BJJ & Self Defense, who cares?

Armdrag > RNC

Double Leg > Mount > Arm Triangle Choke

Not that I have ever been faced with the situation, but I am pretty sure that this is enough to take care of 90% of the douches that would try to start a fight with you in a bar.

More than one attacker or a shady encounter in a dark alley... 100m sprint!

I train BJJ for the sport. I would consider myself an athlete more than anything else. That said, after I started training I feel I am more confident and relaxed when faced with a possible confrontation as I know I can handle myself using the techniques I have learned, although I have never learned any self defense orientated BJJ.

P.s. No BJJ player with half a brain would ever "pull guard" in a street fight!
 
Wrestling more than covered any self defense issues, so I train BJJ/Judo for fun, exercise and sport.
 
Davii said:
Great point, and I sort of hinted at that in my post. But in your opinion, how important is self defense to your training? Does it drive you to become better, or is there another motive?

I think we get into BJJ for said purpose, but do we start to look past self defense at a certain point?
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It is not the central focus of my training. It is a convenient bonus.
 
We talk about the self-defense aspects all the time in my school. Our coach works with cops and other professionals to develop their training.

Most MAs taught and practiced in the US are completely useless in any "real-world" situations. It's because most of the revenue that comes into these places comes from your average teacher or lawyer who wants to stay fit and kids whose parents would never let little Johnny actually get hit or hurt in any real way. All "martial" arts are sport-oriented to an extent. 99% of the people who train in MA at least in the US would never even dream of going into the octagon or taking on heavily-tattooed guys in bars.

Part of the beauty of BJJ is that it has been tested in an environment that is about as close to a real-word "fighting" situation as it gets. It continues to be tested on a regular basis. This is what separates BJJ from Karate, TKD, Kung-Fu, Kickboxing, whatever. Were it nor for its practicality in a hypothetical "real" fight, it would be just another wussified "martial" art where you do katas and endless forms and it would be taught in the back of karate schools in strip malls where it would be derided as a homoerotic freakshow.

The "self-defense" aspect of BJJ is one its largest strengths and needs to be emphasized. I train BJJ in part because it has been proven to be practical in ways other arts have not..
 
I don't train BJJ for self defense, but I do keep it in mind when I'm training. It encourages me to focus on a top game, and to train more heavily moves that I feel would work well in a street/MMA situation.

This is actually the reason why I've been thinking about diversifying my training or switching from BJJ to something like Judo or Sambo. I'd like to learn some striking as well. If anything, training BJJ has taught me a lot of humility; on the street you have no idea who you're fighting, and even an untrained guy can put up a surprising amount of fight.
 
I'll be honest, and most might not believe me but I probably (with a few exeptions) have had more "confrontations" with drunken assholes from all over the world ( camaroon, nigeria, pakisan, afganistan, turkey, Iran, Kazakstan, uzbekistan, Russia, canda, USA ect) than anyone here. This is what i have to say:


Most of the so called self-defence experts talking shit about sport jiu jitsu is full of shit. The worst sport bjj takedown will take down a foe in a streetfight. You don't need to crosstrain judo, you don't need to wrestle, a simple run of the mill white belt takdown will get your opponent to the ground.
 
I don't know how good for self defense what I have learned is, but I know that I can take care of myself better for learning jiu jitsu. If anything, now I'm tougher, faster, more resilient, more controlled and with better reflexes than before. I don't like to think too much about self defense because I have one hell of a temper, and the last thing I need to my resume is ending up with criminal history for snapping someone's arms, or by killing someone in a fit of rage for a petty reason. Then there's the obvious danger of getting seriously hurt for over confidence.
 
Well, you know, some people's goal is to learn to defend themselves. It's not a tough concept. I for one care about self defense.
 
I care about self defense, if BJJ was not among the most effective fighting arts/style's I wouldn't take part in it.
 
I care about self defense.

I care about a lot of other aspects too. But self defense is definitely important to me. I feel that my BJJ is a major part of my self defense ability.
 
I haven't been in a fight in almost 25 years (since I was 14 or 15 years old), and I seriously doubt that I'll be in a bar or street fight in which BJJ will help. I'm fairly certain that any confrontation would involve multiple attackers or weapons, and my plan is to hand the mugger my wallet or run. (Unless I have a gun or bear mace on me - then may the best man win).

Having said that, this thread has made me wonder what what different color belts think when they walk into a bar. Here's what I've determined.

White Belt: Bet I could beat up most of the guys in here. The guy over there looks like he's about to start a fight - hope he does.

Blue Belt: Hope they're showing UFC reruns tonight so I can narrate the action for my friends.

Purple Belt: My knee hurts, and I need a drink.

Brown Belt: My wife/gf/partner just texted me and told me to come home soon

Black Belt: I could beat up most of the guys in here, and I'm tired of watching this UFC rerun. My knee hurts so bad that I need a drink, but I have to get home to the family. Oh well, I'm teaching the early Saturday class tomorrow anyway.
 
roosterweight said:
I haven't been in a fight in almost 25 years (since I was 14 or 15 years old), and I seriously doubt that I'll be in a bar or street fight in which BJJ will help. I'm fairly certain that any confrontation would involve multiple attackers or weapons, and my plan is to hand the mugger my wallet or run. (Unless I have a gun or bear mace on me - then may the best man win).

