One of the best things I've learned from BJJ is emotional control in compromising positions. When someone is putting pressure on your chest, making it difficult to breathe, and you're not able to get out, it pays to stay cool. Without training it's easy to panic and just burn all of your energy, and then you're done. If someone ever takes you down you're going to want to know how to handle yourself on the ground, and not panic.
You're in a training environment with people you know , go and compete in real life in an adrenaline filled setting with a crowd and your forearms are going to cramp from gripping a gi way harder than you normally do, your lungs are breathing fire, and a 6 min match is going to feel like an eternity. Fighting is illegal and if you don't do it all the time you're not going to be as composed as you might think .
There's no fair game on a street fight. It won't be one to one. May be one to two; three; or even more. You can't lock a person on the ground when you have more than two opponents.
@@TheAnsonysc that's not correct. There is not only ONE fight scenario. And who said anything about locking someone on the ground? If you don't have ground game, you're not getting off the ground in the first place.
That's one of the first lessons in bjj, not to go into panic flight mode when your getting crushed from above. Took awhile for me. Felt like I was being buried alive.
Ive learned several things from this video : 1.This is my first time watching the channel and Chewjitsu has a very almost hypnotic way of reaching the listener as well as how he educates you with advanced vernacular. 2.The info was spot on. 3. This guy's beard rivals Chuck Norris's. 4. When Chris Evans gets too old for the part, or even if not...I see another Capt. America. 5. I ran out of stuff to say.
I'm a 7th degree kenpo black belt and have done that for 28 years. I got so tired of our oldest son, 32 years old, getting me tied up and getting me in any one of a variety of holds, chokes, triangles, foot locks, Americana, you name it. I decided I needed to learn some kinds of BJJ and walked into a gym 7 months ago. This stuff is brutal on you. It doesn't matter how good a shape you're in, you walk into a BJJ gym and roll with even a one year white belt and you get destroyed. All the time. Every day. I'm a very good striker and I think my skill could get me by on the streets with someone who is bigger and stronger than I am if they haven't trained in any kind of martial arts. It's hard for me to keep going because its so discouraging. You're getting beat by people who are not as strong as you, as athletic as you, and yes, even women will beat you. I"m 65 and I'll go for as long as I can, but BJJ is for real. And yes, you expend an awful lot of energy with the striking arts and get tired quickly. Don't discount the value of BJJ. You'll never know what it feels like to be grabbed by a BJJ black belt until you are. It cuts you down to size right away.
One on one, a person that's been training BJJ for a year is going to maul 95% of untrained potential opponents, and that's true for a number of reasons. That sounds useful in a street fight to me.
You make some extremely valid points chew man , my problem is when you talk about the different things you do in jujitsu i never see it, every jujitsu school I've ever trained at all they do is ground fighting or at least not enough time spent on the other stuff to be useful to you in a situation where you might need it. I'll even go so far as to tell you years ago i use to have an open martial arts forum at my house on weekends and I couldn't to save my life get the jujitsu guy's who showed up to do judo throws or simple striking they didn't even want to participate in any training thaf started standing and didn't want to fight on the ground uneless striking wasn't permitted. Yet they were of the mindset that the ground was the last place you wanted to be in a real physical confrontation.
Thanks Chewy. Loving your channel. I've been training for a few months about once a week. I've grown more interest in bjj in general, the more I show up. Listening to your video's and reading your email posts have been helpful 🙏
Oh boy you're right about the exhaustion. I started BJJ on January and I was on ok shape, I tough .. and we did 1 min rounds as an absolutely new white belts. man I was so wrong., I was diving after a single round. Now 3 months in were doing 4-5min rounds, multiple opponents. BJJ is so so fun, thanks for the content Chewie. :) Always when im down in the dumpsters with my training i just come youtube and find your videos and it motivates to keep me going.. Happy Thursday all!
