Roosevelt was a competitive wrestler & competitive boxer. After he became POTUS he took up kano jiujitsu aka Judo which he wrote to his son was the best fighting art for self defense and he wanted it taught to all American children in school. But xenophobia prevented Teddy Roosevelt's dream of Judo being taught in american schools to children. So american folk wrestling was later taught in american schools to children rather than Judo. 🥋 Abraham Lincoln was a renown collar & elbow wrestler, very similar to judo but without submissions and utilized purring kicks to the shins. Abraham Lincoln actually used his wrestling to take down a knifer at his public rally. I saw an Army 18 bravo who was an american folk wrestler & judoka take down a knifer then bounce his face repeatedly off the concrete til the knifer went limp.

[@Utuberj0sh]

that downside is real. I called an MMA gym that offered Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling classes wanting to do a free trial. I asked if I could join in on the wrestling class but unfortunately they told me that due to lack of interest they no longer hold the wrestling class.

[@VenturaIT]

mid level blue belt and lower BJJ is basically the same as wrestling because everyone at that level is just learning and basically just using pure strength.... if you want a better workout just train with the low to mid level blue belts or someone who is bigger/stronger than you but also not too skilled, the higher belts don't go all out because they strategize more and have more skill...

[@anon2034]

@@VenturaIT Not a bad idea.

[@rico14]

Wrestling is the most strenuous to train. I don’t ever get gassed striking or rolling. However no matter my condition you’re always tired when wrestling. You just learn to push past it, because that’s what a fighters does. Which is crazy considering that bjj and Muay Thai are also tough, but wrestling is another level 😅

[@locke8412]

real muay thai is just as grueling if not more. see how long you last against a skilled MT fighter who's not holding back@@rico14

[@toddianuzzi9296]

Sad

[@kevingray4980]

Rugby! Multiple opponents: check Quick lateral movement: check Fast running: check Size and athleticism: check Peripheral vision: check Team work: check Adaptation to rapidly changing situations: check If your goal is to escape dangerous situations unscathed while protecting a loved one, I can't think of a single discipline that brings more to the table.

[@grappling.enthusiast]

bro 😭

[@kiddbjj]

Underrated comment. Rugby is basically full field wrestling with takedowns coming from all kinds of unseen and god awful angles and full speed. If you have the ball you are learning to blow past people and stiff arm to keep them from tackling you. If you are defending you are literally doing takedowns. And you’ll be fast and agile. Sounds pretty reasonable to me

[@korpzmarcelfranca6825]

Stiff arm highly underrated technique​@@kiddbjj

[@alexkehoepwj]

One of the most effective advantages of wrestling, is that its very difficult and painful to get good at it. So if you actually go to wrestling consistently, you can ragdoll 99% of people

[@anders.hovmoller]

But the disadvantage is exactly that it's difficult and painful so less people can/will do it.

[@alexkehoepwj]

@@anders.hovmoller If you measure it purely by how effective it is in self defense, exclusivity becomes a benifit. But being difficult definetly counts against it for most people, fair enough

[@Marcodiazgrey]

Yeah till they start shooting you or stabbing you. People who really don't want to get hurt will just use a weapon.

[@alexkehoepwj]

@@Marcodiazgrey Are you one of those guys whos plan is to always be strapped? What do you think happens to that gun once a wrestler grabs you?

[@katokianimation]

So is it a great combat system or just the data is statistically distorted to only include the greatest and toughest athletes who can brute force their way? If wrestling is so good why wrestlers are learning top control from bjj to mma?

[@BloodyInitiate]

The worst part about wrestling is the injuries and staph infections. I was a wrestler briefly, got myself serious staph. Thankfully I avoided the cauliflower ear which I was horrified to see on every single Olympic wrestler. It’s otherwise a really impressive sport and great exercise. Grappling and sparring are my two favorite exercises.

[@toddianuzzi9296]

Women love cauliflower ear. You missed out

[@JEFFMAN90]

​@@toddianuzzi9296 No they don't stop the BS. You saying this proves to me that you don't get girls 😂😂

[@Ventus_the_Heathen]

This video has made me even angrier that my school DIDN'T HAVE A WRESTLING TEAM. I've always been grumpy but now I'm even grumpier

[@mizzdannful]

Try living in a country that worships soccer and NOTHING else. A soccer stadium around every corner but not one wrestling club.

[@olihernandez30]

Tell me about it, I almost started a protest in my school to get the wrestling team they removed back. Robbed of that chance.

[@bluesuit460]

Samee my school doesnt have wrestling amd it pisses me off

[@obiwanquixote8423]

Find a competition oriented Judo program near you. You'll get similar intensity and train anywhere from 12-20 hours a week. Unless you're at the international level and then you're looking at 30-40 hours a week. It says something when Kayla Harrison talks about how being a world champion fighter is a vacation compared to being a Olympic level judoka.

[@jessespeedy9709]

Great video, the downside of limited accessibility to anyone but high school and college students is huge though. That's why anytime I see this question asked I want to know who's asking it. It's often people in their mid 20s-30s who haven't gotten exercise since elementary school.

[@methomps01123]

You've been dabbling in HEMA lately, and pretty much all of the old masters say that the foundation of all the martial arts is wrestling, especially fencing.

[@hourglas]

I mean. It feels more instinctual and primitive opposed to striking. Just look at animals even. Gorillas, even komodo dragons wrestle each other down. Big cats wrestle too, but with knives. Lol

[@wm8712]

Love your channel. However, from a European perspective you can pretty much equal Judo to Wrestling when discussing all the positives for Self Defense - a widely available popular Olympic Sport, so the talent pool is big, cheap (or free during school years if you are lucky) you can safely control your opponent on the ground or less safely drop him on his head, and sparring/competition (with short and explosive fights) prepares you well for self-defence chaotic manner and intensity. I am also not sure about the validity of "club's internal competitiveness" as an argument for self-defence - sure, super important when fighting against other skilled practitioners, but it sounds like "wrestling is great for self-defence only when you are training it pretty much professionally". Not sure if it's a positive.

[@givemeajackson]

nah i get what he's saying. one issue with most self defense classes or martial arts classes is that people don't go at it hard enough in sparring (and for good reason in striking disciplines, one bad punch and your thursday evening is properly ruined). if there isn't a competitive drive to it, sparring will always be too laid back, and would be very different to an actual fight. but if both are going at it to win, in a discipline that allows you to go pretty much all out with comparatively lesser risk of serious injury, that'll get kinda close.