Having said that, this thread has made me wonder what what different color belts think when they walk into a bar. Here's what I've determined.

White Belt: Bet I could beat up most of the guys in here. The guy over there looks like he's about to start a fight - hope he does.

Blue Belt: Hope they're showing UFC reruns tonight so I can narrate the action for my friends.

Purple Belt: My knee hurts, and I need a drink.

Brown Belt: My wife/gf/partner just texted me and told me to come home soon

Black Belt: I could beat up most of the guys in here, and I'm tired of watching this UFC rerun. My knee hurts so bad that I need a drink, but I have to get home to the family. Oh well, I'm teaching the early Saturday class tomorrow anyway.
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Lol
 
Even sport BJJ is self defense.

I train to take down, take top, submit or to sweep, take top, submit.

I know how to do all of those things better than any average joe out there in the street. And believe or not I know how to use my limbs and head as blunt weapons.

No one's stupid enough to pull 50/50 or something during a street fight.

"But Cachimbo! You don't learn how to deal with strikes and knives and guns and angry old women with umbrellas when you train sport bjj!"

Neither do boxers, kickboxers, wrestlers, judokas, or whatever else. Yet no one brings up these crappy "Oh your art would totally not be effective in a street fight" arguments to them. Anyone who knows any of these arts would still easily destroy 90% of the population.

But do you know who learns how to deal with guns, knives, and angry old ladies? Ninjutsus, Kung fus, and every other LARPer out there.

I'm willing to bet BJJ was never all that great against knives and 350 pound men hitting you with lead pipes anyways, but what the hey.
 
roosterweight said:
I haven't been in a fight in almost 25 years (since I was 14 or 15 years old), and I seriously doubt that I'll be in a bar or street fight in which BJJ will help. I'm fairly certain that any confrontation would involve multiple attackers or weapons, and my plan is to hand the mugger my wallet or run. (Unless I have a gun or bear mace on me - then may the best man win).

Having said that, this thread has made me wonder what what different color belts think when they walk into a bar. Here's what I've determined.

White Belt: Bet I could beat up most of the guys in here. The guy over there looks like he's about to start a fight - hope he does.

Blue Belt: Hope they're showing UFC reruns tonight so I can narrate the action for my friends.

Purple Belt: My knee hurts, and I need a drink.

Brown Belt: My wife/gf/partner just texted me and told me to come home soon

Black Belt: I could beat up most of the guys in here, and I'm tired of watching this UFC rerun. My knee hurts so bad that I need a drink, but I have to get home to the family. Oh well, I'm teaching the early Saturday class tomorrow anyway.
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Classic. Not bad at all for a Sherdog white belt. You must be a long time lurker.
 
The Big Show said:
I think you would get your head stomped slammed to a KO and dripping with blood from your elbows and knees if you tried BJJ on the street!

That is WHY the ground game diappeared from traditional martial arts a long time ago!
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So if you pull somebody over on suspicion of DUI and they turn out to be a 6'3, 250 pound enraged drunk, and they barrel into you, taking you down to the ground, would you prefer to try something other than BJJ, perhaps Kung Fu, to handle the situation?

Why do people assume BJJ means you will jump guard in a street fight?
 
ComteGuillotine said:
So if you pull somebody over on suspicion of DUI and they turn out to be a 6'3, 250 pound enraged drunk, and they barrel into you, taking you down to the ground, would you prefer to try something other than BJJ, perhaps Kung Fu, to handle the situation?

Why do people assume BJJ means you will jump guard in a street fight?
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I don't even like pulling guard in straight up BJJ classes.
 
bnosam said:
I don't even like pulling guard in straight up BJJ classes.
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Who mentioned pulling guard? This goes for every time someone disparages bjj by saying "you shouldn't pull guard in a street fight." Who, in this thread, or ever, has suggested that your go-to move in a streetfight should be to pull guard? People are arguing against something that was never said.
 
SuperSuperRambo said:
Who mentioned pulling guard? This goes for every time someone disparages bjj by saying "you shouldn't pull guard in a street fight." Who, in this thread, or ever, has suggested that your go-to move in a streetfight should be to pull guard? People are arguing against something that was never said.
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I'm just saying that for the people that assume all BJJ players know how to do is pull guard (and assume they'd pull guard in a street fight). There have been a few posts about people pulling guard and how they'd get their faces stomped or whatever in this thread.

I tend to hit quote instead of reply all the time if that made you confused at all.
 
SuperSuperRambo said:
Who mentioned pulling guard? This goes for every time someone disparages bjj by saying "you shouldn't pull guard in a street fight." Who, in this thread, or ever, has suggested that your go-to move in a streetfight should be to pull guard? People are arguing against something that was never said.
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It's called a straw man argument.

First, set up your opponent for easy defeat by creating a scenario that isn't real, insert a reaction that isn't standard and then see it fall down...perfect.

Ergo the classic: "Man, in BJJ you pull guard when attacked by multiple attackers with guns and that just doesn't work man. Now, [insert martial art that claims to be effective against multiple attackers here] is the bomb."
 
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