One of the "whole video" warriors here lol. Good content. First I've ever come across from you. Don't even know how I did but I'm glad I did. That was a rather informative perspective because yeah you're right, from the outside jiu jitsu does just seem like a ground game. But it makes total sense about everything else. Thanks for that tidbit and I'm subscribing just to see what else ya got.
I would never cut you off men. You have a voice, especially on this topic. As a practitioner, I know I have better chances of survival because of JJ, than if I didn't train. By rolling and smashing ourselves every day we are training our minds into the principle of: I can escape almost every situation if I keep my cool, especially before being taken to the ground :) Cheers!
I really liked that this RUclipsr said you should learn both striking and grappling. Very useful and surprisingly a lot of people are not saying this they’re saying to either just grapple or just strike. I will be completely honest, though I think Judo would be much more effective usage in the street, if you have to grapple. But I still think jujutsu still is very effective
I'm with you. I've been doing Martial Arts since 1983. Before my Martial Arts journey I had been in about 20 street fights and yes I would say about 3 or 4 of them ended up on the ground for one reason or another. So ground game is very important. I am a stand up fighter but I have been training the basic BJJ moves for about 15 years and I love it. I think the most important thing I have learned over the years in a self defense situation is to stay calm and do your best to deescalate the situation and has worked a few times. So keep training until your body doesn't let you anymore and feel confident and healthy.
You are absolutely right. The whole video and all of the points. I was explaining this to someone that has never trained in any martial arts, but was looking to learn self-defense techniques. I didn’t articulate it as well as you, but I am sharing this video with him.
good video good points and Ive used multiple takedowns in multiple fights so grappling is very useful. Not to mention if its a one on one fight nothing is more effective than using a submission because its quick, consistent, and it completely incapacitates a threat.
Finally someone has said this on a video. I've been saying it in comments for years and getting ignored. Fact is, most people who make videos and comment on videos have never been in a street fight and probably never will. You cannot wrestle around on the floor in a street fight, you need to be on your feet and moving at all times.
LOVE yr work, very informative and knowledgeable... Sent it to my son, who at the age of 21 is getting back into MMA next week after a 5 year break ...... From Cape Town South Africa Shalom
I love your point about BJJ does not start on the ground, very accurate. The people who say BJJ does not work in a street fight are missing the big picture. They are right about never going to the ground, it is undeniably the most dangerous place to be in a street fight, but not going to the ground and finding yourself on the ground are two different things. Should you find yourself on the ground in a street fight, you better have a ground game to save you, and BJJ is one of the best. The only thing worse than being on the ground, is being on the ground and not having the ability to get back on your feet.
I think you nailed it. You don't want to go to the ground, but if you can't grapple then what's keeping you from going there? Better to be trained in case it does go there or how to defend it. I've trained and competed in wrestling, BJJ, and muay thai. I'm currently developing my own fighting system designed for street fighting. Basics from all three styles that will prep you to hit high percentage simple techniques in striking and grappling from all positions while accounting for the reality of concrete, weapons, and multiple attackers. Train more than one style and learn that de-escalation is your friend.
I couldn't agree more about the cardio! I am not terrible for the first 3 to 5 minute round, but after that, I am diminished. Granted, I am now old, fat, and injured, but no one understands the cardio load of full intensity grappling with the stressors that you mention. After about 6 months now, I can normally work the entire hour, but I am still sucking air! LOL.
I did combined martial arts in my 20's and it included BJJ (grappling). As a rule if I faced multiple opponents, Id never want to go to the ground. But in a one-on-one situation, particularly if I was the same size or bigger and if they were untrained. I would always want to go to the ground. Reason being is that stand up fights involving strikes will have a lot of uncertainty based on speed, technique, distance, luck, etc. Grappling on the ground takes away a lot of that uncertainty. Its down to technique and to a lesser degree strength. At that time, I was fairly confident, that no matter who the person was, if they were an untrained grappler and of the same size - I could beat them. You cant say that with a stand up fight. People can always get a lucky strike in.
