BJJ in application

[Oniw17]

It seems like a lot of people favor BJJ over TMA. Why? What makes it so much better? Most people who I've asked in person tell me that it's just a better style...I don't really want to believe that, because as it's been stated many times on this form, it is the teacher and the student that make the difference, not the style. Is BJJ more street effective, or does it just get more fame because of TV shows like the UFC?

-Thanks all

[jwinch2]

There have been an absolute TON of BJJ and th3 str33t threads on here. If you do a search you will probably find all that you are looking for...

[khujo78]

just take a bjj intro class

[Jeff C.]

I don't think many of us take BJJ because we think it is "better;" we take it because we like how it fits into our game.

Jeff Cook

[QuiKujoJin]

I agree with Jeff. That's why I do it.

[moogong]

BJJ was big in Brazil way before the UFC ever debuted in America. The early UFCs were really a showcase for the art in America.
I don't agree that it's the best style of martial arts but I will say it's the most fun style I have ever studied. Like Jeff said, I enjoy it because it really compliments everything else I do.

[oneinchpunchmaster]

There is no best style of MA. Anyway.

1. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu IS effective on the streets. They're are many stand up self defence techniques in it(almost all of them are locks).
Also note, people teach 2 types of BJJ, sport and traditional. Sport is more related to Vale Tudo and ground fighting, whilst traditional is more focused on stand up self defence techniques, though it still concentrates alot on ground work as thats the main aspect of BJJ. For example, in one of my classes, at the point of learning the techniques, we learnt 2 stand up self defence techniques, and then ended the class with rolling; in other words, no ground techniques. It is entirely up to the instructor and how they teach you the art. Think of it like TKD, theres the ITF style,and the WTF style. They both focus on different things, different teachings, though the root of both the ITF style and WTF style is TKD itself. There is Sport BJJ and traditional, though you cant really tell which is which without taking 2-3 classes and seeing what the classes concentrate on the most, because there is no way of seperating Sport and traditional BJJ like there is for TKD.

2.You can get the basics down fast - Ground work is important, and getting the basics down fast will help you to quickly start bringing the techniques into street self defence, if you end up on the ground. It takes roughly only 6-7 months to get the basics down.

3.Great workout. BJJ guys are generally VERY tough and powerful guys.

4.So you say "It seems like a lot of people favor BJJ over TMA. Why?". Why not?Its there opinion, they can favor BJJ over TMA if they want, it wont make a difference to anyone else.

5. Seems like you dont really like BJJ, why not? If you think that it is only famous because of the UFC, WHAT made it so famous in the UFC? There must be a reason. Oh, i know, because Royce Gracie defeated all the strikers he faced with BJJ.

[DungeonWorks]

I think it depends on where you start really. I was brought up as a striker and that is my comfort zone. So far, in my very limited exposure to grappling training, I see many instances while rolling that are nearly the same situations I have been in during street fights I have been party to. The truth is that street fights are mutliple variable and NO MARTIAL ART is gonna replicate or have techniques for EVERY intangible encounter. It it your job as a martial artist to round out your skills and adapt/apply them to your situation. In otherwords, the more rounded your skill set, the better it is gonna be for you to overcome a situation. In football, there is a saying that goes something like this "On any given Sunday, any team is capable of beating another.". In boxing, everyone has what is called a "puncher's chance". This can be applied to martial arts and fighting too. Too many people get wrapped up into what the best style is and it is the endless and answerless question when it comes to fighting. Even the techniques that are usd for sport can be tweaked to fit a self defence situation. If it works in the ring, why could it not work on the street or anything goes type situation?

In my opinion, your TKD base of skills will be highly compatible with BJJ or other grappling arts such as Judo, Sambo...ect. Using TKD kicks puts you at the risk of being taken down at some point, even with untrained adversaries. The positional training you will get with BJJ will better your odds if you know how to get to a dominant postition on the ground to either tie up/submit your opponent or escape back to your feet where your strengths are. Now, look at it from a BJJ guy trying to round out his stand up skills by taking Muay Thai or TKD. He/She may want the stand up training to better help them get TO the ground by taking the least amount of strikes as well as doling them out.

Take this for what it is worth coming from me, as I said that I am new to the grappling game. So far, I am incredibly impressed with what I have seen and learned so far.