What Is The American Style of Grappling? Quick Guide

There was a time when there was no grappling in the United States. Then the Gracies came and introduced the Americans to grappling. The Americans loved the sport and started training. The art started getting famous all over America. It is continuously developing and evolving in its style, techniques, and skills. A few years later, the game has developed so much that they have their own style of grappling, which people call the American style of grappling. Let's explore this style deeply.

• The Americans used to be fans of boxing and wrestling. They didn't know anything about the martial arts, particularly Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After the development of BJJ in Brazil, the Gracies have tried to make it popular throughout Brazil. Once they observed that their newly developed art had become famous throughout Brazil, they made their plans even bigger. They wanted their art to be popularized worldwide. They started thinking about making their art popular in the United States of America.

• So one of the family members from Gracies went to America to teach the martial arts to the Americans. They started with the US troops. After this, the Gracies started training the American citizens in martial arts. The BJJ was a quick success in America, and so it became famous throughout America.

• Since then, BJJ in America has continuously evolved in its techniques and styles. They are implementing their unique style in BJJ. In the US, this is not a one martial art. It is basically a blend of martial arts. They are taking the techniques and skills from many other martial arts and implementing them in BJJ.

• The reason for this culture and tradition of blend is that in the US, there are not only one or two martial arts that are practiced throughout the country. There are many martial arts, and all of them are famous and practiced by a lot of people. So all these martial arts get mixed with each other. The person training in wrestling adopts the techniques from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the effort to make their game better, and the person who trains BJJ gets some of the moves from wrestling to get an advantage over the others. So they become better and get an advantage over their opponents just because they have learnt some additional techniques.

• So Americans are living in a mixed culture of martial arts, where they blend the techniques from different martial arts into one martial art that they are training. So basically, they are modifying the already existing martial arts into the one that is best and perfect for living in the modern world from their perspectives.

• The same happened with the BJJ in America. They have modified the art so much that the people have started calling it the American style of Grappling. This style is very distinct from other styles and has its own techniques and skills. Some call it better than traditional grappling style, while others believe the traditional one still dominates over the American style.

The following are some of the features and characteristics of American grappling style, which make it very different from the traditional grappling style:

The American style of grappling is focused on high-intensity matches. You will observe that in most BJJ matches, whether they are happening in any part of the world, they are very slow. For one technique, you will see that the grapplers are taking a lot of time. Such grapplers fight slowly and execute the techniques after a certain time. So, to execute one technique, you, as a viewer, have to wait for a long time to see the result. But this is completely opposite in the US grappling style. They make quick techniques and moves. 

The faster you are, the better it is for you to tackle your opponents with your techniques. If you are too slow, like the traditional style, it will be very difficult for you to execute any technique successfully. That is why the Americans try to make their game as fast as they can. The American style is more like a sprint, which means that they are doing everything quickly, and this is against the traditional style, in which grapplers take a lot of time, like they are playing chess.

Another difference between the American style of grappling and traditional style is the explosive movements. In traditional grappling, the fighters wait for their opponents to make a mistake so that they can trap them. This is also a good approach, not a bad one, to keep fighting without using all of your energy, mind, and tactics, and whenever your opponent makes any mistake, you attack them with all of your strategies and energy to make a submission successful. But Americans have a different approach to this. 

They also look for submissions, but in a different way. They make the first move. They don't wait for their opponent to make a mistake. Instead, they force their opponent to make a mistake so that they can trap them. They continue attacking them with a series of techniques and moves. They make explosive movements and do this first. In this way, they are looking for the submissions but are also making quick movements for this. They apply different strategies to get their opponent into their trap. Traditional grapplers, on the other hand, are just waiting for the opportunity to make a submission on their opponent. Only when the right opportunity comes do they submit their opponent.

Another thing in which American grappling style is different from the traditional one is the implementation of wrestling elements into their art. Wrestling is not an uncommon thing in the US. It is very common and everyone, whether they are young, adult, or old, loves to play wrestling. It is also a common thing for the kids to start training for wrestling before they even reach the age of ten. Moreover, there are many wrestling competitions which are held at school levels, city levels, or even at the national level. And everyone takes part in such wrestling competitions with a lot of excitement.

