When is it really time to use your Jiu Jitsu?
Someone says to you “That wouldn’t work on the streets!” How many times have you heard this watertight argument thrown around anytime you so much as breathe a word of BJJ with a certain group of people. The question is still unanswered, or is it? An MMA practitioner would argue that sport Jiu Jitsu doesn't work in the street; however, a blackbelt who won multiple world titles may have a difference of opinion. Even MMA has tactics that aren’t going to work on ‘the streets’ such as waiting for the referee to stand you up! Am I Right? Or eye gouges, fish hooks, using a blunt or even sharp object, Just sayin.
I train in both sport Jiu Jitsu (gi and no gi) as well as MMA. There is a huge difference between the 3 which I am not going to get into in this article. They all are in some ways interweaved however if I had to test my martial art in a real confrontation my MMA brain would kick in first and foremost. Keep in mind that if I did put on my sport BJJ mind frame I also believe that I could close the distance, body lock, take down my adversary and go to work on whatever attacks were available at the time. Or I would keep a dominant position until the police arrive. Shout out to the heroes on Instagram and Tom Deblass for showcasing how this is realistic!
The question still remains, if you had ZERO BJJ experience and you had to fight a BJJ practitioner how would you win a fight against a person well trained in limb hyperextension and equipped with various forms of strangulation as well as extreme positional proficiency? Kind of scary huh?
Lets take a different approach…
Would the guard puller who has never been hit in the face be able to defend their life in prison?
What does the high level black belt think they would be able to achieve against a 6`2, 225 pound all muscle convicted felon in a prison cell? It can also be argued that a no gi blackbelt with some wrestling background could easily control a person of that size if push came to shove. I digress. Truth be told, the ‘streets’ are such a random, uncontrolled environment that it’s often nonsensical to argue about it. It is also safe to say that live rolling in competition or even at some schools with certain partners is chaotic enough as it is. There’s no magic technique or system that’s going to prepare you for concrete floors, broken glass, and a roided up opponent wielding a knife; so why worry your head off about it? Look, most of us are weekend warriors doing Jiu Jitsu after long 9-5 shifts, milling about in an orderly society, so there’s no need to start internet pissing matches about the ‘streets.’
However….Ultimately the more prepared you are the higher your probability of survival or success becomes. What’s most important is that we stay on the mats and keep putting in work day in and day out. BJJ, Wrestling and ground fighting are great if you're on the ground.
Most importantly if we use a little bit of situational awareness, a pinch of common sense, and a checked ego we can avoid most potential altercations in the first place. As long as we redirect the energy we put into shit talking non ‘street’ techniques into getting better at our martial arts, there’s nothing we can’t be prepared for.
Truly Yours, Anonymous White Belt
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