Quote Originally Posted by p4pking View Post
I didn't mean to dismiss the skill level required to be a serious wrestler etc. However, there are no organic punching instincts, that was my whole point. Grappling is very much different. If you have the right type of coordination and fast twich muscles etc its a tremendous advantage over someone who hasn't, even if they are more skilled. Boxing, or any hand to hand combat is a very finite thing which must be learned. You could be an absolute freak of nature athlete and get your ass whipped something fierce by someone who was simply more composed or accustomed to seeing punches come at them. Watch your average street fight, people absolutely panic and becoming completely unnerved. This is something you still see in a lot of UFC fights imo, with guys who are less than stellar on their feet.

There are definitely organic punching instincts, you only need to Youtube "street fights" to see a bunch of guys who never trained a day in their lives throwing bombs at each other and knocking each other out.

Athleticism is a big part of any sport, guys like Roy Jones have dominated guys with superior technical skills with freak speed and strength.

With boxing or grappling, athleticism is useless without the superior technique to guide it, at least if you're going against someone who knows what they are doing.