What's Harder: Striking or Grappling?
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
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@Tony_Jeffries
What’s harder.. striking or grappling? BJJ or Muay Thai? Wrestling or Kyokushin? Sambo or Boxing?
Today we find out…
Big thanks to Hometown Martial Arts in Raleigh, NC for letting me come train!
hometownmartia...
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Great video btw, another video should be Kung Fu vs Gun Fu. Since Keanu Reeves did both in The Matrix and John Wick. Jokes aside, which is harder melee vs ranged weapon martial arts. Archery and Gunmanship to name a few or Hojutsu from the Japanese as an example of ranged weapon martial arts.
If you ever come up to Canada I would love to show one of you guys the way I fight. I used to teach very Traditional Matsubayashi Ryu at 15 as Sensei's Senpai. I also come from a street fighting background in a town where people used to scrap for fun. I was constantly attacked by my older larger brother so I know how to properly apply Shorin Ryu to full effect and my brothers dirty street fighting techniques. I had to quit teaching at 19 because I almost killed him when I finally lost control over his bullying. I once gave a guy a Rock Bottom to the concrete while bouncing one night. He kicked my bouncer partner in the chest breaking his ribs.
Striking because punches to the face hurt more than getting choked lol
@@user-yd3uh4pz5e A poorly executed choke can still hurt even if you tap. I've had newbies almost injure my larynx because they put their forearm bone right across my throat rather than their bicep and forearm blocking off my carotids. I still agree, though. Striking hurts more often. Just that grappling injuries, when they happen are a lot worse for the body, even though not as much for the head.
If possible then you should come to India and try some Indian mud wrestling and training techniques I am sure you will love it,and also down south in Kerala India there is a oldest traditional Martial art called kalaripayattu, you try that too
As someone who does both Grappling is harder at the beginning and it gets easier but striking starts easier and gets harder
Great way to put it
Fr I do the same as well
Brilliant
Facts because long term damage and harder opponents first fights are easy and then they get harder theres a lot of skill that pepole don’t notice it boxing to
I am a light person who has done both for 5 years now and grappling is just way harder for me. In striking i dont constantly have to deal with someones full body weight the entire time, i can literally just back away
Harder to train is grappling, harder to compete or spar is definitely striking.
What?😂 I think the total opposite.. Most boxing and muay Thai gyms are much more hard nose and train much harder.. There’s hardly any conditioning in most Jiu jitsu classes compared to a real boxing gym.. Bjj harder to learn as a beginner though cause the movements are less natural in my opinion so harder to drill into muscle memory.
Takes 10 years to get black belt in bjj it's also harder to comepte in grappling
@@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200 I get what you mean about bjj, that art is full of middle aged men with desk jobs and limited time, so the conditioning isn't the highest. Obviously it all depends on the specific gym you train at, I'm sure some BJJ gyms are realyl tough, others super relaxed, same with boxing.
But bjj isn't the only grappling. Go to a serious wrestling or judo gym... Even the average high school wrestling practice beats the average boxing or kickboxing gym in terms of difficulty IMO
@@yagottapaythetrolltoll3127 A lot of people say that Im not American so havent been exposed to American wrestling culture but I've heard they're very disciplined, Ive trained at Mma submission grappling gyms and they had some wrestlers, they had a more tough culture than traditional gi Bjj gyms ive been in
@@yagottapaythetrolltoll3127 Im noy attacking BJJ by the way its very beautiful and a great art, just relating my own experience
"It depends" is how you know who's a real expert. Truth ain't simple.
It's kinda annoying, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, that answer is usually the right one, but like... Sometimes you just want an easy, simple answer that fully wraps up a question... But that's almost never the case in life.
@@Profile__1that's... Quite specific yet general in scope which makes it deeper of a question than it needs to be. But those r wise words too. Thanks for the astute observation. I'm gonna dwell in it now 😅😊
@@Profile__1 For a simple answer, you need a complex question. For a complex answer, you need a simple question. And there's a whole ass spectrum in between either of those extremes that makes things super fucky. It's annoying cuz you never really get the answer you wanted, but you do get better questions to ask... And then the cycle repeats.
@@synthemagician4686the cycle involves experiencing the techniques and styles for yourself too. Just as long as u can keep up at your own pace since everyone has a different learning curve u will discover which martial art u will find yourself learning and liking. I've tried grappling and it feels therapeutic to me. I've asked a few of my teammates and most of them see it as just exercise, a hobby to keep themselves occupied.
Yah. I’ve the build of someone who can be very agile and quick. My striking would absolutely eclipse my grappling. Not that strong and I’m afraid being in close where mistakes are going to occur point blank. For some it’s the opposite, I think. It really depends on the individual, their natural genetics and their state of perception. And also what they’re just more apt to readily learn and understand.