So, having some elements of wrestling in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu style, their play must not be a strange thing. So they start learning the art of wrestling at a younger age. When they grow up, they start training in BJJ. So they already have a base for wrestling, and they implement the same foundation in BJJ. They are fast, quick, and know how to handle their opponents very well. They are always trying to be the leader of the game. They try to execute the techniques first on their opponents. They cannot wait for their opponents. They are always ready for any defenses against their opponent or to do a counterattack.

The American style of grappling is based on the institutions and coaches that are considered the best in their category all over the world. When you observe and look at the best institutions of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or any other martial art, you will notice that the majority of them are located in the US. Moreover, the coaches who have made their names in sports and martial arts and have been working in the field for years are also from the US. 

So this high-level teaching, combined with the world's best teaching environment, yields the best students in any martial art. So the style is backed by the world's best coaches and institutions, which removes the doubt of its effectiveness. All of this has developed the American grappling style, and now it is becoming famous around the world. It now has a unique identity.

• Another thing that is common in the United States is the No-Gi grappling. Gi grappling is becoming less common, and No Gi grappling, i.e, grappling without wearing the Gi, is becoming more and more famous with each passing day. Many new young people who are coming into the grappling field choose No Gi for their career. This rise is also helping the young fighters to choose the type and rise in their career.
• The reason for this is very straightforward. When you wear a Gi, you are giving your opponent the opportunity to grab you by exposing the parts where your opponent can have their grip. This style is more common in traditional grappling. This gripping leads to a slow game. Because when you grip, what else can you do? Your movement is restricted, and your opponent starts trying to let go of the grip.
• This slow style does not suit the Americans because they are addicted to playing and grappling fast. Their base is wrestling, in which you are doing quick movements and actions. In No Gi, you don't have anything to grab. You are not wearing any Gi. You do not have any collar, pockets, sleeves, or anything else to give your opponent the opportunity to grab you. So you have to rely on fast movements and executing the explosive techniques and moves to trap your opponent.

There are many famous American grapplers who are making their name in the world. Besides the grapplers, there are also some coaches who have made their names in training many students for grappling. Some of the famous names are:

• John Danaher

• Tom DeBlass

• Andre Galvao

• Heath Pedigo

• Keenan Cornelius

• Nicky Rodriguez

• Ruotolo Brothers

• Gordon Ryan

Let's start with John Danaher. He was born in New Zealand and then shifted to the US. Since then, he has been impressing the grappling world with his unique skill set and training system. The world is following Danaher’s training system and achieving success with it. He is now very famous as a coach throughout the world. He made many changes and modifications to the grappling art. These changes are well-received by everyone. Danaher has changed the mindset and approach of the people to train for grappling.

Gordon Ryan is recognized by many as the king of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or the grappling world. He has won the world championships a surprising five times. He has made a record to continue winning 54 times and being unbeaten in a row. He is also a student of John Danaher. Therefore, John’s new approach and changes in the grappling.

Besides these two famous personalities, there are many other players who are making their name in the world. They are impressive everyone with their unique American grappling style.

• There is not a single reason why America is getting ahead of others in grappling with each year. There are many reasons behind this fact. Let's understand this with an example:

• Imagine you are a beginner in grappling or just joining it. If you are in America, you will have a lot of famous grapplers and coaches to learn from. So you can idolize any of the grapplers from your own country and start following their moves, techniques, and skills.

• Another thing is the infrastructure. The academies in the US have all the modern equipment for you to multiply your training benefits. You can easily train for any workout without worrying about the availability of the equipment. But in many other countries, BJJ enthusiasts cannot find this opportunity in their own land.

• There are many other reasons, such as the availability of physical support, the world's best therapists, and the best medicines to ensure you continue your grappling journey despite the injuries you get during training. Moreover, Americans are good at marketing and promoting themselves on social media channels.

• The last reason is the availability of the grappling competitions. You don't get the best competitions in other parts of the world, and if you get them, there are not so many. So, being in the US, you can compete in many national tournaments, which will sharpen your grappling skills.

American grappling style is unique and getting famous with each passing year in the grappling world. Moreover, the players and coaches in the US are proving to the world that their style is better than the traditional one. Both styles are good, but if you want to go for fast grappling, then choose the US grappling style; otherwise, go with the traditional one.