[@maxanderson3733]

This video perfectly captures why I STILL feel like a total dumbass for not taking part in high school wrestling when it was originally offered to me *_10 years later._* Might’ve made preparation for MMA amateurs less of a high intense game of Catch Up

[@adlidoeslifting4563]

10 years later?

[@jamarjohnson9759]

@@adlidoeslifting4563 he means he still feels dumb even though it's been 10 years since he was asked

[@maxanderson3733]

@@jamarjohnson9759 Precisely. After getting into MMA it becomes painfully obvious that the astronomical grappling gap between an average person like me and most high school or college wrestlers isn’t something I can fix lol

[@adlidoeslifting4563]

@@jamarjohnson9759 thanks i didnt understand

[@Taekwon-Brando]

Judo is better than wrestling anyways lol

[@cej3940]

Man you hit the nail on the head with the wrestling mentality thing, I'm not frequently going into communities going over the minutia of combat sports (I mostly stick to general athleticism training) but I'm so happy to know that I'm not the only one that has not exactly like "pride", but intensity concerning stuff If there was anything I took away from my 2-3 years of wrestling in middle to high school (I couldn't afford going to a dedicated gym), it's that drive to aggression of force, no matter what it is, you apply your 110% and you don't stop Is there a pride thing about being used as a training dummy and getting promptly folded by people eons ahead of me? Yes, even if I was basically a training dummy for those that were better, I still feel that intense urge to push past my limits and push it hard every time Loved wrestling with all of my being and would go back to apply myself more to it any second of the day, I may not go to the MMA gym every day for multiple classes, but I still try to make it a point that if I'm not there, I'm somewhere else training other stuff that I saw as just as important even if there's less time afforded

[@GabrielJamesMusic]

Middle school wrestling was basically free back in 96-98…. As someone who enjoys striking more than wrestling, wrestling always wins. Great video!

[@korpzmarcelfranca6825]

FRIENDS

[@awakenow7147]

My PE teacher forced everyone to wrestle every week. This was just PE, not even wrestling team. It wasn't till later that I found out how valuable that was.

[@maho9139]

man wrestling every week sounds siiick. my pe class was either running, playing some stupid sport like frisbee or badminton, or a lecture on anatomy n shit.

[@Chopping-it-up]

I don't know your experience but I have seen state champion wrestlers get beat up by guys that can box. Wrestling is a great but if you can't grab the person your face and head are left open and someone with skills would destroy your face.

[@SoldierDrew]

​@@Chopping-it-up I fought competitively and served in the Army where we had a fight club in my unit. We had boxing champions, former pro boxers, blackbelts of various styles and D1 wrestlers challenging each other in our bareknuckle , noholds barred, bouts. Not once did a boxer, not even a former pro boxer, beat a high level wrestler. I've not seen it happen once. And I'm a boxer since age four til age 36 and a Judoka & former gracie Jiujitsu grappler. I joined the battalion wrestling team just to familiarize myself after seeing the folk wrestlers rag doll so many fighters from various backgrounds. And they had painful submissions too, like the banana splits and the spladdle. Most painful submissions I ever experienced.

[@sharku117]

My best friend was a state gold medal in highschool wrestler. That, "You know what wrestlers get when you punch them?" *deadstare of some one who damn well knows* "Angry."....Man, I felt that. The most intense, physical, and aggressive dude I have EVER known. Won one of his matches on a broke leg. Gritted the pain out, reset to top, then just slammed the dude straight down and basically KO'd him with the take down. Then off to the medics. Always thought he had the best chance to win out of anyone I have ever known, even since, nice to see my read on wrestlers like him is supported by someone who actually knows the fight side of stuff.

[@chucklesdeclown8819]

HOLY SHIT, any person that can grit out a broken leg and pull in a win would be insane in my book, crazy best friend.

[@XStormieX]

I wasn’t expecting it but I actually fully agree. I’ve trained in striking arts my entire life and had about 4-5 months of wrestling in school. Nothing was ever more embarrassing than the first time I got into a fight with a wrestler. I knew just enough not to get hurt but not enough to where I didn’t look like a child being man handled. It changed my perspective entirely and made me realize two things. 1. Wrestling and control is more important than you think. 2. You fight how you train. Whatever is muscle memory no matter what you know is what you’ll fall back on under stress. This also mean that when you spar if it’s a general rule to try to avoid hitting certain areas, that’s what you’re brain will stick to under pressure. I almost had to entirely throw out my years or training to start over, not just to learn new things but also to unlearn bad habits that were formed under controlled gym circumstances.

[@christianc.christian5025]

And even from a pure Xs and Os perspective, which form of attack is more or less likely to leave what *you do* offensively without full use of your limb? I think that answer is obvious. If you break your hand or leg shooting or clutching or whatever, you probably just had phenomenally bad luck. But even a professional fighter runs the risk of a fracture to something trying to strike at an opponent whose entire mode of attack is to condense their body into a small target, maximize leverage and leave you with nowhere to go except to expose yourself to a counter/opening.

[@michaelzero5278]

Use pepper spray it a street fight

[@edstringer1138]

@@christianc.christian5025 you really need to go to a boxing gym and ask about outside boxing style and its footwork Knockouts happen when you walk into a kick or punch all grapelors bridge like crap because they dont train for strikers ,,, Id rather fight a grabby BJJ than a untrained person

[@MaaveMaave]

​@@michaelzero5278I have some, ranged weapons are nice. But it's not a substitute for grappling

[@bradbuckinghamhandsomeprin6027]

For what we normally call self defense I agree. You can also look at self defense in a different way and staying out of trouble, avoiding bad company and situations, taking care of your health (which can include martial arts), taking care of your finances....

[@locke8412]

well said. having the level of awareness to avoid being in that situation in the first place is a lot more important

[@FlamingCockatiel]

@@locke8412 True, but not every situation can be avoided. I just listened to a video about Swedish teenager Lisa Holm, who was abducted from her job and murdered.

[@dapro5002]

This is pure gold, no joke. And also-the best part about wrestling for self defence is definitely the weapon defence and access. If you want to get a weapon in to the fight, or stop a weapon from getting into the fight, or minimise the damage done to you by a weapon, you should know wrestling. Albeit, it should be wrestling with a lot of Muay Thai, Boxing, Judo, BJJ and more mixed in, but as Jake said-saying MMA is the best is kind of unfair. And also-wrestling is the base, and you can (and probably should) build off of it. Plugging different stuff into wrestling is hard, yes, but plugging wrestling into genuinely any other martial art is much more difficult. Great vid!