Great video brother
Thanks Tony!
Tony legend 👊
Ay just watched your breathing video andit helped alot
I think the problem is that they have very different curves.
Striking at the beginning feels way easier, you’re pretty much standing up, and with some basics you can do okay, but progress is steeper the further you go.
Grappling is way harder at first, you’re *drowning* in new stuff, postures, positions, traps,… but once you get over the initial hump, the progress is much more linear.
Switching to grappling also has the added benefit of not having to explain the boss why I have swollen lip before a meeting 😂
I think it also comes down to striking being more talent dependent compared to grappling. I think with atleast bjj everyone can become pretty decent, but with striking you need some attributes to be really good.
@@rico14yeah, if you got a glass jaw you are just cooked in striking
I feel like this is a parallel similar to music and musical instruments. Vocals, for example, are something anyone can start learning how to do, but to get good at singing takes a long time and a lot of effort. Playing something like piano or guitar can feel very difficult at first because you are just trying to build basic dexterity with your hands, learn good posture, as well as trying to absorb concepts like chords, intervals, etc, all at the same time. But once you get more comfortable with the basics, the progression is easier and you can start playing casually.
You can still get a swollen lip sometimes 😂 I got a nasty knee to the lip while rolling..
@@badart3204 How do I know if I have a glass jaw or not?
I used to think that striking gets more injuries and switched to Judo. I never had so many injuries before
Additionally, I think it was maybe a bit one sided to only compare BJJ to Striking, because BJJ is known in the big Grappling Community to be easier for the body (people over 40 are invited to do BJJ with the advantage to not hurt yourself so much) then other Grappling Arts like Freestyle Wrestling, Judo, Sambo and so on
@@faylmusicsambo is practically MMA with different rules. The combat aspect is what unarmed combatants would be doing in street fights.
@@charmainebucco951 No only Combat Sambo is practically MMA. If you do Sambo there is no striking at all.
Bjj is easy as shit on the body. Judo is harder than anything I’ve ever done although I suspect wrestling is harder.
I got injured 2 weeks in bjj after 6 months of muay thai
Striking hurts way more. Grappling is far more complicated, and takes forever (at least for me) to learn
Great vid !!!
Thanks much
Saying grappling is more complicated is bold. A lot of details at high level.
Striking only really hurts a lot... when you have not developed a Hardened Body. If you do regular Iron Body conditioning... you can take twice the impact potentials.. and feel a quarter of the potential pain sensations. The denser your bone and tissues are... the less damages and pain, you will take. And with the highest level techniques (soft / internal arts methods), you learn how to intercept / defect the OPs attacks, without suffering any Impact damages. Though, its always still advisable, to have fully conditioned yourself... least the OP manage to get a solid impact on you.
And as the other poster responded... Standup / Striking... can be just as complicated, if not more so. This often depends on what art you are training in. Kickboxing, is far easier to master than Wing Chun... for example. WC has like 100 times the amount of Tools that have to be developed, and mastered. And since its rare that anyone today ever fully masters anything at all... most are bad at it, as a result.
I agree. I started grappling at a fairly young age, and it's always felt easier than striker. I think it just comes down to the fact that I didn't train any striking until later in my training. Both are very difficult in their own ways
@@EgoCZ grappling has more positions and in each position lots of takedowns controls escapes submisions and set ups wich also go into deep detail, dont saying striking isnt hard to learn but with grappling you have to learn more , but for a fact bjj is the hardest to get you black belt in eventhough not every sport has a beltsystem😅
@@ThePries
Exactly !!! I started striking early and was lucky to win a Golden Gloves Boxing Championship. As to grappling I have a brown belt in judo. I think BJJ is the most difficult of all the arts I’ve trained. (To @EgoCZ’s point above) it is fun, and tapping is much more fun than getting my brain rattled.
I would also say defensive grappling is way easier than offensive grappling, but for striking it’s the opposite.
I agree. Stinking offense is simple but defense requires insane reaction time.
For BJJ lower belts are all about learning how to survive, and it's not until higher levels you actually get good at setting traps and attacking subs.
Sparring partner "When i say I'm new, I'm horrible at it" Sensei Seth "Perfect" LOL
I’ve practiced several different arts, but I think the hardest on the body was probably Judo. When I was a teenager, my Judo club moved from the rec centre to a warehouse in the industrial section of town. The straw tatami mats on top of those cement floors made the surface we were falling on roughly equivalent to being thrown with force onto kitchen tile. One of my fellow students’ moms was a paediatrician. She saw this and pulled him from the class. I also remember seeing very serious injuries in competition, like when one of my friends was drop-seo-nage’d onto his head and suffered pinched vertebrae and a concussion.
