You ever feel like a wimp for competing in grappling rather than striking?

Thycidides

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I sometimes feel this way. Does anyone else? Sometimes I feel like I'm soft and weak for doing BJJ and judo rather than say Mauy Thai. Its also frustrating that I'm a big fan of MMA, yet will never fight in it due to fear of injury.

It seems kind of silly because I've been hurt and beat up more in judo randori than in Mauy Thai sparring. I also get beat up in BJJ tournaments so I'd fair even worse in an MMA bout.
 
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i've wanted to take an MMA fight for the past 8 years, but i've resolved that I'd basically be accepting a few hundred bucks to give myself more brain damage than i already have.

if you've got something to prove go for it, but if you're looking to make money or a name for yourself it's a long road full of hospital bills and disappointment.

glory is temporary. injuries are permanent. everyone is eventually a has-been.
 
I'd likely never take a pure striking bout. Too much of a "wimp" I guess. At least give me a chance to get my grapple on.

I've fought in MMA a few times with little experience. Would do it again.
 
Nope. I have nothing to prove. I grapple because it's fun.
 
It's a bit of a silly fear, but not totally unfounded. I've trained grappling for years and have started training striking seriously again with the intent of fighting MMA sometime late this year, and for me personally grappling takes a lot more toll on my body than strikiing with the sole exception (and it's a big one) head trauma. You can avoid it to a certain extent by training smart (it's not the fights that kill you, it's the sparring sessions), but yes, you will occasionally feel a bit off after hard sparring. If that's something you can't deal with it doesn't make you a wimp, it just means you have different priorities. Honestly unless you're looking to be a professional doing more than occasional hard sparring is idiotic. I want to fight once just as a personal goal but I will do very little if any hard sparring after that.

If it makes you feel better, the vast majority of people are terrified of even grappling, much less MMA. It's a tiny minority of people who think it looks like a fun thing to do. Objectively it's a pretty dumb hobby: costly, painful, potentially incurring long term brain damage, with very little payoff other than getting to feel like a badass some of the time.
 
Been fighting MMA for over 10 years and mindsets of people that train 1 style can be funny at times. I've met a lot of top notch experienced grapplers that never competed in MMA self admittedly like you have a fear of striking styles or a striking confrontation. On the other side I've met badass boxers and kickboxers (even MMA fighters with dominate striking styles) that are absolutely terrified of being in a grappling exchange, much less would ever want to train and compete in a grappling tourney.

Having trained extensively in both striking and grappling arts I have to say the grappling is far more difficult. Working everyday in a striking style is by no means a cake walk, but the journey to becoming an experienced grappler is most definitely a much harder grind. So stop thinking of yourself as a whimp, and wear your mangled ears with pride.
 
Nah, striking is a bit boring too me after kicking or punching for the 200th time. Grappling is more playful and fun IMO.
 
I assume you're talking about head trauma. If so, no one is tougher than a concussion. If you think it's worth the risk, go for it, but avoiding it certainly doesn't make you a wimp.
 
Yeah I'm worried about head trauma but also getting an eye injury.
 
uhhhhh..... no.

but I can see why that might be an issue for BJJers.
( ;) )
 
Been fighting MMA for over 10 years and mindsets of people that train 1 style can be funny at times. I've met a lot of top notch experienced grapplers that never competed in MMA self admittedly like you have a fear of striking styles or a striking confrontation. On the other side I've met badass boxers and kickboxers (even MMA fighters with dominate striking styles) that are absolutely terrified of being in a grappling exchange, much less would ever want to train and compete in a grappling tourney.

Having trained extensively in both striking and grappling arts I have to say the grappling is far more difficult. Working everyday in a striking style is by no means a cake walk, but the journey to becoming an experienced grappler is most definitely a much harder grind. So stop thinking of yourself as a whimp, and wear your mangled ears with pride.

In one of Sam Sheridan's books he talks about hanging out with the Iowa wrestling team and how they were all impressed that he did MMA and how serious and badass that was and all he could think about was how literally every person on the team would be amazing at MMA if they put in even a little time. It's pretty funny how compartmentalized people get. The fear of the unknown is strong. People who will sit there and watch in a big match as someone tears up their ankle with a toe hold rather than tap will get antsy about getting jabbed in the face, and people who will get into straight up brawls on the feet flip out as soon as they get mounted. Context.
 
The biggest difference between striking and grappling, is that it's easier to quit in grappling. If somebody gets you in a rough spot, you can give something up, let them take an arm or sink a choke and tap. With striking if you quit when your in a rough spot, you're going to get hurt or look like a pussy, like Rocky IV said "there's no easy way out".
Now do people actually quit in grappling matches when it gets tough, of course not. The fear of embarrassment is intensified, but in real life terms anybody that grapples at a good level is is going through similar amounts of pain and using similar toughness.
The "not wanting to risk head injury" thing is an excuse. CTE, pugilists dementia, etc, is caused by repeated unchecked mild concussions. Anybody that trains sensibly, in a controlled environment,with the aim being to not fight more than a dozen fights over a few years, would never come close. It's like saying that everyone that does BJJ will have a busted spine by the time they hit purple.
 
Nah, striking is a bit boring too me after kicking or punching for the 200th time. Grappling is more playful and fun IMO.
Striking is the same 10-15 movement that you combine and perfect, until the way you apply them is better than your opponent does. Grappling has hundreds of movements, transitions, chains, positions that you use to counter your opponent.
I prefer to "fight" stand up, but learn grappling. Striking also gets more playful the higher level both you and your partner get. Thing nice flow rolling as opposed to white belts strangleing each other
 
I've had multiple surgeries reattaching tendons and am getting my hip resurfaced from getting thrown on my ass for 15 years not from getting kicked and punched for 9...

Grappling's a grind no doubt!
 
Its up to you really, everyone reacts differently to head trauma and concussions. If you are in a good gym, it will be uncomfortable yes, but you won't be getting injured and KOed in training.

I like grappling more than striking, but due to circumstances at the time, I ended up being a striker. I'm intermediate striker with 4 fights and 3 exhibitions, and I've never been KOed or had head trauma. I however, have had bruised ribs and whatnaught.

Really for you, its getting out of your comfort zone, take it slow, its a marathon, not a sprint. When you're ready, you'll compete.
 
Never really thought about it. I guess I'm not as insecure as I thought.
 
I have never competed in pure grappling but plan to - its new and I can't punch the guy in the dome - so that scares me more.
 
No I don't feel wimpy for not training striking, the last concussion I had made it so I couldn't go outside or have any lights on without getting nauseous and was slow mentally for weeks and kept me from working for over 2 weeks
 
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