Many people think Bjj is just playing guard. That’s what they see because they don’t understand . Bjj is more than that. It is feeling comfortable when you are on the ground! Someone who knows a little of Bjj or grappling compared to someone who does not will much easier stand up or get on top when both are at the ground. Great vid as always. Greetings from Austria. Blue belt osssss
Never say never. The issue is how skilled are you at getting up? The problem is survival depends on the transitions, and how good you are at it. I think being able to flow to the ground and back up to running away is the most important ability. Jui jitsu gives you a very necessary experience in learning how to disengage an aggressive opponent. Also having good striking skills is also vital. I see in my experience though that the transitions of striking to grappling and back is mostly undeveloped. My opinion though. Good post man .
I completely agree with everything. My only concern or issue is that there are so many bjj schools that don't actually teach standup techniques. I think the no-gi scene has definitely helped popularize wrestling techniques in the sport but you can still go to plenty of schools (gi and no-gi) that barely if ever teach stand up.
Exactly knowing how to grapple isn’t all about just taking someone down it’s also about defending from being grabbed, and deciding what should happen also restraining someone is easier to explain in court than knocking someone out in self-defense.
Good points. Another thing to consider is that a street fight is a chaotic situation. conversely, there are well defined rules in boxing, mma, and grappling matches that occur in 1 on 1, controlled environments.
Absolutely loved this presentation & most fights eventually go to the ground unless you’re Lee Murray & dropping every dude, but ground skills & your breathing is absolute key & just puts the experienced fighter/trainer in such a better place then the average person off the street… Brilliant
So I'm a bouncer and have been in hundreds of physical altercations and seen thousands. Granted my BJJ is rudimentary but I have used the arm drag into a RNC many times. Though I have also seen a brown belt get beaten up by a totally untrained guy. BJJ works great if you can get a take down or an arm drag. But you need some basic striking, a good 1-2 and a guard. Like you said if the guy isn't on his own BJJ isn't going to be much use.
When I first started I used to get exhausted so quickly doing any rolling or situational training. That came back the first time I completed. I was exhausted midway through the first match. I cannot imagine what an actual fight will be like.
Thanks for your videos I like your delivery and it is quite helpful. I have been training jitsu for 4 plus years and the reason why I started training was street fight that someone else tried to instigate. I think jitsu is a excellent art for street given you know what are doing, everyone is different and has different capabilities, jitsu with ground striking would be a great combination especially if the the person threatening you does not know jitsu.
Well-spoken sir. You gave a sensible, logical non bias answer. I come from a GOJU-RYU background and never trained in BJJ. One thing that I do know is that when you learn self-defense you need to learn everything to be well rounded; striking, blocking, throwing, holds and escapes, fighting standing up and fighting on the ground. When I was young, I grew up in some bad neighborhoods. Got to see a lot of different altercations that came with that. I will say for the record that if you or the other person do not really know what you are doing in a serious fight, there is a good chance you may find yourself where you or both of you may be on the ground. And even if you know what you are doing and are in control of the situation your opponent usually ends up doubled over or is knocked down to the ground.
You are an excellent JJ practitioner and a very effective public speaker---I’ve spoken in large crowds since I was 7. You are very accomplished at delivering information---I see a TED talk in your future 💪💪💪🙏🙏🙏🙏
Lol “attention span of gnats” I love it! Also, great explanation. I’ve had this conversation a few times with others and this will be a great resource to share
You are spot on. I train primarily in karate but we do a fair amount of grappling for all the reasons you mention. I have become a lot more relaxed and comfortable with being grabbed or going to the ground. We all need to be open to cross training in martial arts. Good stuff!!!