As a wrestler seeing jiu jitsu as the representative for grappling in this discussion of difficulty is a bit annoying. Besides maybe aikido, jiu jitsu has got to be the chillest, least cardio-intensive popular grappling art.
I can not imagine getting thrown hard onto something like that, I would honestly leave that gym
Judo gyms need to work on their safety tbh, maybe it would be more popular in the US if they didn't do stupid things like not even use mats when people are getting violently thrown
@@yagottapaythetrolltoll3127Jiu jitsu is about using the least amount to subdue an opponent/attacker. In comparison to something like wrestling that’s meant to impose one’s own will and action on their opponent. I just see it as a game. How easily can I control and submit. Or long can I play before I’m in a bad spot.
@@yagottapaythetrolltoll3127I’ve never heard of a judo club that didnt have mats… all clubs would benefit from spring mats though. The sport itself is a lot of high impact throws , low impact throws like footsweeps aren’t really tough on your body. But if you consider plenty of older adults try judo vs wrestling (where younger kids can handle the impact easier) the injury rate makes sense. BJJ was never a physically difficult sport for me, but I started when I was in my early 20s and in shape. A 40 something year old in the US usually won’t go to wrestling because wrestling classes aren’t common..but they might try judo and get injured there.
Also the competitive nature of judo leads to some future Olympians training hard as hell. Any Olympian has multiple major injuries more or less.
I won’t deny judo has injuries but the mats is not the main reason.
Judo teaches throws far safer than bjj gyms do IMO which only makes sense.
I agree, I did judo for 3 months, which is nothing, but I injured my shoulder and my ankle just during drills.
whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! I practice judo for 4 years and never had a practice in such a hard floor. Now if I see such shite, I don't even step on the tatami.
grappling has a quite a steep learning curve... striking learnning curve is more like a rollercoaster
I had a better, more innate understanding of striking earlier on in my martial arts/combat sports journey, but I've grown to really love the intricacies of grappling. All I know for sure is that striking was my first love, but getting better at grappling has been extremely gratifying as I've gotten older.
Its crazy to me that Seth doesn't have more subscribers with amount of work and passion he puts into his content. If you are a fan of martial arts, you should be subscribed to Seth because he gives all martial arts their fair representation
I agree bit I see the same with many great content creators or artists
@@abcdefgcdefg5178 I'm sure this is a real comment, but it's such a common comment on so many videos that it makes it seem like you're a bot, ESPECIALLY with that name lol.
@rbo7 nah, I'm not a bot lol, but I can do the robot 🤣
@rbo7 the name is just an inside joke
Answer is: Yes.
Training both is extremely helpful especially if you find an art in each which is open to incorporating the best of others in its space and not rigidly held to its “foundations” beyond the beginner level.
I find that MT and Judo go extremely well, with the fun nuance that because of the MT stance (orthodox) I am opposite in Judo (kenka yotsu) which is hard to learn when the instructor insists I’m not left handed 😅. MT is great to start since it covers all lead in distances up to the grips/clinch then Judo starts from there for the takedown and submission.
Your definition of your grappling is spot on. I too feel like I’m naturally an okay wrestler. But technically I feel like a baby reading the dictionary.
The fact they have hitmonlee on the wall makes them the best gym around, I don’t even need a free intro class. Sign me up.
I think it's personal preference and what you're built for. Grappling comes naturally to me even though I spent most of my time striking. I also have an easy time gaining strength, but a harder time building cardiovascular endurance.
Grappling is way harder if you have a relatively thin frame, and striking is harder if you have a relatively bulky frame but this also comes with natural power so i’d say overall grappling is harder
I think bulky guys are generally worse grapplers.
@@PanicGiraffenot true I'm well muscled and Its harder to move me in wrestling but with striking reach matters a lot more
Injury-wise, the ones from training striking were mostly bruises for me. Wrestling however almost dislocated my left shoulder. Looking at it from that angle, I'd say grappling is harder.
Grappling is definitely more complex, so many positions and moves... But I will say, I've never been scared to wrestle someone (if they are a lot bigger/better they'll control me and submit me, whatever), but getting into a striking match with someone much bigger is terrifying, because you know that even their light punches can hurt you a lot
Very strong beginners are the most dangerous for lighter people. Getting thrown on your head is not uncommon because they can just pick you up and toss you but have 0 control on the landing.
Exactly this, its telling that most people have never hard sparred someone better than them in striking. Wrestle the best guy in the class he taps you out in 30s. Big whoop. Strike against the best guy in the class you've got 3minutes of straight punishment, and that's only 1 round. And there's no tapping. Had rounds where I've been hit 50+ times (training against former pro for example). Uncomparable to losing a grappling spar..
