Will Brazilian Jiu Jitsu work in the street? Some quick thoughts about this...
First thought... YES IT WILL. But first lets look at a few things.
Here are a few scenarios...
(scenario #1)
A guy bumps into you in a Starbucks parking lot. He says "watch where the fuck your going" and you reply with a short laugh and say "no worries dude" He takes your self confidence as a form of disrespect and tells you that he has to kick your ass. You let him know you don't want any trouble but your tone suggests strongly you aren't going to put up with his shit. He throws his coffee at you and its obvious he has already achieved a spiked level of ketosis. He tries to hit your face with a closed fist but you are used to this because you train combat sports several days a week. He gets frustrated and tries to grab you.... OOPS! BAD IDEA! You discover he feels less experienced than his ego would lead you to believe and you realize he doesn't really have a takedown strategy because his attempt at a blast double was head first and basically offered you his neck. But because your in a good mood you decide to pull guard. Once you have successfully pulled guard, his weight lunges forward enough to butterfly sweep him and you end up in side control. He cant hip escape because he simply doesn't have a clue what's going on at this point. Now your pissed because while realizing this guy is asking for it you come to the conclusion you would have go home and change clothes because the fucking Starbucks parking lot has completely tapped out your entire fucking outfit. Plus keep in mind your even more annoyed because you haven't even had the fucking chance to drink your first cup of coffee! SHIT!!!!! Ok Ok Ok back to reality... So your shoulder is driving into his jaw bone with your knee on his hip as he turns over somehow in a last ditch effort to cover up hoping this will stop and he would wake up in his bed realizing its was just a bad dream. To make it worse you are 20 pounds lighter than him and 3 inches shorter...What a mindfuck! You know you this guy is gonna tell his friends he got jumped by a bunch of gang members. Not sure how you guys would finish him so in an effort to show a shred of kindness to the guy who screwed up your entire day when all you wanted was a cup of coffee you decide to whisper in his ear "I'm going to get up now and we can end this" He agrees and everyone wins because nobody got injured and the only thing hurt was the guys ego who probably needed a dose of humility...
Scenario #2
You cross eyes with a person in a parking lot who has a tattoo on his face. He is with his girlfriend (or boyfriend) who may have been looking at you. The guy gets upset and says something like "don't look at my girl (or dude)". You have trained BJJ for a year and a half. You feel super confident because you tapped a blue belt last week and respond to the slightly bigger guy with an "I'm not going to back down" sense of confidence. You remember the Helio Gracie stories you read in your favorite martial arts magazine about how Jiu Jitsu is for the smaller guy Vs. the bigger opponent and how its made for the rough streets of Brazil. You say something to him like "I wasn't looking at your girl but watch how you talk to me". He rushes you and starts swinging. You try to grab him so you can get this to where you feel comfortable, the ground. After all the ground is your ocean and your an up and coming dangerous octopus. Unfortunately octopi don't drink coffee and have no business in a Starbucks parking lot. (did I spell octopi correct?)...You get knocked out and your ribs broken. Maybe you could have given more attention to stand up fighting? Win some lose some...at least you had the courage to stand up for your self.... OSS
There is a common sentiment in some areas of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that it will always work on the streets and you do not need any other form of self defense. This may be the case if there is only 1 person you are fighting.
Keep in mind the person we spoke of previously could have also had a knife or sharp object. You may be able to control someone no matter how big and scary they may seem to be but things can change when a weapon is involved or if there is someone waiting in the car.
Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu makes anyone into an expert fighter? NO.
Training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not enough to make you an invincible martial artist, capable of taking on any attacker who dares to wish you harm.
Schools hungry for new students tell outrageous lies that may ruin your life and get you in a heap of trouble or even worse, dead.
The truth is that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an excellent martial art to learn for self defense and it is the most popular martial art to add on to other martial arts such as boxing or kickboxing when trying to create a complete fighting system.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not the only martial art you need to learn, if your goal is to become more prepared in a self defense situation or perhaps become a professional cage fighter.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will also make you more confident and can develop character while giving you a great workout. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu makes everyone's body stronger and healthier.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu techniques such as triangles, omoplatas, armbars and chokeholds will work in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions, submission grappling or mixed martial arts matches, just not always in the streets.
What should you do if someone wants to fight? Try and avoid it at all costs and only use a martial art to defend yourself.
A quick eye opener (i hope)
Train safe and Train Often,
Matthew Tropp | BJJ Report
Info@bjjreport.com