[@VenturaIT]

Knife vs wrestler, the knife wins most of the time... don't try it, better to just be a nice guy and run away if you can... Uriah Faber almost died and he was UFC world champ NCAA wrestling national qualifier... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oV7SdJitlMqZb5Y They say knives are more dangerous than guns.

[@toddianuzzi9296]

As a Jiu jitsu guy who has had at least 1 day of just wrestling a week for years I agree 100%. Wrestling is king

[@serenedoge9920]

Got dragged into wrestling my freshman year of high school by upperclassmen. Had no idea what I was doing, was freaking out inside all the time. The practices were ruthless, long, and constant. I started getting up in the morning to go to wrestling, not school. I puked every 30 minutes, but I loved every minute I spent with the team. I think our coach ended up going a little too hard considering so many of us got injured in just the first two weeks and I had to drop it cause I was having panic attacks and my grades were nose diving. Still, while I was there I felt the most physically capable I’d ever been and I’m sure the team would’ve helped me bury a body. Good times.😂

[@chucklesdeclown8819]

XD what are friends without getting you into shit like that wow.

[@theflamingone8729]

Find another club, an ameteur/hobby club would be less intense (mostly), and more enjoyable.

[@imjustsam1745]

You're getting better with every video. Keep up the hard work, you're going places.

[@Marcianito100PorCientoReal]

As a boxing practitioner, you seriously made me consider train some grappling related art, but I don’t know if there are American wrestling schools in Mexico though, well explained bro.

[@CelestialNerd336]

Freestyle and Greco-Roman are still pretty good. Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, and sambo are all perfectly serviceable, too. I'm not sure about the availability in Mexico, but I'm sure you have at least one of those in your area.

[@languidquid]

Lol who called themselves a "boxing practitioner" you clearly are a complete newb with zero skill

[@Marcianito100PorCientoReal]

@@languidquid No I’m not, it’s just that I don’t currently compete, I just fight inside the gym, other than that I couldn’t care less about what a complete stranger whose only fighting experience is watching Jet Lee movies thinks.

[@elpolitemexa2272]

Outside from some universities having freestyle wrestling teams, wrestling is very non existent in Mexico, with BJJ probably being the most common grappling art.

[@SaitohYatate]

En que parte de México vives?

[@thingstodowithgaming]

I do believe grecko-roman has a slight advantage over freestyle when strikes are involved because of the higher stance. But in turn the lack of single/double legs is a big disadvantage, so I guess it depends on what you think is more important

[@katokianimation]

Not just the stance but the distance managment also changes. For a single or a double leg takedown you have to shoot from distance in mma to not eat punches. That mid range pummeling dosen't really happens if striking is involved. It is going to be just striking or clinch fighting.

[@benerdick_cumberbiatch]

Single and double legs aren't that good for self defence. Greco-Roman is just better, so is Judo.

[@katokianimation]

@@benerdick_cumberbiatch agree. I really like the single leg takedown but if i did half of the stuff i do in the gym but on hard surface my knee cap would pop out of my leg. Also getting sprawled in a self defense scenario... no, i would rather just leg sweep the guy and get the f out...

[@maxanderson3733]

What in your opinion are the most important differences between Greco Roman and freestyle wrestling? 📝

[@candonesaucedo839]

As someone who did high-school wrestling I agree with you because you aren't going to the ground with your opponent in Greco-Roman as much as American wrestling and you don't want to be on the ground so much in the streets.

[@benjaminforster2529]

In the beginning of the video I was like, "this can't be right". However, by the end I was mostly convinced. It's a shame that most self-defence videos don't even mention the legal aspect: beating the crap out of somebody will probably get you in trouble even if you were "only defending yourself".

[@seppukusushi2848]

*"beating the crap out of somebody will probably get you in trouble even if you were "only defending yourself"* Tell that to Daniel (subway-chokehold) Penny. He probably would've been better off legally if he had struck the guy.

[@grappling.enthusiast]

@@seppukusushi2848 Using one example and acting like it proves some kind of point is ridiculous

[@seppukusushi2848]

@@grappling.enthusiast The stat that "95% of fights go to the ground" that every wrestler cites is taken from a L.A. Police study. They tend to leave that detail out. Wrestling with someone is playing COP and it can get you killed or sent to prison. Much easier to justify striking. Stop being ridiculous yourself.

[@grappling.enthusiast]

@@seppukusushi2848 youre the one being ridiculous, you need to be able to run - striking wont save you when someone grabs you

[@seppukusushi2848]

@@grappling.enthusiast We're talking about Daniel Penny on the subway and situations like that. Understand? Grabbing a guy and "subduing" him is stupid, and opens you up to legal and physical dangers that simply striking does not. You are essentially using police moves and behaving like a cop. It doesn't end an attack, and it's harder to articulate in a legal self defense case. Sorry chief, but you're the one being ridiculous. But by all means, go ahead and play cop and *wrassle* with your attacker. Maybe you can be the next Daniel Penny. Or maybe get attacked by his buddies while you're on the ground with him. lol

[@steezydi]

"You know what happens to a wrestler if you punch them? They become ANGRY"

[@sergiobatista2272]

You know what happens to a stryker when he is grabbed? He gets angry and you don't imagine what a stryker is capable of doing if grabbed. And do you know what happens when a wrestler is punched in the face or in the solar plexus by decent stryker? He fall in the ground uncunscious or dead and it doesn't matter how big and strong he is or how conditioned he is at taking hits.

[@CelestialNerd336]

@@sergiobatista2272 no. I've been hit by superior strikers with some weight on me, and while it hurts like hell after a few good ones land, it's not an instant knockout like you're saying. Unless you get a surgical jaw-tap or a liver shot that licks just right, nobody remotely close to your weight class is going down in one shot.

[@soramirez5473]

@@sergiobatista2272 lol how many SINGLE INSTANT strikes does that happen? lol ridiculous. a grappler will bring u to the ground and choke you out end of story.. he'll worry about the black eye later.

[@DamianKnox11]

cry more@@sergiobatista2272

[@hainleysimpson1507]

​@@sergiobatista2272 You obviously haven't fought in a street fight. If someone slams you into ground you are going to be wounded.

[@Lithilic]

Great point bringing the actual legal context into the conversation. Glad to know I learned some good skills for defense during my wrestling days.

[@seppukusushi2848]

People should ask Daniel Penny about that legal context, because he would've been better off legally had he struck the guy on the subway, instead of choking him out while wrestling with the guy.

[@youonlylikeonce9592]

I don't know if I completely agree with you, but I think you made your case very well. Very interesting video. Thanks for making it.

[@darrenstettner5381]

As usual, totally agree. You keep making some of the best combat/self-defense analysis and continue getting overlooked.