For me personally I think striking is more easier to learn than grappling because it’s kinda easy to practice basic striking techniques all you need is a bag /shadow boxing.
But for grappling all you can do is practice falling down, moving around the floor and get back up. You need someone else or a dummy to practice on.
But what really important is which style you enjoy more because if you like it you pick it up better.
Tony Jeffries is such a natural RUclipsr. Ive watched a lot of his videos and when he stopped talking in this vid I was like "ahhh man" 😂 no offense Seth love ur vids too 😅
Toughest is wrestling at least for training. In general. But as always it depends. I train BJJ, Judo, Wrestling and some MMA. They all can feel the hardest at times.
Glad you dig the murals there! I painted large mural and the bathrooms! Would love to do more gym murals!
I’m way more out of exhausted doing wrestling than boxing
I think it depends on which grappling and striking art
some of your watchers are still training their subscribe button pressing. Eventually they'll develop the coordination
Some us of are masters at pressing the subscribe button, we just refuse to do so for those that aren't worthy.
Yeah, some of us are masters at this art
Both disciplines can be very complex, both can lead to injury. Both require strenuous physical exertion and mental toughness.
So I guess I would say the most difficult thing to do is the thing that comes least naturally.
Great video Seth!
They are both difficult in different ways.
Striking is hard in that the pace can be difficult to match when sparring or otherwise. No control of breathing while striking or defending will leave you gassed.
In grappling, it's not so much pace as much as enduring the grind. Going muscularity and bodily structure can leave you fatigued from the constance of limbs application to strain and relax. (Muscle cramps can occur 😂)
Overall: grappling is harder to learn as the techniques require a variety of control and understanding as well as the counters that can also accompany those techniques.
Now, to be fair, depending on the type of striking (traditional m.a. vs boxing and kickboxing) there will be a variety of factors that can be harder to learn... but ultimately, with drilling and training, you can gain foot work and head move (which were difficult for me at first and still)
Note: that was a lot. I train Karate and kick boxing (14 years) and BJJ (9 years)
I think I'd say I disagree with grappling being harder to learn because I'd say the sheer number of submissions in jiujitsu or takedowns in wrestling can be difficult to wrap your head around but over time you can kind of get it when it all clicks for you but it's really hard to perfect your striking as well. But also it probably depends on the individual.
@@HG-wl2fmNope, grappling will never get easier. It’s always a learning process and the sheer cardio you need for it is like nothing other.
@@HaroldBluetooth-uz1zz I disagree I find grappling easier to last for longer and I’ve felt the difference when you click and understand
@@HaroldBluetooth-uz1zz and you think people just absolutely master striking at some point or what? There's an infinite amount of learning to be done in striking as well, it just gets very complex very quickly.
@@RenzDavis At the pro level I would argue boxing is more difficult than wrestling; the cardio required is higher to make it through all those rounds. As a casual martial artist in both I would say grappling is easier for the same reason. At the serious-semi serious level? That’s harder for me to determine.
I think hardest on the body is wrestling and muay thai. How about comparing what gives more injuries or what is best for leg strength or flexibility?
One being harder than the other is…. Both have unique difficulties that different people will find easier or harder to accommodate.
One thing I will say is that it is easier to train safely at near full intensity in grappling than striking…. At least in sparring. But you can practise strikes solo more easily than you can grappling.
I will also say that I find it way easier to “rest” when I grapple than in striking. A good defensive posture and you can grab a few moments. Much like Seth talks about.
In wrestling there are no break moments, only full steam ahead.
Where do I get a 20 foot neonwave Hitmonlee decal ??? And how do I convince my wife that we should put it up in our house ???
Is grappling harder or striking harder? This is a good question to explore. You broke it down for us so well. Listening to others opinions and voicing your own in the struggle and process. It is for me as you mentioned is doing or trying something new and different. Many people like to argue this style is better than your style or no style is better than any other Martial Art debates. The thing is have these people spent time trying the thing they are putting down? I have much respect and love for it all. Especially my traditional style TKD. 😊
I think there is a mirror to their learning bell curves. With striking, most people know how to throw a basic punch, it dosnt take much to pick up the basics of kick boxing. Once your acquainted with the meta its a long road to having obvious dominance over beginners.
The reverse is true with grappling, where not many people can move well on the ground, a small amount of time in grappling can show great dominance over beginners
4:00 why is there a dog in the gym😭😭💀
15:25 I'm a parkour coach who's also transitioning into self defense coaching and I found THIS bit the most interesting: 15:25 It's the one about different breathing rhythms between striking and grappling and transitioning between them.
And, granted, this video has A TON of interesting tidbits to martial arts coaches, in my humble opinion! This was just the best
Also, I was going to say there's no way Seth reached 200bpm but I remembered that he's young, like mid20's, right?
