No the title isn’t click bait. Depending on how you define what technique is, it’s not different from strength.
If you define technique as collecting a bunch of moves and tricks to pull off, then technique and strength are different things. But that definition of technique only helps you in a limited fashion in combat.
But if you define technique as concepts, ways to move, and mechanics then they are more similar than you think. Especially mechanics.
To prove my point, I want to look at a deadlift and look at a high crotch.
The mechanics taught for both are the same. What we call “Good form” for lifting and “Good form” for a high crotch is essentially the same thing. Yes, when you lift weights you engage muscles, while in fighting you want to be as relaxed as possible. But even that’s a very small change, and the mechanics of ‘form’ do not change.
The same applies for a double leg take down.
If anyone has studied strength training in even a casual sense, they learn of the ‘basic motions’ or ‘the fundamental motions’ consisting of many, but mostly “Squat/Leg press, Deadlift/hinge, Push, pull, twist, gait” if I am not mistaken.
Strength can only be safely expressed when lifting heavy weight by having good alignment. Anything else results in injury. Everything must recruit as much of the other muscles in the body as possible, and the only way that happens is if movement has the whole body engaged in an activity. Even a bench press can use your legs if you engage them. Most weightlifters engage them by tightening the, but they can be engaged by being brought to ‘life’ like BJJ or catch wrestling calls ‘active toes’.
From a striking point of view, a punch is like a push motion, only that one hand does it, the hip turns. Almost like one armed push ups in a way. To do a one armed push up without hurting your shoulder means the mechanics must be on point, no different than punching so that the shock does not injure your arm when you hit a bag or a person.
At the very least in the basic sense, what we call strength is the macro pieces of good body mechanics in martial arts.
This is not the case in most western martial arts, but eastern styles constantly talk about downplaying weight lifting and strength training and focussing on technique and mechanics.
But really relying on strength when doing bad body mechanics is bad application of strength. It isn’t even utilizing strength well. It just so happens when you force things roughly, strength helps fit a puzzle piece where it doesn’t belong. But if it were a weight lifting competition and not a fight, it would be deemed terrible form.
Of course I’m mostly talking about the dead lift and the squat motion. I can see good arguements to say that ‘push’ and ‘pull’ in martial arts is very much bad technique even when done with good form. But only because pushes and pulls are mostly done with both hands, and to make the weight one has to lock the body instead of having it move freely. Bench pressing someone off your chest when they get on top of you instead of shrimping or bridging is indeed bad technique. However, once the arms are to move by themselves as segments, particularly cable pulls and medicine ball throws, such exercises applied in a fight turns the ‘push’ more into a single arm frame as used by jiu-jitsu, or a palm strike/punch.
The one hand equivalent without a machine would be a Turkish get up with a kettlebell.
TL;DR it’s not as simple as I describe when applying motions. But the general markers of the motion certainly show up in most body mechanics.
What's the deal with Adeel? 