[@nickarnold1622]

The thought that I missed out on wrestling in high school makes me so sad

[@ValentinoDwight]

we dont even have wrestling in school

[@barmstrong25]

I have watched an all state wrestler in high school get beaten up really badly by a guy who was not trained in anything. The wrestler went for a take down was side stepped and punched to the side of his head. Once he fell to the ground and tried to get up, he was repeatedly kicked until someone stopped the fight.

[@randomguy6909]

Martial arts doesn’t make you invincible It’s a statement widely accepted but people are still confused on how martial artists lose a fight You can be the best but at the end of the day you’re still human

[@niscent_]

the deeper i get in the video and the more it reminds me of the situation of judo here in france. judo is extremely competition oriented, and big gyms tend to have a very competition driven culture. judo is crazy big in france, because of some past and current champions. it's the number one martial art or fighting sport, and the 5th most practiced sport. from my experience, judo practitioners are fairly tough, they tend to ignore feints or actual hits because they don't care and just send you flying once they grab you. competition standard for judo is a 5min fight. crazy high intensity because a single good throw with both shoulders hitting the ground is all it takes to end it. for the legal side, judo throws people, and it might cause immediate fight ending injuries, but it's not repeated strikes or breaking someone's arm off of a dominant position. when it comes to ground work judo guys sucks at submissions and very biased towards positioning and control holds. in some cities, schools have some accords with judo gyms to do judo as physical education. though it's much less common than wrestling is in the usa. judo is basically the french wrestling nowadays.

[@vargr80]

except and in its favor. you learn to adjust when someone grabs ahold of your clothing. you do learn strangles and joint locks should you need them, and most importantly from day one you learn to "aim" your opponent to land on vulnerable parts of their body while still maintaining balance.

[@maxanderson3733]

Holy shit that is fucking awesome! Thank you for the educating read

[@Wastelandman7000]

A lot of people underestimate Judo. This is a mistake. A lady I knew practiced Judo from a book with one of her cousins. Back in the 60's she was minding a store in NC in winter. Three guys came in trying to shake her down for money. She told them to get lost. The leader made the mistake of laying a hand on her. She flipped his sorry ass head first into a snow drift. They didn't come back.

[@niscent_]

@@Wastelandman7000 judo is all about arranging the meeting between a person and the ground.

[@C4Aries]

Plus judo is way more accessible as an adult and often cheaper than other material arts.

[@mandrakemech8280]

insightful and aiming for spot-on, great work again av 👏

[@attiylanen]

Agreed. Those who say wrestling isn't the best, have never been manhandled by a wrestler.

[@christianc.christian5025]

They also always default to “what if their friend hits you while you’re on the ground?” Fine. What if you get shot from 300 yards by an LDSK? It’s dumb.

[@yellowblobby]

​@@christianc.christian5025are you seriously responding to that argument by saying that having a second person choose to go against you is extremely unlikely?

[@erwinrommel2051]

The best is still combat sambo

[@kermit1211]

@@erwinrommel2051that's still wrestling

[@Rob-qr2kn]

Wrestling/grappling is the oldest martial art !

[@ethanalexander4963]

4:36 This is spoke to me on a level that nothing else ever has. I quite literally never leave comments on videos, but this statement could not be any more truthful. I had wrestled briefly during high school and was friends with the South Carolina state champion, Rian. A few years later, I saw his dad while I was at work and he invited me to wrestle with Rian and another person. At this point, it had been a few years, but I'm an advanced weightlifter and pretty great at cardio, so I felt it would be fine. Dear god was I wrong. While I definitely was bigger and (probably?) overall stronger than him, I held my own in the first round decently, all things considered, but was ultimately pinned. In the second round, I instantly collapsed and vomited in the locker rooms. The amount of cardio and strain on the muscles is unlike any kind of thing you do in any gym. I'm not sure how it compares to arts like Judo or Muay Thai, but if there's one thing I can vouch for, the statement at the above timestamp is extremely correct.

[@harrisonbloom816]

In high school I did fencing, which was REALLY FUN and a good experience, but was expensive and time consuming and ultimately not as practical a choice for a first martial art. It was only in college that I started getting into hand-to-hand martial arts and came to sorely regret never doing wrestling before. If you’re in high school or college and interested in this kind of stuff, join your wrestling team ASAP

[@Shiresgammai]

Fencing is great, but modern fencing has little to nothing to do with actual swordsmanship. I'm talking as a passionate fencer who has practiced the sport since childhood!

[@Wishuponapancake]

@@Shiresgammai actual rapier is so much more cool and interesting, i really wish hema fencing was the thing that became an olypmic sport

[@EgoCZ]

I don't think if this is that good comparison. Sure, fencing is a combat sport but I don't think anyone who does it means it to be his go to self defense strategy. It's like taking swimming clases and complaining they are worse for self defense than wrestling.

[@harrisonbloom816]

@@EgoCZ I agree. My point was more that, had I realized I’d be legitimately interested in learning to fight, I would have chosen wrestling as the sport to dedicate my time to, because now that I’ve graduated there are fewer opportunities to consistently train and compete in wrestling

[@Shiresgammai]

@@Wishuponapancake I know what you mean, but remember: rapier fencing wasn't a sport! It was preparation for real violence! Sports fencing was designed as a sport. I think that it would be hard to find a good insurance company with regards to actual Kampffechten!

[@SaftonYT]

You could also make a similarish argument for (Combat) Sambo and perhaps a handful of other arts, though I think the main argument that wrestling has over these would be size/established infrastructure. That being said, I do think wrestling is incredibly underrated for self-defense especially considering it's free with little to no barrier to entry as a youth. It's pretty much fundamental. One of my biggest regrets is not getting into it back in middle/high school.

[@jtstearns3373]

I can vouch as a former wrestler you’re either getting injured or getting good

[@maxanderson3733]

Lol! This comment had me picturing a senior year wrestler injuring a freshman saying _“Lol, Git Gus!”_

[@Abettergrappler]

@@maxanderson3733 Wait, we didn't all do this to one poor freshman? (who eventually did git gus from all the beatings)

[@colinhaney]

This is a good video for my place and time, which is the most i can ask for!

[@andrewmontgomery5266]

Glad you included Craig in there. His Greco-Roman hand fighting introduction in ECQC/EWO revolutionized the way I roll in BJJ and spar in MMA/Judo.

[@reidtaylor5019]

Mine too

[@logx12]

Curious about the way you adapted your judo game...can you share some tips?