A very well researched and put together video. One of your best. Excellent.
i think people neglect personal ability, my most trained martial art is kickboxing however, when I started training and playing with my ground game ,I found I was really good at it naturally without much training, call it what you want talent or confidence even as I started this journey I was able to spar with people with experience, i was using my body weight, understanding of my body positions and opp, all without exp, also learning subs and strategies felt easy and right hard to explain. I think some people are naturally better at striking others, grappling everyone is different or it could false confidence , Idk am still new in the ground game and love rolling
I think one difference is that in striking its easier to do what you want to your opponent but harder to stop what your opponent wants to do to you. In grappling its harder to do what you want but much easier to stop what they want to do you.
one thing im sure is its harder to get better at grappling in the beginning since a a lot of moves are situation specific and more complicated hence harder to remember
Grappling is full of knowledge checks. Everything is specific and technically situational, but once you learn how to connect one thing into another, it gets easier to apply higher order thinking to, which makes it easier as a whole. It's like learning a keyboard layout
Striking is the better and worse part of simple. Simple means you can pick it up. It also means everything comes down to small changes. It also means everything is intuitive, until it's not. The higher level you want to operate at, the less intuitive it is. It's like swimming, or water polo.
Unintuitive but easier learning curve vs Intuitive with a thought-based (read: hard) learning curve.
Im 28. done striking my whole life and grappling for about 10 years. I get fatigued quicker grappling than i do striking. But when I ask my wrestling team and Judo team (national level) friends who also do Mma, they say they get tired quicker in striking. I think what your body grew up doing will be less demanding. Thats a big factor imo.
Little editing tip. If you're dealing with audio that is panned to only one side (like in the short video where the boxer who started incorporating grappling into his training) then convert it to a mono signal instead of a stereo signal. If you only have one microphone, in other words a mono signal (mono means one) but it is played in a stereo signal (two speakers, a pair of headphones) then it will automatically be panned to the left. However if it is converted into a mono signal then the audio is playing the same level in both speakers and is perceived like it would be placed in the middle. Great video btw!
I feel like from a pure cardio standpoint striking is more difficult because of the constant movement, but I feel like I wear my muscles out quicker grappling because you’re having to work against and in some cases hold up someone’s body weight which from my (limited) experience it saps your strength before you even realize it.
Grappling is much easier on your body to train as you can really slow things down till you need to speed them back up.
Try the same thing with striking and you won't learn much going that slow except at the very start, and more importantly it's always going to be harder overall on your cardiovascular system as you aim for more explosive movements more often with less time to wait between those movements. I will say though obviously if you do both in the same couple of hours it will be nearly impossible to measure either separately in an authentic way. You'd have to make sure you're as fresh as possible for both separate days even, and it's so hard to control for variables.
My simple take (because im lazy to type too much) is that it's easier to plateau for striking.
Grappling, you can always add on more techniques and knowledge of positions or whatever to your arsenal.
Coach Trevor is a super nice guy, glad he’s getting attention
Which is harder depends on your body type. If you're light, and quick, you'll prefer striking. If you're big, and strong, you'll be better at grappling.
That's exacly me lol
Not really. Lanky people are a nightmare to grapple.
I'm slow, and kinda big and strong (Kelvin Gastelum body type) but I find striking way easier.
I did 6 months boxing and now grappling since 4 months. Before Boxing sparring i sh*t my pants a lot more than before grappling sparring, while the injuries in grappling were and are more intense.
Congrats on the 400k subs Seth!
I've never tried grappling so i'll say grappling. Striking is definetly more long term dangerous for the body though.
Lmfao. Oh you sweet summer child…
@@Darth_Bateman am... Am I wrong?
@@Paul_Sergeyev idk about the 2nd part
Tell us you've never been thrown without telling us you've never been thrown.
@@SwordFighterPKN you're right. Not since my early school karate. Guess I'll need to experience it sooner or later
Wow you did very very good on scaling Grappling and Striking, this video is very cool, and it's fun to watch, very informative, you have done a perfect survey bro
Thank you, my teacher, for all your excellent information and all your meetings, especially with the legends of martial arts,
Would love to see a Kyokushin video! Osu!!
would be nice you making these tests with judo and wrestling too
Sorry, but grappling is harder 100%.
In grappling you are always in contact with your opponent, so you cannot relax and you can't choose to reset and if your opponent notices you relax or fade, they can take advantage and win, so cardio is more constant. I've seen plenty of strikers hug their opponent or backpedal when they want a breather.
