BJJ FOR THE STREET
The guard is one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s most brilliant and useful developments. While present in original Japanese jujitsu, the guard was taken to great heights by the Brazilians, and it continues to evolve as a tool of combat.
In most grappling arts, a person is considered to be at a disadvantage when flat on his or her back. Pinning an opponent is actually a way to win in many wrestling styles. But in BJJ, the supine position is just a starting point, especially against a larger, stronger opponent. In fact, in the early days of jiu-jitsu in Brazil, rules for matches involving wrestlers had to clearly state that being flat on one’s back did not constitute a loss. It was actually a tactic to lure an unsuspecting opponent into the spider web of a guard master. As in other martial arts that tout the power of the legs to maximize a smaller person’s chance of dispatching of a larger foe, BJJ teaches the guard so practitioners can use their legs to control, sweep or submit a stronger person.
This is all well and good for sport because there are rules to protect athletes from harm, but what about for personal protection in an environment where there are no rules? Is the BJJ guard useful for extreme self-defense? If taught properly and practiced specifically for such situations, it can be a lifesaver. But you can’t just use your sport guard and think it will work outside the rules of a tournament. You must go beyond even the more dangerous parameters of MMA and vale tudo if you want to be prepared for the savage nature of the street. This distinction isn’t clear to many, so let me explain.
If you’re going to train tournament? You’d better work on collar chokes and breaking grips. No gi? Leg-lock offense and defense must be in your arsenal. MMA? You must be able to avoid getting knocked out by a punch or elbow before you can apply your guard. If practical self-defense is your goal, you need to spend time training specifically for real-world self-defense. That’s why I wrote In a nutshell, if you want your BJJ to work for extreme self-defense, you have to modify it.
