Could Wrestling even be better than BJJ for Self Defense?

[BJJ PrideFC**]

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?

pain is temporary, pride is forever

 

[Francis Rossi]

Escrima. It's a component of the mixed-style self defense classes at my academy (called Sogo Budo). I don't have the time to train it in addition to my BJJ but I've taken a class from time to time. That's basically what I was describing.

I love watching Escrima guys. Dan Inosanto's a huge advocate of the Filipino styles too.

 

[Doctor Venture]

The question is unanswerable, because it really depends on way too many factors to ever really hold up.

The best defense in my experience is being polite to people and not putting yourself in bad situations like surrounding yourself with bad people, or going to bad neighborhoods.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

I love watching Escrima guys. Dan Inosanto's a huge advocate of the Filipino styles too.

Yes, and I'm aware of this stuff because my BJJ instructor started out with a broad base in JKD and several other styles, and his instructor and mentor was under Dan Inosanto's lineage. So my BJJ instructor actually has an equivalent amount of training in Filipino styles, and as a result I've been exposed to a lot of really cool and effective stuff for weapons work, even if I've barely had the chance to train it yet.

 

[Blue Streak]

Same in the US.

Really? It was my understanding that it was acceptable in the US to carry a firearm or baton on your person provided you had a license. It was also my understanding that in the US one could keep a firearm in the home for personal protection relatively easy too. Perhaps I have just watched too many American movies and TV shows, or perhaps it depends significantly on which state you live in.

In Australia it is really hard to get a license for any kind of weapon.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Really? It was my understanding that it was acceptable in the US to carry a firearm or baton on your person provided you had a license. It was also my understanding that in the US one could keep a firearm in the home for personal protection relatively easy too. Perhaps I have just watched too many American movies and TV shows, or perhaps it depends significantly on which state you live in.

In Australia it is really hard to get a license for any kind of weapon.

You have a constitutional right in the US to have a gun in your home for protection. You need a permit to carry one around, and I believe you can't get that unless you're in some kind of law enforcement, but it depends on the state. But for example an off-duty police officer can still carry a concealed firearm.

 

[TheeFaulted]

It definitely depends on the state, here in Missouri anyone can get a ccw permit.

 

[Shemhazai]

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.

The guard skills necessary to handle a professional MMA fighter on top of you aren't quite the same as those needed to handle someone who doesn't even train MMA or BJJ. Breaking the posture of the average Joe and slapping on a triangle is not all that hard, even if he's trying to hit you. Most people have no idea how to punch effectively in the guard, much less how to defend against submissions. That being said, I agree that going to your back (or even to the ground most of the time) is a bad idea.

 

[akdms]

Same in the US.

Guns you can carry with a permit.

Knives you can carry without (at least where I live). And if the knife is under a certain length (3 inches here) you don't even have to have it exposed.

EDIT: Also, hunting knives are exempt from the 3-inch rule.

 

[RacerX]

The question is unanswerable, because it really depends on way too many factors to ever really hold up.

The best defense in my experience is being polite to people and not putting yourself in bad situations like surrounding yourself with bad people, or going to bad neighborhoods.

Yeah. And stay in school kids. Then you have a better chance of living in a good neighborhood.

FWIW I think boxing and wrestling or boxing and Judo/sambo are excellent in most senarios where you would have a chance at all.

 

[unhommefou]

You have a constitutional right in the US to have a gun in your home for protection. You need a permit to carry one around, and I believe you can't get that unless you're in some kind of law enforcement, but it depends on the state. But for example an off-duty police officer can still carry a concealed firearm.

If your state has an open carry law, you do not need a permit to carry your gun, it just has to be visible and out in the open.

Now, if you scare the crap out of people while doing this is another matter...

 

[pjmeunyc12]

Double leg takedown with trip, or single leg run the pipe. Rain down elbows while in side control or mount, and if the guy gives up his back, sink in hooks for the RNC. Wrestling all day.

 

[Fish]

screaming like a woman works for me.

Some attackers might like that...

 

[Fish]

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...

Go to sleep...? Ah, bite your cojones; be tough if locked in...

 

[Fish]

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.



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.

Some truth here, but some BJJ guys have a very strong top game with good submissions. G&P is pretty second nature.

 

[kenetics]

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)

No

 

[kenetics]

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...

Sometimes striking while on the bottom opens up submissions. Pretty easy to stop someone from picking you up in a triangle if you grab their leg while setting up triangle.

 

[MaxMMA]

If you're Training at an academy that starts on the knees then yeah, you're probably better off with wrestling.

Finding a jiujitsu school that drills wrestling/standing jiujitsu and ground techniques is ideal.

Even with a good takedown and top control game, you can still end up on your back, so its important to be able to finish people from lots of difierent positions.

 

[rmongler]

If you're Training at an academy that starts on the knees then yeah, you're probably better off with wrestling.

Finding a jiujitsu school that drills wrestling/standing jiujitsu and ground techniques is ideal.

Even with a good takedown and top control game, you can still end up on your back, so its important to be able to finish people from lots of difierent positions.

I think knowing how to escape bad situations is more essential than knowing how to attack from them.

 

[MaxMMA]

I think knowing how to escape bad situations is more essential than knowing how to attack from them.

....which you'll learn how to do in both wrestling and bjj.

Most techniques in bjj and wrestling are reactionary to what your opponent is doing. If you end Up on your back and your first opportunity is to escape, escape. If your first opportunity is to finish, finish.

Not sure where you were trying to go with this post.