[@andrewmontgomery5266]

@@logx12 sorry for the delay in replying, the Judo/standup grappling game that I play focuses heavier on getting the hand-fight and positional dominance before attempting my throw or takedown. Granted, if it was an actual judo match I’d get called for stalling for sure, but in BJJ or even standing clinch in MMA I’m more methodical in getting control and denying control. Nothing specific, but just a general application of principles from the bottom up as a “position before submission/attack” mindset.

[@lindaoxi]

Whether it's folkstyle wrestling or freestyle, there is a kneeling motion on the ground, which is dangerous on hard roads. You forgot to consider this.

[@The-E-Guy]

Kind of got to agree with that lmao

[@reidwithoutacause]

I did get to take some wrestling classes back in middle and high school. They put you in a hot ass room for 2 hours a day where we did handstand walks for a warm up. When I was in wrestling was probably the best shape I was ever in. Plus sprawling is in my dna.

[@ramonvelasquez8431]

Very interesting in fact, this made me think about a few stuff in regards to self defense 🤔 Good vid. Cheers, bro!

[@madmike1708]

It's hard to tell a striker that a grappler is probably going to merk them. They have very little idea of how out of their depths they are in the grappling department. They think they can pull a Derrick Lewis or think submissions wont work on them. You have to beat them several times in a row to let it sink in.

[@heartbeatbillionaire]

So would you say MMA is better than wrestling if you could only do one?

[@austiny6539]

Bjj guy here, kids start wrestling before anything else cuz anytime we get a good wrestler in our gym it takes at most a month or 2 before it’s nigh-impossible to submit them, teach a guy who can wrestle some submissions and he’s milestones ahead of most white blue and sometimes purple belts. My biggest regret is that I didn’t wrestle in school but at least my gym has classes

[@joseichoshow9846]

Yeah I regret that but I don’t feel bad because I didn’t have a wrestling team

[@natebardwell]

I am so, so, SO glad you brought up what ultimately really matters - the legal implications of self-defense.

[@sanic0718]

Judo can have a similar culture when pertaining to the sense of urgency that comes with tournaments, I’m going to one and the classes feel like 10x harder than normal.

[@merkins87]

That's what bjj misses: you get all the time in the world to set up your submissions, whereas in judo you're forced to move like you're double-parked & you can see the parking warden coming around the corner.

[@maxanderson3733]

@@merkins87 EXACTLY BRO! That intensity is just from a completely different dimension

[@phila9288]

You made me feel so proud to have grown up wrestling

[@nathanieltillman2355]

I'm A long time BJJ practioner....I agree the best rolls and sparring I have ever had are always with wrestlers. Meeting collegiate wrestlers in the gym is a golden day for me....I'm gonna busted up with how aggressive, and explosive they are......Then I'm gonna ask questions about their training and incorporate what I can into my training.

[@MartialArtsViking]

awesome, been waiting for a new video of you, i never thought about the going down-getting up from grapplers vs strikers👍🏻

[@DavidSertile]

As a relatively decent striker, I started taking wrestling and catch wrestling and got my ass BEAT and it really helped everything in general. Can't agree more.

[@TeaRiker]

I very much enjoy the straight forward style of your videos.

[@locky7443]

I agree entirely with the conclusion of the video, wrestlings is great. Unfortunately I live in Australia where we virtually no wrestling culture, it's not taught in most schools and the only club in my area is a hobbyist club that runs classes once a week, still better than no wrestling.

[@Auxified]

Thanks for confirming my own opinion. Now I need to figure out how to get into wrestling.

[@AndrewAurelio]

Great video. Now for the follow up question: if you’re out of school and missed the opportunity, what is the second best martial art for you to take?

[@jaketheasianguy3307]

Wrestling ? He literally said you can still find a wrestling club in local university

[@someboi4903]

Maybe judo ?

[@AndrewAurelio]

@@jaketheasianguy3307 You think they take middle aged townies at a University Club?

[@jaketheasianguy3307]

@@AndrewAurelio didn't know you are that old. Well, there are still independence wrestling clubs tho, the pricing will be just higher

[@ArmchairViolence]

They often do. A lot of public universities have to leave their clubs open to community members

[@ofmonadsandnomads9500]

I think you’re onto something ! I don’t specialize in wrestling but I seek out arts that have good grappling game, on top of whatever else they have.

[@mucpougaming6092]

No, the best art for protecting yourself is parkour.

[@butlazgazempropan-butan11k87]

Man. I wish there were some cool parkour spots in my town. Sadly the nearest bigger city is 50km away

[@Skoopyghost]

I think it's just three martal arts. Cardio, or just buying a gun, and finally skipping showers.

[@stevesawall1316]

I'd like to give Judo an honorable mention as a great self defense. Same principles as wrestling for the most part but gi/clothing grips are realistically available (jackets, hoodies, belts). The wrestling will do (and would have to at the beach unless you're modifying your judo which can be done) but these added grips will provide more leverage making some throws/techniques you already know as a wrestler easier to do; plus its off an upright posture which is much closer to how you would be naturally standing. If looking for something to compliment your wrestling for self defense that would be easy to learn (only easy if you already wrestle) then Judo is fantastic. Plus it does have some ground game - not as extensive as bjj in practice- but enough to help you if you find yourself on the wrong side of the exchange.

[@simkoning4648]

Arguments like this are why lately I've had a rapidly growing appreciation for historic and modern western/European martial arts and combat sports. I think during the 60s through 90s, there was a sort of fascination with Asian martial arts because there was this perception they provided some secret weapon to quasi-magically defeat athletically skilled wrestles and boxers. It also extended to weapons: look at how people viewed the katana vs western fencing and historical European fencing.

[@LastRellik]

Bro you're hilarious. Stoked to see this channel explode

[@ScrubDaddy265]

I wish my high school team had this level of support in the 90’s. In the intervening 30 years BJJ made wrestling more popular. Now our team that was struggling to stay AA, is AAA and never has to struggle to have someone at a particular weight class.

[@locke8412]

MMA made wrestling more popular

[@OneShotStop229]

My school didn't have a wrestling team. I didn't know better at the time so I didn't really care. I sure wish it did these days, though. However, I was able to take Judo and must say that I find it equal in every way, with the possible exception of the consistent intensity levels. In the video you said, "an art focused on takedowns and control" which describes Judo just as well as wrestling. I do BJJ now, and have no problems at all taking down other BJJ people. The only people who give me trouble are wrestlers. I do generally agree with this video. Maybe Judo would be number 2 because the intensity is definitely important.

