Skip to main content

The Popularity of Grappling

Over the weekend, I watched some mixed martial art's matches on Showtime. Gosh, these athletes are really good. I love it when the fighters break to the ground and work feverishly on submitting one another.

Because of the popularity of the UFC and other MMA groups, I do get students from time to time that want to do nothing but grapple. And while grappling is an excellent way to get in shape and learn how to submit your attacker, I don't believe it is the ONLY way to learn how to defend yourself.

Take for example the video below.  

Warning, it is pretty graphic and the language is very offensive. However, it offers a quick illustration of what can and typically does happen in an altercation:





Protecting yourself on the street involves more than just dropping to the ground and rolling with your attacker. Having the ability to stand up and strike; or in this instance, even to block, is very important.

I love the Gracie family and what they have done for the martial arts, but I want to caution people who think that grappling is the best way to protect yourself on the street. Instead, it should just be a strategy in your arsenal of techniques.

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How To Talk To Kids About Leiby Kletzky

10 Tips Parents Need to Know By Dr. Robyn Silverman A horrific story about a 8 year old boy, Leiby Kletzky, gone missing, murdered and dismembered in Brooklyn this week, has parents wondering how to talk to their children about this tragedy. As a parent myself, all I wanted to do was shut my eyes, close my doors, and hold my children tight. It is every parent’s nightmare—not just because of the loss itself—not just because of the gruesome way this young boy died—but because of the senselessness of the murder. What was the motive? Why this boy? Or perhaps more accurately, could it have just as easily been mine? As a mother I find it so hard to write this article. My stomach flips and my teeth chatter just like yours. We want to raise happy, healthy, confident children—not ones that hide from the world and fear those within it. At the same time, these kinds of sickening stories make us want to yell; “stay home with me and never venture out alone!” Logically, we know ...

Mimimizing Rape: Who is Responsible!

By Gayle Crabtree Could someone please tell me what an alleged reporter was thinking when he wrote the piece called Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town . In this article, the NY Times reporter James C. McKinley, JR writes about how the rape of an 11 year old is reverberating through a town. What he doesn’t write about is how the rape is reverberating through the child’s life and the life of her family. Beginning with the title, the article takes the fast track downhill. You bet the town is shaken. It should be. The reported gang rape of an 11 year old should shake any town to the core! Rape should never be condoned. Further, there is no excuse for an article to even suggest that a child (or adult) is to blame. The problem is that the tone of this article seems to side with the alleged perpetrators. (I say alleged because everyone is innocent until proven guilty under the law.) I’d like to know who told the reporter that it’s ok to quote comments about the way a child dresses. In the ar...