Also, in striking you're in control of your body, whereas in grappling your opponent takes over often (throws, manipulations, submissions, etc) and you're much more likely to get injured by accident or on purpose when you don't get to decide where your body or limbs go.
plus stalling in grappling, particularly wrestling, is punished
This isnt a true statement, i know plenty if positions in bjj that i rest all the time when rolling, unless your talking about wrestling
@@user-bi1tn8kl3r I include all disciplines in grappling and use a lot of wrestling in top control. If you get to rest in any position, it sounds like a fitness problem because your position is so good, you should just win, or your opponent can sense you resting and isn't taking advantage because he's too tired or doesn't know how 🤷♂️
@@leok7193 😂😂😂 you dont know what your talking about
@@user-bi1tn8kl3r ok buddy. Do some cardio 😂🤦♂️. Must be one of them dudes that say he works out and yet still somehow 40% body fat
After the first five seconds of the video my answer is:
You have far better chances of survival if you're a grappler than if you're a pure striker against a pure grappler. I noticed something interesting throughout years of training different combat sports.
It seems to have some correlation to neurology. I've heard people say they love striking but hate doing it over grappling because it is "too dynamic" as opposed to grappling. And I'd say, harder here is more of a matter of perspective but ultimately it is easier to for season grapplers to become decent at striking than vice versa. So we can say grappling is harder in that sense. It's mostly due to the fact that when you first pick up on martial arts and you work on striking it's not as obvious how important and natural should working hips be unlike in grappling, you can't get far without it. I hope you get my point I'm just not thinking sharp today.
Great video! I think a big reason for longer rounds in grappling (generally 5 minutes in IBJJF or MMA which includes grappling) vs striking ( mostly 3 minutes in boxing/kickboxing/muay thai) is that they want to encourage a faster pace in striking and that in grappling you might need more time in order to develop positions. Although I have found I feel about as tired at the end of a 3 minute striking sparring round as a do a 5 minute jiu-jitsu roll.
Think it's worth mentioning that the endurance difference in the two sports are quite noticeable due to how they use their bodies.
In striking, what mainly tires you out (outside of pain from impact) is due to cardiovascular, you're constantly moving at high speeds and throwing shots varying between 70-100% of your effort.
That doesn't make grappling necessarily less tiring, it's not that black and white, what makes grappling tiring is muscle endurance, grappling forces you to consistently be holding static positions. If you've ever tried a proper Ma bu (horse stance) or similar static exercises, you'll know what I'm talking about. Despite your heartrate not going up like Muay thai, there's still lots of endurance needing to be trained, fighting the lactic acid buildup also creates a ton of mental fatigue.
For reference I do Muay Thai, have tried a bit of grappling here and there but our grueling clinch sessions is what really reminds me of the different types of tiredness that the two genres bring upon you. For me I can handle the cardiovascular much better than long grappling sessions, it's a different type of conditioning.
When I took Judo in the 90s, my sensei required my parents to have health insurance on me.
Imho learning striking has much more steep learning curve and also condition yourself for kicks or bareknuckle strikes, but grappling is way more demanding in terms of physical fitness. Thats whz its nice to combine it.
I have experience in both striking and BJJ/grappling. I practiced striking for almost three years, starting with boxing and then transitioning to K1. During that time, I considered myself to be very average, or perhaps slightly below average, in terms of picking up new skills, progressing, and feeling comfortable in the sport. One significant challenge was my lighter weight compared to most of my sparring partners; being 10-15 kilograms lighter meant I often got beaten up, and it was painful.
For the past three years, I've been training in BJJ and recently earned my blue belt. Compared to striking, I find that I pick up BJJ techniques much more easily and feel that I am learning and progressing faster in this sport. Although three years to achieve a blue belt might not be the fastest progression, it's partly due to the specific challenges at my school.
I decided to quit striking primarily because I no longer wanted to endure hits to the head. Additionally, constantly getting beaten up by bigger opponents was mentally tough, even though I never sustained any serious injuries from striking.
On the other hand, BJJ and grappling have resulted in a few notable injuries for me. It is definitely tough on the body and requires more strength than striking. Cardio-wise, I would say both sports are quite similar. However, the biggest difference I've noticed is the ability to control the pace in BJJ. In BJJ, if you have the skill, you can slow things down and still have an excellent roll. In contrast, in boxing, it's hard to deescalate the intensity once the action heats up-land a good body shot or hook, and it's usually all-out bombs for the rest of the round.
In summary, the major difference is that BJJ allows for a controlled, slower pace while still providing a productive session, unlike striking where the intensity is harder to manage (maybe I wasn't good enough to be able to control the pace of the other guy unlike like in BJJ).
so TLDR: I basically wasn't able to stick with striking (maybe I would be able in a different/more playful gym) but I'm for sure gonna be able to stick with grappling.
This was awesome. You earned a sub for sure. Keep it up man
I think there are many other factors to consider in which one is more difficult.
