Which is easier to learn?

At the start of a person's martial arts journey, learning the striking arts tends to be more accessible. Striking techniques, like hitting a pad or throwing a punch, provide an immediate sense of accomplishment to beginners. Additionally, these techniques are generally more straightforward to grasp, as everyone has a clear understanding of what a punch or kick should look like and how effective it can be in a fight.

In contrast, wrestling can be more challenging for beginners. Close physical contact in wrestling may be uncomfortable for those unaccustomed to it and mastering the art of falling (a topic covered in our "Learn How to Fall" article) can prove quite demanding. Wrestling also places a greater emphasis on touch sensitivity, a skill that takes more time for beginners to develop.

However, the initial ease of learning striking in the early stages of a martial arts journey can actually pose challenges in the long run. Conversely, wrestling, which may seem more difficult at the outset, becomes easier as practitioners gain proficiency. This is because wrestling's focus on touch sensitivity enables quick skill acquisition once the basics are mastered.

In striking, however, the absence of immediate tactile feedback makes mastering the art more demanding. Strikers must rely on their internal sense of body positioning and movement, which takes a longer time to refine. The absence of external feedback mechanisms complicates the process of making necessary corrections and improvements in striking techniques.

Who would win in a fight?

When a pure striker faces off against a pure wrestler in the ring, it often tips in favour of the wrestle. A wrestler would close the space where a striker is effective very quickly mitigating the striker's ability to maintain a comfortable striking range. They can use takedowns to bring the fight to the ground, where the striker's power is significantly diminished. Once on the ground, the wrestler's grappling proficiency allows them to maintain dominant positions and dictate the flow of the bout restricting the striker's ability to stand back up or land effective strikes.

This is what the world discovered in the first UFC fights in 1993. This is not to say that a pure striker could not beat a pure wrestler, this does happen, but the striker will often be at a disadvantage.

The best of both worlds

So, what should the striker do. Well, the answer is simple either practice a skill that utilizes both wrestling and striking (such as Sanda kickboxing) or learn a pure wrestling style and mix your martial arts.  As the old adage goes ‘A jack of all trades and a master of none, is better than a jack of no trades master of one’.