[@maxschlegel3566]

The thing is.... I was a street fighter for about 15 years. I knew a lot of guys who came out of a wrestling background. Once they got past the wannabes that just didn't work any more. They had to learn how to fight all over again. Not to mention, once you are fighting 2, 3, 4 or more guys, suddenly a lot of that stuff is just a good way to get yourself killed. Once you are fighting multiple opponents, striking is superior to grappling. Not to say you can't grapple, but you have to know what and when. Boxing, hands down, best martial art for street-fighting. Though, you do want someone who can train you for street-fighting, specifically. And, preferably, someone who isn't a con-artist. Street-fighting is not a martial art, it is a type of fight. Most martial arts are just fine. They all come with bad habits that you will have to unlearn. Also, street-fighting is mixed martial arts. But, MMA wasn't really a thing when I was a street-fighter. Not like it is today.

[@shane9723]

Did you meet Chun-Li while doing this street fighter career of yours?

[@harrygreb3457]

​@@shane9723was M, Bison a tough dude?

[@ratking00]

In the streets you don't need martial arts... and least situation you want to happend is end up on the ground in the streets... As an MMA fighter and having a lot expiriences from street fights when I was younger and more dumb.... The best is kicking.... Pushkick to the knee, teep, calf kick, to counter takedown in the streets.... sprawl and 12 to 6 elbow on back of the head or spine, flying knee.... Keep distance always, never grapple you will get stabbed.... Personal expirience.... streets and grappling are dumb way to die .....

[@a1y422]

Great video as always. I’d say if we’re just talking about striking, I’d say Boxing is the best martial art for self defence. Super cheap, trained at higher intensities usually, trained in shoes, simple enough to quickly become proficient enough to beat normal people, deals with the most common attacks in real scenarios, easy to do while in restrictive clothing and shoes on any terrain, trained in shoes, easy to do without warming up, intimidating to the laymen if they find out you train it, etc. Boxing is amazing. And I say this as a kickboxer.

[@kalkisrevenge4841]

Boxing + wrestling is a classic combo. Both these turn boys into men

[@LeviathanLee]

Idk speaking as a fight nerd. The human body has more striking angles than just the basic boxing strikes. Boxing considers over half those strikes illegal or dirty. Can't pretend to be the best while not even utilizing all the punching angles. It's kinda incomplete. Filipino boxing which uses all the available strike angles is better and to this day it's called dirty boxing and trash talked. Plus when I was pushed into boxing they frowned on me being ambidextrous which I thought was odd. Called it an unfair advantage. The only sport that rejected me for being ambidextrous when all others creamed themselves at the prospect. So Since the 80s it's always been strange how folks speak so highly of something so flawed. I'm not debating it just pointing out the obvious flaws. Imo the best striking art is the South East Asia styles. Simply because they use all the angles as a default. Plus the original form required lead changes. Being right handed only wasn't an excuse but rather a flaw to correct. Interesting fact before the influence of Western boxing even Thai boxing had hammer strikes. That's why they were dangerous. It wasn't until they Western boxing pattern of jab cross etc that they were accepted but the skills declined dramatically. Filipino kickboxing was on the fringes for almost 20 years until they followed the pattern. I found that out from my combat vet instructors in the late 70s who were stationed there.

[@christianc.christian5025]

@@LeviathanLee It sounds like you’re having a different conversation. Which form to use as a competitor or professional =/= which form is best to teach an amateur for self-defense.

[@a1y422]

@@LeviathanLee Thought experiment. Day 1 boxer, day 1 kick-boxer, day 2 Muay Thai guy, who has the best chance against an untrained attacker? How about 2 weeks, 3 months? In a year? At 2 years it doesn’t really matter, but boxers get good really fast, and they get ridiculously specialized (good) at defending and using the highest thrown, highest percentage strikes in a fight, especially a street fight. You could also put the styles against each other. Pretty sure boxing reliably wins against the other arts until a year and a half because of how hard they spar with the frequency they do it plus they sheet conditioning they tend to do. Seen it happen many times irl. Another thought experiment. We’re in a crowded bar. I decide to try to fight you. You’re in jeans. You’re drunk. You’re not warmed up. Is kicking me the best play here? Let’s take a 6 months example here. 6 month boxer will be fine, probably. You’ve had 6 months as a kick-boxer, and now you can’t even kick? So now you’re boxing with worse hands than you’d have as a boxer. You’re talking about a boxer coming into contact with a kick-boxer. Or mma guy. Or whatever. In an open area that’s not slippery, while wearing athletic clothing. And they’re warmed up. Which is incredibly rare. Boxing is just better. And at 2 years, every martial art works out for the most part. So if boxing becomes effective faster than other martial arts and is more applicable to more situations, wouldn’t it be the best striking martial art for self defence? It’s like talking about body shots when somebody tells you a high and closed guard would be a good thing to know if you’re in a street fight. Yeah, the guard has its issues. Everything does, super smart martial arts nerd. The untrained hooligan will definitely mix up intricate combos on you alternating levels instead of headhunting. Why doesn’t Petr Yan get destroyed to the body even though he likes employing the high guard so often? Because he knows how to fight and when to change shit up and when to employ shit. Keyboard warrior shit here. Also. Boxers can fight differently, dirty if they have to. They also do it in the ring. Easy to punch someone in the back of the head if you’re good at punching and good at angling and good at etc etc etc. I’d take the average MMA guy over the average “more complete” Krav Maga guy. Your argument sounds like it’d imply Wing Chun would be a better martial art for self defence instead of Boxing as well because it has more striking potential. You gotta think of how the martial arts are trained. Wtf is Filipino boxing? I’ve looked it up, looks like bummy Muay Thai. I say bummy because it’s even unknown to MMA fans. So it must be like Muay Thai but trained like a community centre karate kids class. I’ll take a boxer over this. Again, with the MMA vs “more complete” Krav Maga. Also availability. Who tf teaches Filipino boxing in the average city? What, I’m gonna drive 45 mins to some random shitty place away from my crib instead of 1 of a dozen boxing places in my city? You know very well that people are gonna be more likely to skip class if there’s more barriers to getting there. Probably the type of guy to say wrestling will get you stomped on. If I blast double leg someone, slam them, etc, and I smash them onto concrete, hitting them with the world, they’re not getting up. If they’re still moving they get soccer kicked by a super conditioned and athletic athlete lol TLDR; boxing gets you good at self defence fastest, is the most efficient at fighting untrained opponents, most applicable to every situation, and only loses to other martial arts on the street at around 2 years (and even then, because flexibility, warming up, clothing, environment etc, might still beat the other martial arts anyway)

[@artistjac6863]

@@a1y422 This is the most well thought out rebuttal to "in a real fight" or "boxing is a limited martial art" I've ever seen. I think the growing popularity of MMA has led many people to underestimate boxing because they're so focused on "using all your weapons" instead of becoming highly proficient with the "highest thrown, highest percentage" weapons (i. e., your fists). There's also tons of video evidence of trained boxers dismantling people on the street with relative ease. Even with the advent of MMA, boxing is still a thing because it works, plain and simple. Great comment. Thanks for the read.