Hey chewjitsu I used to go to your gym to the boxing classes back in early 2022 when I lived in Louisville before I joined the army I seen you a few times but never knew you had a RUclips channel lol anyway I got stationed up here in fairbanks alaska and they literally have no mma gym but they do have jiu jitsu gyms I've never been interested in jiu jitsu but since it's the only combat sport they have up here I'm gonna do it thanks so much for all the helpful tips it makes me happy seeing the gym I used to go to in your videos I miss Louisville lol
you are completely right. A lot of people, including martial artists, don't understand ground fighting in a self-defense scenario. These comments usually come from people who 1) are not trained at all or 2) don't train in a functional martial art or 3) only do striking and no grappling. I sometimes try to explain it this way: is trying to touch each other from a distance with your fists (aka boxing, karate point fighting, ...) for minutes long realistic? Have you ever seen a street fight where people are boxing for a few minutes long? No, because if one really wants to hurt the other, the clinch just happens. People tend to grab eachother and before they know it, they are on the ground against their will. Besides, knowing how to get away from the ground, requiers you to know about ground fighting/grappling. A boxer spars a lot in the standing position to get really good at it. A jiu-jitsu person spars a lot on the ground to get good at it. It isolates a part of "fighting" to get better at it. But neither a boxing match or a jiu-jitsu match resembles a real street fight. Yet, people don't say boxing is unrealistic ... and I think it's because of movies. People have a false sense of how real fights go. To me, a real fight is like 20-30% striking and 70-80% grappling. And the evidence for that is found all over the internet. No experienced grappler says it's wise to go to the ground on the street. But unfortunately we have to keep on explaining this to people. I saw a video of 2 karateka getting angry at eachother and getting into a real fight. How did the fight look? Well, they were both on the ground for 90% of the time. It just looked like a bad jiu-jitsu game. I think I made my point. Keep up the good work Chewy
I've always had a problem with some of the elements of the "never go to the ground" or "grappling doesn't work in a street fight" argument. The first one being someone saying what if they have friends. Grappling is indeed bad against multiple opponents, so is every other fighting system. If you get into a fight and its 3 vs 1 the fight is over, you lose, regardless of your training. Another is just because you don't want to go to the ground doesn't mean you aren't going to end up there. If you have some grappling experience and the other person doesn't there's probably a reasonable chance you can just stand up.
I used to get in fights all the time, when I was a little kid, all through my teens and 20’s. I did tae kwon do as a kid and trained boxing off and on through my 20’s. I started training bjj in my early 30’s, I’ve been training 7 and a half years. I haven’t been in a fight since I’ve started training. Probably due to a lot of factors, getting older, having kids, lifestyle changes etc, but also being a more mentally/emotionally balanced person, a large portion of which I attribute to having a regular jiu jitsu training schedule. Whenever I roll with a new guy who’s never grappled before I’m always stunned by how helpless they are on the ground. Sometimes it’s big military dudes, or accomplished muy Thai fighters, and when I roll with them it feels like I’m wrestling with my kids or something. I look back on a lot of the fights I’ve been in and think about how much less violent or dangerous they could have been if I’d have been able to pull them onto the ground and control them till they tired themselves out and gave up. An untrained opponent can hit hard enough to hurt you while he’s got his feet under him, but on the ground (unless he’s an mma guy who drills ground strikes 3 days a week) he’s just gonna be throwing inconsequential arm punches, it’s much safer. btw, their friends can also jump in and punch and kick you when you’re standing upright. It’s happened to me more than a couple times. I’d rather get soccer kicked in the ribs while I’m putting one of the bad guys to sleep then get blindsided in the temple with a wild haymaker while I’m trading punches with some other guy. As far as knives go, you’re pretty much fucked either way, try your best to avoid interacting with maniacs who stab people
From the people that see Bjj only as going to the ground to the people that see the street fight as a fight without knifes: In which situation is it easier to get stabbed ¿? 1: Grappling? Or 2: Keeping them at distance with straight stiff punches? Thank you for your honest answer and I accept your apology. 🙏
We used to call it ring fitness... few years ago I was sparring in the boxing ring.. I considered myself super fit but I was gassing out quickly.. had to develop it.. you make some interesting points.
