BJJ vs striking arts in self defence

Zephyor

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If you say self defence, you say 60% BJJ, it has a big reputation towards this direction. But how good is it? o n1v1 situation you can end the fight with an armbar per-say or a throw but getting yourself o nthe groudn too is not a good idea if the bloke you're fighting has his mates with him. I liek the concept of BJJ but its hard sice i have to choose between 2 great arts and there's such little time
 

Leo89

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You liek it? Never heard of anyone "lieking" anything.

It's normal to like things though. :D
 

Tony Dismukes

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How good it is for self defense largely depends on how it is taught. Some BJJ academies spend 98% of their time working exclusively on ground fighting and in a sport context.* Others cover a more balanced curriculum which includes stand up self defense. You'll need to see what is available in your area.

BTW - fighting multiple attackers (especially if you are unarmed) is always a risky proposition no matter what art you study.

*(Training sport ground fighting will still help you build some skills and attributes which can be very useful in a real fight or self-defense situation. It's just missing some key elements.)
 

Kickboxer101

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Oh boy lets try not to start one of these arguments again. The real answer its all good and it's better than absolutely nothing
 

frank raud

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If you say self defence, you say 60% BJJ, it has a big reputation towards this direction. But how good is it? o n1v1 situation you can end the fight with an armbar per-say or a throw but getting yourself o nthe groudn too is not a good idea if the bloke you're fighting has his mates with him. I liek the concept of BJJ but its hard sice i have to choose between 2 great arts and there's such little time
So, if you throw someone, do you have to go to the round with them?
 

Kenposcholar

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Most people would recommend getting a solid stand-up game & ground game. If I had to choose one or the other, then I would choose stand-up w/ practice to prevent being grounded. Then practice some limited ground techniques to counter the majority of untrained people. The majority of people that are trained don't fight and the majority of fights caused are from untrained and unintelligent people.
 

Steve

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Most people would recommend getting a solid stand-up game & ground game. If I had to choose one or the other, then I would choose grappling with practice to prevent being grounded. Then practice some limited striking techniques to counter the majority of untrained people. The majority of people that are trained don't fight and the majority of fights caused are from untrained and unintelligent people.
 

Steve

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BTW - fighting multiple attackers (especially if you are unarmed) is always a risky proposition no matter what art you study.
Reminds me of another great exchange from the book I'm reading right now (The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cromwell). Fun book.

"They're coming," Iseult said, watching the five men clamber into the small boat.

"You want me to kill them?"

"You can?" She looked hopeful.

"No," I said, "so let's go."
If only martial artists were always o honest in their self-appraisal before selling their product to an unsuspecting public.
 

Kenposcholar

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Most people would recommend getting a solid stand-up game & ground game. If I had to choose one or the other, then I would choose grappling with practice to prevent being grounded. Then practice some limited striking techniques to counter the majority of untrained people. The majority of people that are trained don't fight and the majority of fights caused are from untrained and unintelligent people.

This made me laugh out loud. Love it. My preference is to avoid grounding myself while negating the opponent's attack and placing them in a less desirable position. Whatever training reaches that end goal works for me! :)
 

drop bear

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Oh boy lets try not to start one of these arguments again. The real answer its all good and it's better than absolutely nothing

Let's not start an argument. And then you took a side in that argument?
 

Juany118

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How good it is for self defense largely depends on how it is taught. Some BJJ academies spend 98% of their time working exclusively on ground fighting and in a sport context.* Others cover a more balanced curriculum which includes stand up self defense. You'll need to see what is available in your area.

BTW - fighting multiple attackers (especially if you are unarmed) is always a risky proposition no matter what art you study.

*(Training sport ground fighting will still help you build some skills and attributes which can be very useful in a real fight or self-defense situation. It's just missing some key elements.)
Pretty much this. I would also add, if you are talking TMA, there are in my experience fewer "pure" striking arts than those with some degree of striking and grappling, though admittedly not necessarily a full on ground game". I spar with a co-worker who is a huge BJJ guy. He does striking and is good at it but for him it is simply as a bridge to begin his grappling game. For what I currently study (if I go purist and don't resort to techniques I used to study from Judo and such), there is a fair bit of grappling (though more used in Kali) but it isn't THE focus. It's there for when other things fail and that is the opening you have or to get out of a ground game ASAP. It's especially important on the Kali side in the event you lose your weapon or if your opponent gets the drop on you and you need time to deploy your weapon.

So really in the end I would say the best Martial Art for self defense is the one that feels most right to you. You will train harder, learn skills faster and overall be better at it, and that is what is most important.

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stonewall1350

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If you say self defence, you say 60% BJJ, it has a big reputation towards this direction. But how good is it? o n1v1 situation you can end the fight with an armbar per-say or a throw but getting yourself o nthe groudn too is not a good idea if the bloke you're fighting has his mates with him. I liek the concept of BJJ but its hard sice i have to choose between 2 great arts and there's such little time

It will have been said here already. And I have a guy who is a Kung fu man in my class who takes our class for 1 specific reason: you NEED to know how to get OFF THE GROUND. Period. You don't have to be a BJJ wizard to do that. But you SHOULD learn the concepts.

1) Falling
2) Shrimps
3) Bridges
4) Sweeps
5) Keeping your legs between you and a standing opponent.
6) Guard Recovery

A) A takedown on an opponent off your back if you enjoy the sport.

1-6 I'm sure there are other important bits off the ground, but if I ended up in a 1 on 1 against a guy who doesn't know these things and I took him off his feet? He is toast. So best to take that into consideration.

I excluded standing because that is not really what I'm thinking is classically thought of when thinking about BJJ.

A- is bonus material :)
 

Skullpunch

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If you're worried about multiple attackers then you need to focus on your 400 meter dash time and maybe some weapons training, not whether bjj > karate and boxing or vice versa.
 

Hanzou

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If you're worried about multiple attackers then you need to focus on your 400 meter dash time and maybe some weapons training, not whether bjj > karate and boxing or vice versa.

Agreed. I would also recommend getting some friends so that you limit the amount of time you're walking around by yourself.
 

FriedRice

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Why is the BJJ/Grappler, always the lonely loser with no friends and usually gets ganged up in these scenarios. The regular streets of Brazil are pretty rough, and these aren't even the rough streets yet. And they're not sue-happy like we are, so lots of problems are easily solved with street fights. BJJ does pretty well there.
 

Juany118

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Why is the BJJ/Grappler, always the lonely loser with no friends and usually gets ganged up in these scenarios. The regular streets of Brazil are pretty rough, and these aren't even the rough streets yet. And they're not sue-happy like we are, so lots of problems are easily solved with street fights. BJJ does pretty well there.

There is actually a BIG difference between the "standard" BJJ taught at say most Gracie schools and self defense BJJ though. I will try to find the video but Rener and Ryron themselves have done more than one video on how there are BIG differences between competition BJJ and "street" BJJ and how even schools with the Gracie logo sometimes only teach the former and not the later.

Your analogy also fails for another reason. Wing Chun, as an example, earned it's reputation in street fights and challenge matches in Hong Kong and still does today... BUT here in the US how many instructors do you think teach it as a "street fighting" art and not simply a "competition" art.

In the end though, I don't think anyone is saying "the BJJ/Grppler" guy is always "lonely". What they are saying is that you need to select you art and, perhaps just as important, your instructor with the idea that you are training for that worst case scenario where you are alone and out numbered. Otherwise what is the point of training for self defense.
 
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