[@uberdonkey9721]

You are a star. For years I've been frustrated by the bs talked about by both high level competitive fighters and crazy martial artists. I don't know your background, but you are so much closer to the truth than anyone else on KZbin.

[@MrMagnaniman]

I came to tell you to look into Craig Douglas of Shivworks. But, it seems, you're already familiar with his work. For those that don't know, Craig Douglas teaches Greco-Roman wrestling (more or less) as a combat martial art. The hyper-focus on hand control and balance is, he says, the fundamental basis of dealing with armed combatants. As it turns out, professionals that fought for one of the largest empires in history knew a thing or two about how to win fights.

[@anon2034]

Craig Douglas of Shivworks - good stuff!

[@simongardner3766]

I liked the logic of, it's easier for the wrester to bring the fight to the floor, than for the stand up fighter to bring it back to stand up fighting. Most takedowns professional or amateur seem to be a head down charge to the waist and grabbing the body. A good defence against that would make a huge difference. Standup fighters I have watched seem to find trips etc. much easier to counter. The five guys scenario is fair enough, but what if it's two? The wrester is grappling with one while the other attacks him on the ground. A stand up fighter might be able fight both. Plus competition fights are faught on soft mats, with loose clothing, and a ring or octagon to confine the combat. What if it is a hard concrete car park, with plenty of space to maneuver, and the stand up fighter is wearing tight fitting clothes. I suppose the scenario is key here. Great video's, really makes me think about this subject.

[@skiller242]

I do wrestling for few years and it reallt heavy on your body. I do try to train about 70% and focuse alot on hands fight and positions but you have to have good shape to thrive unlike BJJ or even muay thai when you can flow more and train more a week. Dispait all that I 100% agree, I always say that wrestling is the meat in the burger ;)

[@redbeardthepink4809]

Keeping up with it is kind of hard after getting out of school, but I do feel like it left me with a good baseline of fitness and a working knowledge of how to handle myself in some self defense situations, so I think this is spot on.

[@bryantaylor1572]

LOL, yep. Had a wrestler who I outweighed by like 40 lbs... Using BJJ rules (which he had like no training in, but I do) he still ran me around. Might not have lasted a minute if he were 20 pounds closer.

[@ultimatecomeback9645]

i do agree that wrestling is effective as slamming someone on the concrete in the street will instantly mess them up. however, I don't believe any form of grappling is better than any form of striking. BJJ is very successful due to the rules like if a BJJ guy messes up the takedown and the BJJ guy ends up on his knees and you're still standing then you're not allowed to just kick them in the head as then you automatically lose the fight to my knowledge so you have to go to the ground with him or let him stand back up. but in the street if you mess up the takedown and end up in a vulnerable position then nothing is stopping the opponent from taking advantage of. also there isn't a cage in the street so if you go for a double leg takedown in the street the opponent could just back right off as there is nothing behind them. something similar happened to me when I sparred a grappler on a field and I just kept jogging backward while occasionally jabbing them and they basically chased me around the field trying to get hold of me. plus what if you try and close the distance and grab hold of them and they pull a knife and get some quick stabs in while you're in a sort of clinch position. the good thing about striking is you don't have to get close to the attacker, you can keep circling and fainting, etc, and if they rush in then you just hit them with a punch as they are stepping in. and with the inclusion of low kicks same sort of thing, stay at a distance and if they try to step in then you kick their leg which will either hurt their leg and have them limping or it might even make them fall over depending how hard you kick. it's not as simple as "grappling is better than striking" I've seen grapplers get beat up in the street and I've also seen a boxer put 3 guys on the ground.

[@VenturaIT]

wrestling is only good vs same weight or smaller, same strength/athletic ability and vs someone who can't counter your wrestling... if the other guy is a strong athletic guy and you don't somehow disable his striking then you could end up in big trouble since you are actually bringing yourself closer to him by clinching or engaging in a grappling contest... too risk IMO to do anything offensive in a street/self defense situation... that's why aikido (which is basically soft japanese jiujitsu and the same as Krav Maga) is so effective for self defense given that you train hard enough and are skilled enough because the #1 thing to stay safe on the street is distance and a good aikido school teaches distance from day 1... best martial art is not to be there 2nd best is to run.

[@MeshuggahDave.]

I fought a guy like you. He stopped yapping and yipping the moment I got my hand on him.

[@MeshuggahDave.]

@@VenturaIT aikido is not the same as Krav Maga lol

[@motobenbh4722]

You're probably right, about wrestling - I couldn't say. But your presentation is astounding.

[@sirbobulous]

One of the things I was always jealous of American schools was wrestling. For tween and teen me the closest I could get in the UK was Rugby which is distinctly different :D

[@astrosherlock374]

I was able to find a really good Judo club in my university tho. The competitive nature with which training is done here matches wrestling in speed and athleticism. Judo is basically Japanese wrestling with a Gi on anyways (minus double and single legs but I learned that in BJJ anyways).

[@Walleyedwosaik]

Bro do you know of any martial arts that would be good for my knee that is prone to dislocation? I’m 15 and prior to dislocating my knee I did a lot of kickboxing bc my dad was a kickboxer but I find it really hard to balance on one leg when kicking ad the twisting movement is very straining, so I mostly focus on boxing and elbows but I was wondering if I could do grappling with my knee?

[@antonsimmons8519]

My favorite response is: The one you'll actually stick to and get good. Same response when people ask me which weapon to get for things like HEMA, etc.: The one you want to use, because then you'll use it.

[@anonymousbosch9265]

I’m in my early 40’s and trained mma 20 years ago when things were more likely to be divided into the classifications of up fighting and ground fighting and people kind of still thought you were stupid or crazy for doing it. The gym I went to nurtured a few professional careers but I was interested in being a better self defender because I have a high risk job in a violent inner city environment. The instructor would go over the curriculum of the day and go over the theory and the counters and the best way to employ said lesson topic and then say “whatever name I’m using on the internet, this may be more effective for you if you changed it here or all together avoided it” I really liked that club

[@taylor8337]

Combat Sambo I think. Pretty comprehensive striking including headbutts and groin strikes, as well as trips and throws which don't require as much commitment on hard surfaces. 🤔

[@iforde116]

Nice format, I'll have to check these out.

