Sport Jiu-Jitsu vs. Self Defense
Sport Jiu-Jitsu vs. Self Defense
Jiu-Jitsu was originally meant to be a self defense art. A way for a smaller, weaker person to defend against attacks from a bigger, stronger adversary. With the growth of sport Jiu-Jitsu and competition focused training, one criticism is that sport Jiu-Jitsu training does not adequately prepare someone for a self-defense situation, and can even give an unrealistic sense of security about getting involved in a street fight.
The iconic quote by Carlson Gracie Sr. says: “Punch a black belt in the face, he becomes a brown belt. Punch him again, purple…” Is sport Jiu-Jitsu taking away from the original efficacy of the martial art? Are certain guards such as deep half, x, and inverted guard ineffective in a street fight situation? Is it possible to train sport Jiu-Jitsu, but still be prepared for a self-defense situation?
It seems that Jiu-Jitsu training is pretty much a requirement for mixed martial arts fighters now, and many hold Jiu-Jitsu black belts. Many fights end up on the ground at some point and involve submission attempts and defenses. We have seen Eddie Bravo introduce his own line of Combat Jiu-Jitsu, in an effort to shake things up and show how Jiu-Jitsu can be used in a situation involving open-handed strikes. Vagner Rocha most recently won the Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds, his finals match being stopped due to undefended strikes to the face.
What do you think? Does modern day Jiu-Jitsu training adequately prepare the practitioner to defend him/herself? Does combat Jiu-Jitsu/MMA give a realistic view of the efficacy of Jiu-Jitsu in self defense?
I’ve had the opportunity to train several different martial arts. I started out in Taekwondo, earned a black belt in Hapkido, played some Judo, dabbled in Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Escrima, and I’ve experienced MMA-style sparring. I eventually focused in on Jiu-Jitsu and competitive sport Jiu-Jitsu.
Some of the best self-defense advice I ever heard was that it takes years of training and a ton of repetition to be able to defend a skilled punch or strip a weapon. You can take a self-defense class, but one class doesn’t mean that you should now be confident to defend any attack, let’s be real. The best thing you can do for yourself self-defense-wise is to learn how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Find a friend you can roughhouse with. Wrestle. Heck, play football. It is very common for women to freeze up in self-defense situations, because their bodies don’t know how to react. If you’re used to being in situations that are a little rough, at the very least, you will have a natural response.
I think that’s where sport Jiu-Jitsu is great for self-defense. We are put in bad positions over and over again on a daily basis, and have to fight out of them. We can train sparring against someone who is trying as hard as he/she can to hurt us. I know what it’s like to have a grown man try to hold me down and I know that I can get out. I think it’s good for every Jiu-Jitsu practitioner to experience rolling with strikes at least once, just to have an understanding of where they can get hit, and how to deal with it. I know that I play a much more conservative game if my opponent has gloves on.
I believe that Jiu-Jitsu has given me the ability to defend myself. However, I’m not going out and looking for a street fight. I’d rather not test my self-defense skills unless I have no other choice, and hopefully it will never come to that.
By
Nikki Sullivan