- Are you bigger/heavier or smaller/lighter? (Still could be either depending on the person).
- How's your reaction time?
- Do you have good hand eye coordination?
- Are you more experienced in 1 of the 2? (Having experience in something makes it easier. It can also make it harder to change your habits and do the opposite).
- Which one is more fun for you? (This also affects how much time and dedication you will put in).
Others to consider:
- Do you have a full-time job, and what are your hours? (This can effect what places are open at what times. Some people might not have a choice, depending on their work schedule. Or you may have to think about which one will use less of your energy, so you can go to work tomorrow).
- Do you feel comfortable being close to people for a long time? (If not, just go with striking).
- Are you afraid of getting hit? (In that case, grappling).
- Are you worried you might hurt someone? (Then I guess jogging and running might be better, or parkour if you're athletic and you really like martial arts movies).
And finally:
- Are you a White Belt, or never tried martial arts before? (Just try anything you feel like would be fun. You can then decide more confidently if you want to try something else, or stick to what you're currently training).
- Are you a Black Belt? (Then why are you still only training what you're already good at? At this point, you should start training in both striking and grappling).
If @SenseiSeth taught us anything on youtube, it is to try new things and have fun. Experiment with different things, don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself, and just have fun doing what you enjoy.
Its a question with multiple variables that keep this from being a clear answer. Even people that give definite answers about, which style is more taxing, which style is easier to pick up, it depends. And thats whats cool.
Hey Seth, I just wanted to say thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos. You inspire me to train harder to be the best martial artist I can be. I just recently got one of your shirts, and when I wear it to grapple in Bjj I swear it helps me become better. Maybe you should advertise that as a feature of your merch lol. Keep being awesome and God Bless.
great video but i wish the sparing in kickboxing/muay thai was more intense because the grappling is inherently really intense because of the nature of the sport which measures strength over technique
I've trained in a similar gym to the one in the video where they've got a grappling building and a striking building. I also did both styles and knew other people who did both.
All I can say is that when the striking gym wants to get you tired, they make you do burpees. When the grappling gym wants to get you tired, they have you grapple.
As an ametuar with less than a year of both under my belt, I'd say grappling is harder to learn and master but striking is harder on your body and mind.
I have done both at a very young age and i say the learning curve was the same for me. Now switching from grappling to wrestling was a mental jump cuz what positions was good in one sucked in the other
You definitely got a new subscriber! I’ve training Muay Thai for about 2 years. I love it! I tired BJJ, it was harder for me to train and get into it as well. Striking may be easier to get into butttt it’s definitely more injury prone than grappling.
This is my gym! So mad I missed ya Seth. Been watching you for years
Sumo wrestling is harder than people think. You have 300 plus pounders who can do the splits and also have the ability to lift their leg straight up in the air like a cheerleader. The flexibility is absolutely insane. If you do squats for an hour straight without stopping that would be the equivalent to a sumo workout. Plus they can headbutt and palm strike as well which leads a lot of people bleeding in the end. They also train on empty stomaches and then eat as much as possible. It’s brutal, unique, and beautiful.
What you train as a kid you develop more learning ability as an adult ... So if you train striking as a kid, as an adult you will be better at striking martial arts if you train then again, you can train taekwondo as an kid and Muay Thai and BJJ as an adult, Muay Thai will be easeyer for you, and of it goes the other way around if you train Judo as a kid, you will be better at BJJ then Muay Thai as an adult.
I’ve wrestled since i was 6 and when transitioning into bjj and mma when I got older I still have yet to be injured bc of the muscles u build up in wrestling I’m convinced. I’ve been banged up but I just heal within a week, body types play a role and that’s why wrestlers have an easier time with striking and submission grappling once they are over the mental of getting punched.
Trained at a gym primarily for professional boxers but included a grab bag of other disciplines. When I noticed all the veteran boxers were transitioning to MMA, I asked why. Pretty much universally, they all answered that grappling is "easier" (meaning physically, since they were getting older). I believed them since they also said they made less money in MMA than boxing.
Combat is combat. Some people are naturally attuned for it, and others learn it through training technique. If you're proficient in combat and train technique, then you become a weapon.
Respect to both if you do a real striking or grappling art they are both hard. Also Respect to Seth for making dope content
Their is more down time in striking, but its also harder to get into because of that fear in your mind. Grappling is easier to get into but its downtime is "non existent"(Not saying you cant stop in middle of grappling but its gonna be like Go Go GO stop Go GO Go, vs striking Go Stop Go Stop).
Great video! Great to see so many friends!!!
