Do wrestlers really train harder than other martial artists?

I hear, a lot of people say that wrestler's have the hardest training physically and mentally. And I think a big reason, for that is the techniques that they perform in their sport, lend themselves to push very hard and intensely all the time. I think because of that their coaches push hard training and continuous work with their partner, creating very highly conditioned athletes. Is that different from other Combat, contact sports?

Let's take a couple of other contact sports and compare them to wrestling and their training regimens. And I'll compare wrestling, and it's training with boxing, Brazilian jujitsu, and Muaythai. Those are the other common sports that are combined together to create MMA. Since the the commentators usually are saying that wrestlers have the hardest, work ethic, and the training the hardest, let's compare. But let me first say that I know some of them top wrestlers in our country, and they all seem to have a very strict and intense work ethic when it comes to training, but I could say the same for some of the boxers, Kickboxers, and other combat athletes, that I know.

Let's start with traditional, old fashion boxing. Do wrestlers really train harder than traditional boxers? First off boxers, spend a lot of time, shadowboxing moving around the ring, or the mat, simulating, if there is opponent in front of them, and they are using their offensive and defensive skills to win this imaginary fight, against the imaginary foe. They spend a lot of time honing their techniques this way, very good for their footwork, head movement, lateral movement, and punching skills. Boxers also hit a heavy bag. While they're doing this, they're also simulating that they are fighting an actual opponent, that gives them extra zip on their punches, and more urgency on their defensive movements. They also jump rope as part of their training regimen, which helps with their conditioning, as well as their FootWork and agility. Along with the basic calisthenics, such as push-ups, squats, sit ups, etc., boxers, also are known for making road work one of their main stays. Old-school boxers are known for their two, three, or even 5 mile runs. A lot of times they are known to get up at five in the morning just so they can go out and do their road work, then return to go back home and take a little nap before their afternoon training. I don't think that wrestlers work harder than the boxer, in any of those ways, but where I think that most people think wrestlers out works the other Combat sports is when they partner up and do their version of working together with a partner, or what a boxer would call, sparring. Since a lot of people, watch the boxer spar, because that is much more exciting than watching the boxer get up at five in the morning and following them on the road work, or even watching them shadowbox know if you compare the way Boxer spires with the way that a wrestler "roles", you might actually think that the wrestler is pushing harder, and even working harder during their rolling session than a boxer would during their sparring session. Do wrestlers really push harder during their rolling, then the boxers do during their sparring? Well, just think of it this way, the wrestlers can go much harder while trying to gain superior positioning against their training partner. They can push this very hard, very intensely, and it's just about who wins in the position, they can do this for quite a while, and while it does work on the wrestlers, skill, and conditioning, they can come out of it exhausted but pretty much not injured at all. Now, if you take two boxers, who are training together, and they're in the ring sparring, if they went with anywhere near the intensity that the wrestler's did, just buy the nature and difference in their sport, a boxer would not last very long. Because while the wrestler is pushing intensely to gain superior positioning, there is no physical damage, brain damage in particular, that they have to worry about. Basically, if a boxer sparred with the same intensity, that a wrestler wrestles, he will be drooling, slurring his speech, and have absolutely no memory within a very short period of time. Whoa the wrestlers main objective is to gain superior positioning on their opponent by pushing and pulling, etc., there is no striking allowed, no blunt force trauma to the head, and to be honest, no chance of chronic, or even acute severe brain damage. That could be one reason why a wrestler is known to push himself in training harder than a boxer.

Now, if you wanted to compare the training regimen of a Muaythai fighter versus a wrestler, it would be very similar to the boxer, however, there be six more weapons that the training partners would have to watch out for. When a wrestler get you in the clinch, he might throw you down on the mat, if the Muay Thai fighter, get you in a clinch, you have to immediately watch out for knees to the body and the head, and elbows to the face. If the Muaythai fighter stepped up his intensity during sparring to the level of a wrestler, they would not only have severe brain damage, they would have constant lacerations on their face and head throughout the whole life. So while Muaythai fighters do the similar road work, calisthenics, bag, work, mitt work, like boxers, they also have to tone down the intensity, because their techniques and weapons are much more dangerous, so they have to tone them down, a lot in training, or they'll always be injured and never be able to fight.

Now let's talk about Brazilian jujitsu practitioners. I don't know many Brazilian jujitsu practitioners that are not also MMA fighters. But let's just say that all other things are equal. Let's say that BJJ practitioners did all of the same ancillary training like the boxers, or the wrestlers, the road work, the calisthenics, and the drilling, so let's talk about their rolling. Since a big part of the wrestler's conditioning, and what some of the UFC commentators even say, superior conditioning is done during their wrestling, why would a wrestler push their rolling, to much more extreme intensity? Why are wrestlers known to push harder during training? Could it be because while wrestler is fighting for a dominant position, with no threat of getting punched kicked elbowed in the face, or they don't have a chance of getting shoulder locked, arm locked ankle locked, knee barred, or choked unconscious. In other words, BJJ practitioner has a lot more on the line when they're rolling, then a wrestler does. A wrestler team go a lot harder with his training partner, without the chance of getting seriously hurt like a BJJ practitioner does. Basically a wrestler who gets overpowered during a very high intensity training session, he'll just spend the majority of the time on the bottom, no damage. If the same intensity is used by the Brazilian jujitsu practitioner, he'll probably end up either dislocating, his partner's shoulder, or the other way around.

So let me finish by saying, I think wrestling is a great part of Mma, in fact, I honestly think it's the most important part of MMA as a sport or martial arts as a whole. I also think when it is used in unison with the other martial arts, it is the middleman, it calls all the shots. I have nothing but respect for the wrestlers, and I do think they have a great work ethic, but I also feel the same way about boxing, Muaythai, and definitely MMA. I feel like a lot of people who watch the wrestlers train with each other, and they think they're pushing it harder than Brazilian jujitsu practitioners or boxers, or Muaythai fighters. They have to realize that, while wrestling is a great addition to MMA can make the difference in winning and losing in an MMA match, if taken alone, wrestling is a fairly benign, unless we're talking take downs on the concrete, but I'm talking about it as a sport not as a self-defense method. So, since wrestling alone isn't known to cause damage like arm bars, and Kimora's can, and definitely punches elbows knees, and kicks to the head can, wrestling can be done, much harder, yet still very safe. And that's why I think it has the reputation of pushing harder than the other more dangerous martial arts.