Could Wrestling even be better than BJJ for Self Defense?

[cooltoon999]

I just got to thinking that since wrestling gives you top level takedowns, control, and general explosiveness, could it be better than BJJ in a real world scenario?

If a fight breaks out, a wrestler could easily takedown an average joe. If the wrestler gets tackled, he's taught to scramble, and how to get back to his feet to continue the fight or get to a safe distance. When he establishes top control, theres nothing really stopping him from raining down punches either.

My experiance: 8 months of BJJ, 1 month of folkstyle so far (yes my credibility just flew out the window, but discuss anyways)

 

[animalistik]

Track and field is the best for self defense.

 

[Francis Rossi]

Track and field is the best for self defense.

Yup, get away fast.

 

[cooltoon999]

Track and field is the best for self defense.

I see but what if you are sucker punched/tackled before you have the opprotunity to run?

 

[Mike Wilson Jr.]

Smith and Wesson .380 is best for self defense. IMO.

 

[LyotoM]

Catch Wrestling has both ftw

 

[Francis Rossi]

I see but what if you are sucker punched/tackled before you have the opprotunity to run?

Boxing and wrestling's a better bet than BJJ. You don't want to get kicked in the head going for a kimura.

 

[village_idiot]

Training martial arts JUST for self defense is stupid. Just buy a weapon or go places in groups of friends. There are far more effective, less expensive, less time consuming methods for protecting yourself than investing years in becoming proficient at hand to hand combat.

The reality is, in a situation where grappling is an appropriate response to an attacker, anyone who is half decent at bjj or wrestling is probably going to fuck the guy up.

 

[Gingervitis]

Track and field is the best for self defense.

Best answer. If you can get away, why bother getting in a street fight and risk having it escalate and end up getting seriously hurt?

 

[Sayian]

it depends on the academy really and what they teach.
my academy teaches ALOT takedowns, so technically i could takedown and control an average joe no problem, plus with my submission base i could also choke the person out if need be.. With wrestlling, i could Pin him but varying on his size it could sometimes be impossible to hold the person down.

They are BOTH grappling arts, your 'average joe' knows NOTHING about grappling, so either it be bjj or wrestling, once its on the ground the fight is pretty much in the practitioner's control, consdering they have had sufficient training.

 

[Sayian]

Boxing and wrestling's a better bet than BJJ. You don't want to get kicked in the head going for a kimura.

lol...
since your amazing boxing skills are going to be so much use when on the ground and on your back and all...

 

[MickCollins]

I just got to thinking that since wrestling gives you top level takedowns, control, and general explosiveness, could it be better than BJJ in a real world scenario?

There's a ton of stuff you can't do in MMA that I'd be freaked about happening in a real fight in regards to going for a single or double leg on someone. When I was in college, I saw a fight break out outside a bar and a dude shot for a single leg on the other guy and the dude who was getting taken down hopped backwards while pushing the shooters face and jamming his fingers into the poor dudes eyes.

 

[MyBodyHurts]

I think a good BJJ person over time has the qualities of a wrestler that you note, so a purple belt and higher will normally have the abilities to take a solid shot, control, be explosive, etc., particularly against an average person with no training. I think when you compare someone who wrestled in high school and college (4+ years)versus someone who has been doing bjj for six months to a year, then yeah, I think the wrestler will probably fair better on average. But, of course, it's an unfair comparison if based solely on experience.

All things considered I would think BJJ is better as it incorporates areas from wrestling but not, in general, vice versa (some wrestling programs show chokes).

 

[Fedorzilla]

track and field comment was great

I see but what if you are sucker punched/tackled before you have the opprotunity to run?

Ok, this is actually why I started BJJ. I boxed in college and wrestled when I was young (I'm pretty good but not great). Anyway, the question is about what's better for self defense. Generally, I would say wrestling because you avoid being taken down and/or can take top position to begin with. However, if you're going up against Lawrence Taylor and he IS going to tackle you, BJJ is better for working off your back (largely because I think it's easier to slip out the back than stand up with a monster onyou. As you'll see in MMA, being on your back is not a safe place to be until you're VERY good off your back (most/all of us will never be that good) and even then it's better to be on top.

I think a good BJJ person over time has the qualities of a wrestler that you note, so a purple belt and higher will normally have the abilities to take a solid shot, control, be explosive, etc., particularly against an average person with no training. I think when you compare someone who wrestled in high school and college (4+ years)versus someone who has been doing bjj for six months to a year, then yeah, I think the wrestler will probably fair better on average. But, of course, it's an unfair comparison if based solely on experience

I still think that a good highschool wrestler is 5-10 times more adept on the feet than a BJJ guy. I know countless higher belts with little to no TD ability.

 

[BeatdownRG]

the best way to end a street fight is a slam
if they arnt dead after hitting the cement, a few soccer kicks to the dome will finish the job.

 

[Gingervitis]

track and field comment was great



Ok, this is actually why I started BJJ. I boxed in college and wrestled when I was young (I'm pretty good but not great). Anyway, the question is about what's better for self defense. Generally, I would say wrestling because you avoid being taken down and/or can take top position to begin with. However, if you're going up against Lawrence Taylor and he IS going to tackle you, BJJ is better for working off your back (largely because I think it's easier to slip out the back than stand up with a monster onyou. As you'll see in MMA, being on your back is not a safe place to be until you're VERY good off your back (most/all of us will never be that good) and even then it's better to be on top.

Ya but the ground game is a completely different animal with strikes thrown in, especially if there are no rules. Granted, jiu jitsu has its uses but it's hard to go for a submission if the other guy is hitting you in the face. I also shudder to think of what the other guy would do if you got him in a triangle with no rules...

 

[thesaadishsnake]

I think boxing and judo are the best bases for self-defense. Boxing to keep distance, and judo if the guy gets close.

Smith and Wesson .380 is best for self defense. IMO.

The only people who should say this are ones who've actually used a firearm in self defense and killed the attacker. Yes, you're supposed to kill the attacker unless you want him to argue against you in court.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Oh no look what you done started. This thread is going to degenerate into a shitstorm with partisans on both sides arguing that the style they practice is better.

All grappling styles are probably equally effective in a one on one scenario. Although consider that you might not want to use too many punches bare knuckle, not just for the sake of your fists but lawsuits as well.

Best idea is avoid the fight. If not, finish the person as fast as possible.

 

[Fedorzilla]

Ya but the ground game is a completely different animal with strikes thrown in, especially if there are no rules. Granted, jiu jitsu has its uses but it's hard to go for a submission if the other guy is hitting you in the face. I also shudder to think of what the other guy would do if you got him in a triangle with no rules...

That's exactly my point. I can think of a handful of BJJ practitioners (Werdum, Maia, etc.) who don't take much damage on their backs in MMA.

 

[karateking]

screaming like a woman works for me.