Tik Tok has NOT destroyed my attention span 😅 Great commentary. I think it's funny when people say "never do 'x' in a fight" as if we can predict how the scenario unfolds
As someone who has trained as a striker for over 30 years, I would completely agree with your commenter (much as you did) - you don't ever WANT to go to the ground. But almost every fight winds up there if it lasts long enough, so you DAMN well better know what to do when you get there. With all the striker training (Kenpo, boxing, Jeet Kune Do, etc.), my ground-fighting training from the military and background in folk/freestyle wrestling has saved my ass more. If I ever get up the gumption to start all over again, I'd either go for mixed fighting or straight-up JJ in today's world.
When I first heard about bjj I was opposed to it, but actually taking the time to dive into it I can say that it’s great. I’m learning way more things about it now, and can safely say that it’s great for self defense.
I agree w/ Eyebrow. You can find yourself on the ground whether you like it or not, even you are a seasoned grappler. Jiu Jitsu is the best for getting back up off the ground.
I absolutely agree with you. Lotta street fights start off standing so you do need to know how to punch and kick. But once the distance closes it turn to stand up grappling, then to the floor you need jits. You need a bit Thai, Judo, and Jits in short.
This was too polite and cordial of a response to guys that say jujitsu is useless in a street fight. In my humble opinion the lack of brain cells required to make that statement is astounding.
I'm a Sandan Judoka with 30 years experience as well as several national championships. I've had my fair share of street fights and I will tell you from experience, I have never lost a street fight. I can usually get in a throw, a pin and an arm bar in seconds. I do know how to strike and defend again kicks and strikes enough to get a hold of them and then it's a very short fight once I dislocated their arm.
love your stuff and all very true. I came to BJJ three years ago after 10 years training striking and realising there was something missing now I love the art and it makes me a more complete fighter
There are aspects of Jiu Jitsu, especially the small circle stuff, that augments your ability to control and restrain those who grab you and try go for take downs. A lot of times, the stuff you are working on from the ground can be applied from a standing position, it may take a little creativity to pull off so you kinda need to work on it when you can.
Karate guy here. Trained a tad of BJJ and man, it really takes A LOT of energy. And yes a person who knows a bit about that, will easily pin you down (sure happened to me, though I got a little better towards the end). That said, I'll echo the sentiment of trying to get out of dodge. As a civilian it's almost always the case that the best thing is just going elsewhere (a problem if you have someone who for whatever reason requires any kind of assistance, or if it's a family issue in which case BJJ is spectacular because no one needs to really get hurt and hopefully you'll all end up laughing about later). You don't want to "win" you don't get trophies, you get to stay alive and in good shape, and out of legal issues. That's all there is in street fights, the only way of winning is to stop participating as quickly as possible and being ok (and yes, prevention is the best possible strategy) If you are down you can't go. And if you are in an unfriendly area, not leaving is bad. It's easier to be surrounded and it could just be a spectator that not knowing the context could end up hurting you. A friend nearly lost an eye, he was a bouncer did a take down and someone else broke a bottle and tried killing him. He was scared for life because of it (though it's not as bad now). Anyway, stay safe folks you never know who you may end up running into, your watch, your ego, these things are not worth it.
I appreciate this video and the comments made. A small point, which makes the statement that Jujitsu is becoming a hodge podge of different systems like Judo and Wrestling ironic. This term jujutsu, jujitsu, or jui jitsu, used to be a way of referring to unarmed or small arms combat training in Japan. It was an umbrella term. When it went to Brazil, that specific style of jujitsu was different from others in Japan, and it was changed by the Brazilians even further. It’s part of the history of combat systems in Japan to make hodge podges. Part of the more traditional approach to training was to keep the blending of things out and the integrity of a specific study for its own sake protected in that way. Most of the classifications of what something was in Japan as far as combat systems were concerned were made out of a desire for standardized study rather than some practical application for a street fight. As Japan modernized, a lot of the sources of street violence diminished in the country as it has in the USA and around the world. The more you know.
