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So I posted in another thread and kind of realized something as I posted it.
I've been doing muay Thai for the past month. Not gonna lie, I love it. I don't enjoy hurting people. I don't enjoy street fighting. I don't enjoy tough guy'ing. But I enjoy fighting. So it's pretty fun to be able to punch and kick people in the face as a game and smile and touch gloves after the fact. Hey man, good game. You punched me in the face way more than I punched you. Good job. Or, hey, thanks for being a good sport after I lit you up. It's exhilarating in a way that BJJ isn't.
Buuuuuut.....it just doesn't beat BJJ in my opinion. This is my preference, I'll admit. This isn't some analysis about how BJJ is better or whatever. This is my personal preference.
What I truly enjoy about BJJ; well, two things: The art of controlling chaos, and the KO without the KO. Allow me to explain.
First let me start by admitting that I'm a total noob at striking arts. I've had street fights in the past, but I've always been grappling dominant since my uncle taught me to wrestle, take down, mount, ground and pound. But pure stand up striking is foreign to me.
My first impression of pure striking is that it's very chaotic. It's basically my strategized chaos vs your strategized chaos. I felt very out of control. The longer I didn't have this guy clinched and incapable of striking, the more chances he or she has to do some wild shit I've never seen. Anything can happen. A front kick. A counter left hook. A cartwheel kick. Ok, not common, but still, it's possible. And the only thing I can control is how I defend it. Again, it's fun. It's cerebral. It's a great workout. And I'm learning relevant skills. There is no doubt about it, I'm hooked and I can't wait to keep learning and sparring.
But here's the beauty of BJJ. First, I feel like BJJ is the martial art of controlling chaos. If you're on top and you want to punch me, I'm controlling your chaos and preventing the damage. My ability to sweep puts me in a position to control or damage. Basically, my guard gives me the power to control or mitigate chaos. And if I'm on top, again, same thing. I control the show. I can decide to rain terror down on your face. I can simply sit there and control you until authorities show up. I can choke you or break a limb...or control that limb. Basically, BJJ puts me in control. I like that a lot. I like the practicality of BJJ as a martial art. I like the fun of it. I like the art and strategy. But I digress.
Side note: I mostly use martial arts as a way to stay healthy. I don't intend on competing and being Mr. Mundials. I don't have the time, money, or need for validation. So to me it's more about practicality, fun, and efficiency. But back to the point.
In muay Thai sparring, KO'ing your training partners is frowned upon. I mean, it makes sense. I'm not complaining. I don't wanna get KO'd either. Just getting popped in the eye while I'm wearing contacts is bad enough. But in BJJ, the "KO" is encouraged. The ability to finish the fight is encouraged. In fact, you can get the "KO" multiple times during a round. How awesome is that? In muay thai, or boxing, you pretty much have to test yourself in the ring to see if you have what it takes to finish a fight. In BJJ you develop the skill to finish a fight constantly. While I'm enjoying learning the striking arts to learn things like distance, timing, technique, strategy and so forth, I don't really know if my knees from the clinch are enough to KO. I don't know if my straight right really has KO power. I feel like it does, but I don't know for sure. I can't throw my full power in sparring.
But I DO know that my mounted triangle is a mf'er. I DO know that my knee bars are a mf'er. I DO know that I can pass guard and get dominant position. So I feel like BJJ gives me a bit more of a confidence boost. I feel that it's also more practical because of this fact. Also, because I get the satisfaction of the tap, it's simply more fun! What other sport or martial art can you KO your partner over and over and have it be OK?
Again, I love the striking arts. And I'm learning great practical tools to add to my arsenal. But ultimately, there's just something special about BJJ. I just can't help loving BJJ more than striking.
What are your thoughts?
TL;DR: BJJ is more fun because you can control your opponent and get the finish as often as you want/can. In striking, you have less control and you can't KO your training partners. So BJJ is more fun and practical. This is my opinion.
I've been doing muay Thai for the past month. Not gonna lie, I love it. I don't enjoy hurting people. I don't enjoy street fighting. I don't enjoy tough guy'ing. But I enjoy fighting. So it's pretty fun to be able to punch and kick people in the face as a game and smile and touch gloves after the fact. Hey man, good game. You punched me in the face way more than I punched you. Good job. Or, hey, thanks for being a good sport after I lit you up. It's exhilarating in a way that BJJ isn't.
Buuuuuut.....it just doesn't beat BJJ in my opinion. This is my preference, I'll admit. This isn't some analysis about how BJJ is better or whatever. This is my personal preference.
What I truly enjoy about BJJ; well, two things: The art of controlling chaos, and the KO without the KO. Allow me to explain.
First let me start by admitting that I'm a total noob at striking arts. I've had street fights in the past, but I've always been grappling dominant since my uncle taught me to wrestle, take down, mount, ground and pound. But pure stand up striking is foreign to me.
My first impression of pure striking is that it's very chaotic. It's basically my strategized chaos vs your strategized chaos. I felt very out of control. The longer I didn't have this guy clinched and incapable of striking, the more chances he or she has to do some wild shit I've never seen. Anything can happen. A front kick. A counter left hook. A cartwheel kick. Ok, not common, but still, it's possible. And the only thing I can control is how I defend it. Again, it's fun. It's cerebral. It's a great workout. And I'm learning relevant skills. There is no doubt about it, I'm hooked and I can't wait to keep learning and sparring.
But here's the beauty of BJJ. First, I feel like BJJ is the martial art of controlling chaos. If you're on top and you want to punch me, I'm controlling your chaos and preventing the damage. My ability to sweep puts me in a position to control or damage. Basically, my guard gives me the power to control or mitigate chaos. And if I'm on top, again, same thing. I control the show. I can decide to rain terror down on your face. I can simply sit there and control you until authorities show up. I can choke you or break a limb...or control that limb. Basically, BJJ puts me in control. I like that a lot. I like the practicality of BJJ as a martial art. I like the fun of it. I like the art and strategy. But I digress.
Side note: I mostly use martial arts as a way to stay healthy. I don't intend on competing and being Mr. Mundials. I don't have the time, money, or need for validation. So to me it's more about practicality, fun, and efficiency. But back to the point.
In muay Thai sparring, KO'ing your training partners is frowned upon. I mean, it makes sense. I'm not complaining. I don't wanna get KO'd either. Just getting popped in the eye while I'm wearing contacts is bad enough. But in BJJ, the "KO" is encouraged. The ability to finish the fight is encouraged. In fact, you can get the "KO" multiple times during a round. How awesome is that? In muay thai, or boxing, you pretty much have to test yourself in the ring to see if you have what it takes to finish a fight. In BJJ you develop the skill to finish a fight constantly. While I'm enjoying learning the striking arts to learn things like distance, timing, technique, strategy and so forth, I don't really know if my knees from the clinch are enough to KO. I don't know if my straight right really has KO power. I feel like it does, but I don't know for sure. I can't throw my full power in sparring.
But I DO know that my mounted triangle is a mf'er. I DO know that my knee bars are a mf'er. I DO know that I can pass guard and get dominant position. So I feel like BJJ gives me a bit more of a confidence boost. I feel that it's also more practical because of this fact. Also, because I get the satisfaction of the tap, it's simply more fun! What other sport or martial art can you KO your partner over and over and have it be OK?
Again, I love the striking arts. And I'm learning great practical tools to add to my arsenal. But ultimately, there's just something special about BJJ. I just can't help loving BJJ more than striking.
What are your thoughts?
TL;DR: BJJ is more fun because you can control your opponent and get the finish as often as you want/can. In striking, you have less control and you can't KO your training partners. So BJJ is more fun and practical. This is my opinion.
