What is Grappling, and Is It a Martial Art?

Have you ever heard of "grappling" before? Okay, you've heard it in the title to this article, but if you're not very exposed to the world of mixed martial arts, there's a good chance you might not have heard of grappling. Grappling is a specific discipline and method of exercise that can be a great way to burn calories and work on your self-defense. But what the heck does it look like? Here are some clues.

To talk about "grappling" is a bit like talking about "striking" in the world of mixed martial arts. When you're grappling with another fighter, you are looking to gain an edge over them physically and often trying to make them submit and lose the match. This is similar to striking, where you are trying to deliver high-impact moves to your opponent to temporarily knock them out or stun them.

"Striking" is one strategy in mixed martial arts, but it is not a distinct martial art because it more resembles a category of fighting - many martial arts like boxing make a use of striking. It is similar for grappling. Grappling can be used in martial arts like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but this doesn't make grappling its own martial art. To call grappling a martial art is a little bit like calling "punching" a fighting style.

Grappling can be great exercise when you focus on grappling exclusively with an opponent who also enjoys martial arts. Like wrestling, it requires you to use a lot of your body as you try to gain a physical edge over your opponent. Striking can be a good exercise, too, but it usually requires you to spar in pads, and even to get hit, so it is better to use striking for training rather than a regular exercise.

In grappling, you might use individual techniques like throws, chokeholds, submissions, and joint locks in order to make your opponent lose a martial arts match. Depending on the kind of martial art you're using, this style of fighting may or may not be allowed.

Does grappling sound like something you might be good at? If so, you may find it fun to try mixed martial arts, or individual disciplines like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But grappling in and of itself would probably not be considered a martial art by the people you talk to.

Photo Credits: parhessiastes

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calories, discipline, exercise, fighting style, good chance, high impact, little bit, locks, martial art, match, mixed martial arts, opponent, physical edge, self defense, submissions, what the heck

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Martial Arts

Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on October 16, 2009 in Martial Arts. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.