Wrestling

​I understand that takedowns and standup are all the rage right now in submission grappling, but it’s gone too far, or not far enough? There has been a string of high level events recently where mediocre defensive wrestling and bad offensive wrestling were the match deciders. I understand that the hobbyist may not want to spend significant time honing their standup. However if you want to be on top and you are a professional grappler, work on your wrestling or work on your sweeps. No one wants to watch ten minutes of hand fighting for 3 bad shots anymore than they want to watch 10 minutes of double guard pull. If this is your job, take it seriously, build the confidence on your feet to take the risk so no one has to watch 10 minutes of patty cake. The standard of professional black belts needs to rise. There’s no reason that standing engagements should be the only aspect of a Jiu Jitsu match and if you feel you must be on your feet to win then you have holes in your game to address.