[@mattsuran1270]

I still wear my old singlet but I cut out a crotch hole, now no one wants to mess with me.

[@jacksondotter149]

my favorite point in all of this was how he mentions that you’re conditioned to stay off of the ground. I was put through wrestling by my dad from basically when i was old enough to walk until through high school. I’ve been out of high school for four years now and I only recently became able to fall asleep on my back. Every time before that, if I started to doze off on my back, I’d jolt up and gag a little bit. Always hated that but it’s a really interesting reminder of how I spent my time. I used to hate it, but after being out of wrestling long enough, I miss it. The only reason I don’t look for local events is because I have piercings I don’t want to take out just yet :p

[@richardhenry1969]

Small circle jujitsu the problem is most only know little bits of it. I was a high school wrestler and I boxed. Those are only good if you are young. A true art teaches you how to survive regardless of your physical abilities. I thought the way you did until I got older. Now I train the same but work on different skills.

[@katokianimation]

Respect

[@roaneeroane3451]

Which art you recommend

[@richardhenry1969]

@@roaneeroane3451 small circle jujitsu if you can find a real accredited gym. The simple truth is no one art has everything. Small circle is the most complete art I’ve ever seen. They train boxing,judo, jujitsu,Filipino martial arts, an karate. If you just want self defense taught very fast it’s hard to beat Filipino martial arts.

[@roaneeroane3451]

Thanks imma look into that

[@ivanvanogre-nd1sw]

You have an excellent sense of humor! Great video. Real wisdom...

[@TheFightDialogue]

Interesting. As a person who has felt the full rath of "slowly being run over by a car" more times than I ever wanted to be, I agree mostly. That being said, time to play devils advocate! Culture: Competition breeds innovation and evolution. Darwin blah blah yes we know the drill. This is an advantage in a COMPETITION environment. Is this video not about SELF DEFENSE? This is going to sound like a stereotype..... because it is but, every wrestler I've ever met has displayed a hyper-aggressiveness and willingness to engage in a challenge that has been bred in to them since they began wrestling. If I asked you who would be more likely to get into a "that guy looked at me funny" bar fight? A jiu jitsu guy, or wrestler? I would bet on the wrestler every time. Not to say that there aren't egotistic bjj practitioners and that they couldn't get into silly pointless fights, but I would say because of the culture of BJJ and some other traditional martial arts they are less likely to do this. Wrestler culture damn near encourages it. I've been friends with many wrestlers in highschool and this has just been my experience with them. Sorry, not sorry! Whether or not you are a good fighter or not, willingly engaging in UNECESSARY FIGHTS, is NOT good self defense. Submissions and Position: There is going to be overlap between pretty much every grappling art. To say that BJJ practitioners that have needed to defend themselves on the street "just use wrestling because they can not legally submit people" is not fair. BJJ encourages position over submission therefore the securement of a dominant position can not be reserved for just wrestling. The examples you used of bjj practitioners nullifying their opponents was not them using wrestling. It was them using BJJ and then choosing not to submit the person. That's the difference between self defense BJJ and "self defense wrestling". CHOICE. BJJ guys have the ability to submit people (and then go to jail) or.....just not submit people and not go to jail. Wrestlers have ONE OPTION. They can not submit people because they don't know how. So there is no choice to be made. While we are on that subject, wrestlers do not have the ability to escape submissions in a technical manner either. Because they don't know how. If they have to "self defend" themselves against someone that has a half decent guillotine or RNC (which most random people can apply without any training) the wrestler might be in a predicament. What I'm trying to say is that pure BJJ guys have more options in a fight. Pure wrestlers have only one path to victory and if it doesn't work it can become a problem. More options in a life or death situation is always better IMO! Keep making thought provoking videos like these! Love them!!!!!!!!!

[@someguynamedsteve3753]

Yeah as a wrestler I’m always looking for a fight… but that was also me before I started wrestling 😂 however I get what you are saying. I would still argue mma is the best. You are still training to fight someone so when someone tries to fight you in the street and you are mostly the same size, the guy who knows a little of everything is gonna do better then a pure wrestler or Jiu Jitsu artist as if a pure wrestler takes me down and as you said they have a decent guillotine the wrestler is done knowing from experience. But if a pure Jiu Jitsu guy comes in and he starts getting lit up but can’t fully takedown the guy he is wrestling as he has a good enough takedown defense your kinda screwed.

[@TheFightDialogue]

@@someguynamedsteve3753 100% agree, better to know more than one art but to Arm Chair Violence's point that is a boring answer lol. Need to know striking and grappling!!! Every time i fight a wrestler im like "god damn it" because its always an intense and challenging roll!

[@karate7173]

Very informative, good video!!

[@radioactiveassassin5218]

Why did I feel like watching a salesman trying to sell me product the entire video?

[@This_Man90]

God i love these videos, especially this one because it specifically adresses martial arts for self defence. I've worked in security for years, seen a ton of conflicts and literally not one fight ended with a submission or choke. Not one wrestler thrived and not one fight ended on the ground for more than 4 seconds. In real life, one sneaky blow is often enough.

[@davidturner1641]

super true, i have NEVER understood how someone gets totally winded in three rounds of MMA at 2 minutes each. we had the same amount of time in wrestling with a higher level of intensity. there are NO long breaks in a wrestling match. the second you let up your guard you will have them shoot a take down OR get a warning from the REF

[@SlowDoomer]

Great video. I 100% agree with you and I think that there is a third downside to wrestling, although it's not as big of a deal as some might think. That downside is that wrestlers are a bit open to strikes prior to their inevitable takedown. Like I said, not a big deal because the window of opportunity for strikes is only a couple of seconds against the average person, but a little punch awareness would be a benefit. An MMA school would likely be the best place to learn how to use wrestling for when strikes are present.

[@liamdurham7236]

wrestling has served me incredibly well, mostly for arm drags and standing locks.

[@tye3ow]

As a former wrestler who did hands on loss prevention for around a decade I can confirm that I used my wrestling pretty much 100% of the time whether I was dealing with a hand to hand, knives or needles. I used some principles of jits and rarely when dealing with a bigger opponent I'd have to put them to sleep, but generally wrestling is what I used. When you can drag a crackhead back into a store without any bruises the cops never question your level of force

[@bladecommando]

As someone who is shit at wrestling, and has done traditional marts arts for a long time... I am forced to agree with your conclusion. I am also bitter about it lol