Grappling in combat sports is used as a broad term that encompasses many disciplines of martial arts. Grappling is a hand-to-hand sport that consists of grabbing the opponent to overpower him. It is used at close-range fights to gain a physical advantage over the opponent to make him submit in the fight. Grappling is commonly used in boxing and, especially MMA fighting. Today’s topic is about grappling in boxing and MMA.
Grappling in boxing:
Grappling in boxing differs from MMA fights because in boxing grappling is used as a defensive strategy. Clinching each other in contemporary boxing competitions is a way of taking a rest by hugging each other while fighting. It is also a kind of game strategy boxers take for slight variations thereof to subdue the opponent to keep him from throwing punches. While in MMA, the grappling techniques vary a lot more as one of the established fighting weapons, especially in Wrestling.
In boxing, the use of grappling is very much limited. Of course, it mostly depends on the referee and the level of fighting. Most of the referee’s break clinches almost as soon as they start hugging. Usually, clinches are normally allowed to continue for about 2-3 seconds before they are broken up to restart fighting.
MMA Grappling:
Grappling is one of the essential instruments of MMA fights. Without enough knowledge of grappling no MMA fighter can compete well. They say before entering the octagon an MMA fighter must be well-versed in offensive and defensive grappling techniques. Without these skills, an MMA fighter cannot fight long with an MMA fighter skilled in grappling. There is no denying grappling is a huge part of mixed martial arts. In his prime Royce Gracie, Brazilian Mixed Martial Artist dominated the early years of professional MMA. He applied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappling technique (BJJ) to dominate opponents who were bigger and stronger than him. The effectiveness of BJJ grappling forced many to rethink combat in different ways.
There is no doubt, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been the most effective grappling art in MMA. Despite BJJ having a lot of similarities with other grappling styles, there is no other grappling art comparable to the finishing ability of the BJJ practitioners. MMA is a popular combat sport that has a very rich style of grappling martial art.
In MMA, grappling is one of the key skills for any martial artist. The art of grappling helps fighters to avoid takedowns. Because grappling takes the opponent to the ground and makes him submit. Grappling in MMA is very important to be good at. The combat sport is sometimes referred to as cage fighting because the fight is held in a cage. It is an ultimate fight. It is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling, and ground fighting. MMA incorporates fighting techniques from various martial arts all over the world.
Grappling is a must in MMA while it is a privilege for boxing. In MMA fighting, grappling is an effective way to force the opponent to tap in to discontinue the fight to avoid a serious situation. Grappling belongs to seriously close contact combat, suffocating the opponent on the ground. On the other hand, being tired, boxers clinch and hug each other which is immediately separated by the referee. So, grappling in boxing is not a part of the sport. MMA fighting is made of striking, grappling, and ground fighting.