as a person who has done jujitsu I agree with you it involves both standing and ground work and multiple body attacks under pressure and kick and weapon defences all under real world pressure
Im a combat instructor teaching KAPAP krav maga. I have also trained bjj for 10yrs. I hear this all the time from various other clubs or students that have joined me from elsewhere. "We dont train ground coz you should never go to the ground". I ask "but what if?" And they reply "we know how to get back up." Its an ignorant comment. Ive had an entire club attend my class including the instructor with this mentality so i ask them all to lay down on their backs. Got my students to mount them and just maintain mount. Then asked the guys mounted to escape. 100% of them failed and tapped to exhaustion (after stretching their opponents tshirts a lot haha). Anyway 3 of them continued to train with me including the teacher. The rest i never saw again. The rule we go by is as follows. If you can go out, go out (meaning walk away, run or create enough distance that youre out of reach). If you cant go out, you go in.(clinch, find a dominant position) and if thats also failing you take it to the ground because you may have a last chance there and with skills could be successful. If its multiple attack scenario you do your best to just move and stike keeping as much distance but its still not a guarantee you wont be taken to the floor. The ground game has variations though mainly to do with distance control. Eg. Side control is not as good as knee on belly because youre in biting or stabbing range and you cant see what else is coming at you etc. On the flip side i get equally as frustrated when i hear mma guys say things like "only knife defense is to run mate" to which i reply "are your childen fast runners then? (Or mum, wife etc ) People just talk too much shit. Its mostly because they dont train "the other" and their ego gets in the way. Well said though
I just wanted to say that I appreciate the BJJ tutorials that you do, I just finished my first class, and we were learning a triangle choke and when I got home my brother had to go to his class to so i have to wait for him to get back to roll with him and watching your videos refreshed my mind and I am ready now. Thank you! (Also, I am 14 and my brother is fifteen and I am in the kids' class, and he is in the adult class and that's why I have to wait for him to come back to roll/spar. He is 6'3 and I am 5'11.5 so I don't know why I was put in a kid class.)
UFPro has some good videos up on effective stand up grappling from clinch distance, for guys who are carrying guns as their job. I have learned and used the “Pike Position” separately and applied it against live punches to good effect. The Samurai and other cultures developed these techniques and “arts of mars” in conjunction with swords, often while wearing armor. I can speak to grappling while wearing a utility blouse, trousers, boots, and a plate carrier, it’s exhausting, more so than in my Gi in a non-air conditioned Japanese Dojo. Also the “Reap Throw” has been effective for me live against bigger stronger guys. Which I learned in MCMAP and refined in Japan under Judo practitioner supervision. Cheers 🍺
As a Peace Officer for the Alberta hospitals, I ended up in a fight with two men trying to remove a kid from the hospital that didn't belong to them. I was alone on the call and ended up backed into a corner. It started on the feet of course, I took a 1-2 shots to the head initially from the main aggressor. I fired back, one down the pipe that put him down. I then grappled with the other guy standing. The 1st guy got up and threw more punches my way, but I clocked him again and he went down. This time I decided to follow him to the ground to control him. I don't advise this, but I'm a purple belt in bjj and I know I'm just better there (and didn't know how many punches I could take). The 2nd dude was kicking and punching me from the top. He even took off my ballistic vest and was hitting me with it, so I placed his buddy in a triangle and rolled to my back so I could now see the strikes coming. Around this time the police showed up and arrested them. They were both charged, however only the 1st guys got 1 year probation and addictions counseling. Take my story for what it's worth. All options suck, get out if you can. I'm fortunate that I train and fortunate they were untrained and didn't have weapons. Stay safe and do any training, but it has to be something that will have you "combat ready" like grappling. Stay safe.
Honestly I have never done jujitsu but I’ve been in more than my fair share of street fights and I can say that the vast majority of them end up on the ground and it’s definitely beneficial to know what to do when you get there.