It’s so hard to say, they’re both very hard in their own ways. Injuries in striking can range from bruised shins to concussions and in grappling it can be strained joints or completely broken bones or tendons/ligaments. They’re both such a puzzle of endless traps to spar with, it’s easier to go easy grappling than it is striking against a newbie in my opinion. Both take forever to master and are endlessly evolving to infinite amount of moves and combos and tricks. I think one will click for someone more than the other just from their base athleticism or thinking patterns
It’s very individual, some
People can never figure out how to strike and some people will never have the body awareness for grappling
You should do both.
But for me grappling was far easier physically. I've never had second doubts about a grappling class no matter how hard I know the day is planned to be. I definitely have those doubts about striking.
My friend Hiroyuki Pavlovich (R.I.P) had 4th degree black belt in Kyokushin Karate & 2nd degree black belt in Judo. He always said that in terms of training & body damage Judo was way too harder but Karate could give traumatic shock because of head strikes. According to him conditioning of Kyokushin Karate & workout regiment of Judo are extremely grueling but also complimentary to each other.
brooo the special guest!!!! i love that dude!
I would say that amount of damage you can give/get in one action is greater with striking but grappling is more beneficial when facing a physically stronger foe.
For me it was grappling. I didn’t wrestle in high school so it was all new and seemed more complicated. Plus, the pure exhaustion you get from constant 5 min rounds of grappling. Striking can be exhausting too, but most guys don’t just swing away, they pick their shots.
Grappling is harder at the beginning due to the intense physicality and learning curve, but sets you up to be a TOUGH fighter. Striking is more intuitive, as in most people “know what punches and kicks are suppose to look like” but there is more risk for CTE, and your competitive career isn’t as long as grappling if that’s the route you choose.
I think they're both equally hard, because they're both physical contests against another person, so it's only as hard as your opponent is good at that art. That being said, some people might just naturally feel more comfortable in one or the other, so to them, one will feel easier than the other. For example, I take Jiu Jitsu, and I'm by no means an expert, just an old, out of shape blue belt that still struggles against athletic white belts, but grappling still feels somewhat natural to me. Ever since I was a kid, I'd have back yard wrestling matches, and grappling has always felt right to me, which why I got into JJ. Unfortunately, my school didn't have wrestling, so that wasn't an option. Years later, I took a few Muay Thai and boxing classes, and the footwork alone made me feel like a fish out of water. Everything felt so awkward, like nothing I was supposed to be doing felt right. I was stiff and just doing the very basic step this way or that way and throw a basic 1-2 just felt so wrong and out of place. I just didn't take to it nearly as quickly as I did any form of grappling. But my son, on the other hand, does kickboxing and everything feels fluid and natural to him.
Great video again Seth.
Was that tony Jeffries in the intro
@@AndrewC-ys1ib yes
@@lamertofar8gaming443 yeah thought so love his content
I'd say that grappling has a greater depth of technique, but striking is more nuanced. Striking was definitely harder for me starting out, but it got easier.
just a thought on the BPM measurements.
Maybe it was higher on striking because the opponent was smaller and you had to move more, and lower in grappling because you were bigger and was easier for you to mitigate his moves.
Amazing analysis. Great job!
Standing grappling is hardest IMO. That's why it's better to do judo when you're young. So much of it is contextual based on the relative size and position of your opponent. On the mat grappling, the floor limits complexity, options, speed and balance. That's why so many people can "get" newaza, but tachiwaza just takes thousands of reps to really get how to throw. That and people learning to walk learn since they were babies how to stay standing.
Striking is easier conceptually in the beginning. I think it's easier to understand how the flow goes. It's also easier to pace yourself. You can spar light, or hard, or fast or slow. You can just work your jab for 10 rounds on a heavy bag. Or just do footwork and ring control. Throwing, you're lifting a person, or you're getting dropped. You can't really sort of do it. Sure you can just do uchikomi but even then the effort involved requires moving your whole body, over and over again and it's just exhausting.
Endurance training wise wrestling and grappling is pretty hard, and the base rules are learning pivot points, wrist control, and Newton’s third law
Mental aspect : Striking Physical aspect : Grappling
Nice thing about striking is you can actually train and get better on your own. Grappling pretty much requires a partner. That makes it harder for me in pretty much every way.
I think the injury thing is an important distinction. In grappling if you get injured it is because the OTHER GUY did something irresponsible regardless of how competitiveyou are. With striking if you don't want injuries then all you have to do is be causal. If you're not competitive you pretty much don't get injured, and if you start sparring someone else who's going way too hard it becomes very obvious quickly and you generally have time to leave that situation.
The real question is what is going to be more effective in the most self-defense situations striking or grappling strikers are always going to see striking grapplers are always going to say grappling a lot of the statistics about most fights coming to the ground come from police officers trying to put cuffs on people. So you also have to factor in things like weapons, clothing is the terrain, slippery etc. That's what I really want to know