Does Strength help?

[tommboy]

Does all around body strength help significantly in a grappling art? I ask this because I was formly a bodybuilder (but have a ton of strength for my bodyweight) Im about 175 and can put up 275 and my deadlift and squat are huge too. I was in my san shou class the other day and my instructor was showing one of the moves and I could easily get out of it even if I started off with me in it. How much does strength play a role? And if the person is strong enough are pickups/ body slams allowed? (because I know they are in MMA matches)

 

[blanko]

when two people of equal or near equal strength are matched ofcourse strength helps. But, in BJJ it's more about technique.

 

[flyingknee16]

yes. that's the simple answer.

 

[monkey roll]

body slams are not allowed in bjj comps.

 

[LCDforMe]

Yes it matters but the best thing to do is to learn the techniques then start using strength in addition to it. A strong and technical person is generally pretty tough to beat rather than just a strong person.

 

[BulldogSIX]

The most important things in BJJ is technique and leverage. That being said there is a point where technique and leverage will not help you. For example, guy who are bigger than me by about 20-30 lbs I do not have to much of a problem with provided my knowledge of BJJ is greater than theirs. Guys that outweigh me by 30 or more pounds (not just fat boys but strong guys) I have more problems with just because of their size and strength. So focus on your technique and leverage but when your skill level is equal the guy who is in better shape usually wins.

 

[Madmick]

Does all around body strength help significantly in a grappling art? I ask this because I was formly a bodybuilder (but have a ton of strength for my bodyweight) Im about 175 and can put up 275 and my deadlift and squat are huge too. I was in my san shou class the other day and my instructor was showing one of the moves and I could easily get out of it even if I started off with me in it. How much does strength play a role? And if the person is strong enough are pickups/ body slams allowed? (because I know they are in MMA matches)

There are different kinds of strength.

So you know, a 275 bench at 175 isn't that great. In the bodybuilding world that may seem impressive, but Scot Mendelson benches 713 without a shirt. THAT's strong.

And the bench isn't nearly as important as squat or deadlift. That's where your strength is.

Strength always matters.

 

[kimurense]

did robson moura, royler gracie or leo vieira ever win a absolut division?

no.

they are probably the most technical fighters you will ever see... now guess whay that happens..

 

[VTJas81]

A lil off topic but the only way a smaller guy can neutralize a larger guys strength is by having an explosive core coupled with technique. Strong abs, lower back, hips can get you out of any predicament. Anyone disagree?

 

[Ybot]

Your ability as a fighter depends on a balance of several things, and strength is one. Other things to concider:
-Stamina
-size
-technique
In the end you can cominsate for lack of one area with greater ability in another.

 

[BulldogSIX]

A lil off topic but the only way a smaller guy can neutralize a larger guys strength is by having an explosive core coupled with technique. Strong abs, lower back, hips can get you out of any predicament. Anyone disagree?

No, but only to a certain extent. It still depends on the disparity in strength and weight. Regardless of how strong a 16 year old female BJJ student is she is not going to be able to get Arlovski off of her in side control (just an extreme example). There is a point where size and strength overcome technique and leverage (the other variable is knowledge of the technique).

 

[Big Red]

All about leverage/timing. Saying that, a baby won't be able to upa roll a bear.

At least I don't think

 

[BulldogSIX]

All about leverage/timing. Saying that, a baby won't be able to upa roll a bear.

At least I don't think

Yes agreed. I think what I am trying to say is that there is a point where technique and leverage will not overcome size and strength. When technique and leverage are equal or close size and strength are the deciding factors.

 

[paulchu]

All about leverage/timing. Saying that, a baby won't be able to upa roll a bear.

At least I don't think

Strength DOES matter, but it has to work with leverage as well. If you are asking about strength training in regards to grappling, I would definitely focus a lot more on your core, and your "inner" muscles, like the shoulders, the glutes, and thighs. If you think in terms of pure physics, you will get more leverage with these muscles.

Keep in mind that when you want to control someone's arms in a mount, you control their elbows/wrists. If you want to get out of it, it is much wiser to have strong shoulder/triceps than say, the bicep.

So yes, strength does matter, that is why they have weight divisions... most of the guys that compete in MMA have a very low body fat percentage, so most of the weight comes in the form of muscle. It's just a matter of building the muscles the right way.

Look at Matt Hughes, he doesn't have rippling abs, nor big biceps, but his neck, shoulders, and triceps are huge. That's where his freak strength comes from.

 

[Jimmy Cerra]

Everyone is different. Of course there is a point where strength will trump skill and conditioning. That is true of every sport and martial art. However, the point where that happens is different for every sport.

With BJJ, I think that point is very high, where strength doesn't help that much verses something like wrestling. That's one reason why wrestling weight classes are seperated as they are. It is also one reason grappling weight classes are different from wrestling weight classes.

 

[FutureBxer]

There are different kinds of strength.

So you know, a 275 bench at 175 isn't that great. In the bodybuilding world that may seem impressive, but Scot Mendelson benches 713 without a shirt. THAT's strong.

And the bench isn't nearly as important as squat or deadlift. That's where your strength is.

Strength always matters.

275 bench at 175 IS impressive. Scot mendelson is not benching 713 at a body weight of 175 -- so dont compare . and he stated that his deads and squats are strong as well so what is ur point?


to the thread starter - strength really helps with speed/agility/explosiveness in MMA/bjj/MT whatever. and it gives you a very nice edge over those who do not. But i will say that technique > strength. BUT as I said - it's still a very nice edge to have.

when fighting somebody of equal technique - usually the one with better physical conditioning will win.

 

[Jimmy Cerra]

275 bench at 175 IS impressive. Scot mendelson is not benching 713 at a body weight of 175 -- so dont compare . and he stated that his deads and squats are strong as well so what is ur point?


to the thread starter - strength really helps with speed/agility/explosiveness in MMA/bjj/MT whatever. and it gives you a very nice edge over those who do not. But i will say that technique > strength. BUT as I said - it's still a very nice edge to have.

when fighting somebody of equal technique - usually the one with better physical conditioning will win.

Truer words were never spoken (in this thread so far)!

 

[tommboy]

There are different kinds of strength.

So you know, a 275 bench at 175 isn't that great. In the bodybuilding world that may seem impressive, but Scot Mendelson benches 713 without a shirt. THAT's strong.

And the bench isn't nearly as important as squat or deadlift. That's where your strength is.

Strength always matters.

yea but im also only 19, scott def. has like the alltime world bench press record, I think he weighs close to 300 though

 

[Bama Zulu]

Yeah it helps but if you are going against someone with a huge skill level gap it doesn't really matter.

But in terms of equal skill and technique, the person with more strength (Depending on his style) will most likely win.

 

[blanko]

in bjj because you fight so manytimes a night (for the mundials for example) being strong is not as important as being fit and technical.