Differences.

Last night at class I got some good stuff in. Learned a pass that will do good things for my game. Rolled with a blue belt from another school (just down the road). It was good. He's MUCH bigger than me (pushing 3 bills). I pulled guard (don't ask me why, I'm a masochist) he tried to pass, and I turned. He got back control, and never got hooks, but I could NOT shake him off my back. I tend to just 'wrestle' my way out of those positions, and with his weight and his very good wrestling I could not get him off of my back, and I was moving so much that he couldn't improve, it was a stalemate.. one that I will have to figure out.
I was talking to the professor about some wrestling stuff last night, and it brought up the differences between jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Now I will readily admit that I am a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. I also never really wrestled at what I consider a high level so my opinion and about 3 bucks might get you a cup of coffee. So take it for what it's worth, but this is my blog and this is my opinion.
The biggest difference is the attitude. Wrestlers try to bend their opponents to what they want to do. To push punish and pressure until the guy you're wrestling makes a mistake. Wrestlers break down their opponents forcibly. There is no relax and react like there is in jiu-jitsu. In bjj there is a much smaller window for error. If you leave a hand out of position you lose. Also having a gi on changes the speed and pressure with which you can move. I can control my opponent completely with a gi on. If he bucks and squirms like crazy he's (probably) not going to break my control, he's just going to get tired. In no-gi or wrestling he always has room to move. I only have a few control points at any given time.
In bjj, side control/in guard/guard/half-guard/turtle/mount are all reasonable positions to fight from. There is no reason to panic, take your time get underhooks, test balance, see how the other guy deals with these changes, there are no bad positions, some are more comfortable than others, but unless you get submitted you're still in the fight. Improve grips, improve position, get tight, keep improving by increments until one of you makes a mistake.
Wrestling, you have to be dynamic, if you're on the bottom your only option is to get out, or get pinned the control you have isn't going to get much better so go for the reversal or the pin. It creates a whole different mind set. Wrestlers can force round pegs into square holes (more often) because you really only have 3 positions: neutral, par terre top, par terre bottom. You need fewer 'techniques' but you have to be very good at them.
This is why I would advocate gi training for anyone who wants to fight mma. Learning to control, and find weaknesses in control, staying relaxed in "bad" positions is very important. This is also why a lot of guys who have great jiu-jitsu need to wrestle more, to be more tenacious in scramble situations, to learn that without the grips of the gi, sometimes you can just 'force' a move to create a scramble. Sometimes a scramble is the best thing that can happen to you.
Again that's my opininon, and it may change as I improve. Anyone with any thoughts on the subject feel free to chime in.


the week of 8s: uppers:
Dips:
4x6 at bw+45 (not 8s I know.. you and your logic can shut up)

Rows:
worked up by 8s to 155 x8

Ohp/chins superset:
ohp bilateral dumbbell:
8x55
chins:
7 at bw
4x

Mahalo.