Another smaller point I have heard is that a fight is optional until the other person grabs you. As long as there's distance or its just kicks and punches, in a worst life or death situation, you have the option to run until you are grabbed.
Jiu jitsu is not my first martial art or even my dominant martial art, but I'm of the opinion that it does teach necessary skills that all martial artists should know. I can say that some of the misconceptions of BJJ is caused by the schools and how they present themselves. The school I used to train at never really discussed the standing part or takedowns. The only time standing and takedowns were ever discussed was starting about 4 weeks before a tournament, and even then there wasn't much instruction. That left the impression that they were only focused on the ground and would only pay lip service to being on the feet.
A black belt is an indicator of great skill and investment in BJJ. Naturally, it would be tempting for such an experienced practitioner to prefer ground fighting in most scenarios, where they are comfortable playing to their strengths. There are many of examples of MMA fighters pulling closed guard, although onto a canvas mat, with rules and an unarmed opponent. These discussions are valuable to remind us of the risks of choosing to transition to, or remain in, positions that sacrifice mobility and ease-of-disengagement.
I think the idea of "You should never go to the ground in a street fight" is a very limiting mindset. You may not take the fight to the ground but the guy you're fighting might. Usually, when guys like that come to the gym I show them just how fast they get taken to the ground and they become helpless. Now I agree that the ground isn't the first place I want to take a fight but fights are chaotic and you never know what part of your training will be the difference between being able to go home or staying the night in the ICU. So strikers...train in some grappling and grapplers...train in striking too. Sorry for the long rant. Chewy, I love your videos. Keep them coming!
I agree with what you said. People forget that you contol where the fight takes place if your grappling is good. That's actually one of the things I take the most pride in my jujitsu game. I control what position I want to go into and if I don't want to be in half gaurd then I get the hell out of there.
People who say these things have never been in a street fight or fought multiple attackers. I am not a jujitsu expert, I'm a striker for the most part, but I can wrestle and I'm learning jujitsu now at 44. Unfortunately, I've been in many street fights in my youth, a fee against multiple people, wrestling skills kept me from being to badly injured, against multiple attackers I didn't so much seek to win, as much as not get seriously hurt. Wrestling skill has actually helped me keep a fight off the ground more then once. I'm not a huge guy, so a bigger guy woukd start to be an issue if he could get on top of me, so knowing how to block a take down attempt, control my hips and my center of gravity gave me an edge , then I coukd use my striking and kicks to my advantage from inside while they'd go off balance. Learn ground and striking, if for no other reason then to knkw what the other person is doing and how to stop it or use it to help yourself.
Great words! I train in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and other street Jujitsu arts. Going to the ground these days in a street fight is most likely going to happen with the high present of people thinking BJJ is the most superoir martial art to train in. I would try to avoid the ground with doing other techniques from the Jujitsu arts like finger locks and small pressure points with my striking. Asphalt & concrete are not your friend for sure in a grapple. Some think that taking a self-defense art based Jujitsu is a waste of their time, but what they are missing out is those street like techniques and concepts that isn't focused in sport. It wouldn't hurt to add in one day a week of street like training. Some of the stuff is hard to spar with due to things like eye gouging and fishhooks. Drunken Kung-Fu might have concepts you might be able to use in your Jiu-Jitsu but be smart and separate the street from sport. Oh I can't use that in a tournament so I shouldn't train it. When I hear that I hear a person who has a cup so full with their ego of sport training pride. Life is not all about tournaments like the parking lot outside.
One of the best things I've learned from BJJ is emotional control in compromising positions. When someone is putting pressure on your chest, making it difficult to breathe, and you're not able to get out, it pays to stay cool. Without training it's easy to panic and just burn all of your energy, and then you're done. If someone ever takes you down you're going to want to know how to handle yourself on the ground, and not panic.
Very true
You're in a training environment with people you know , go and compete in real life in an adrenaline filled setting with a crowd and your forearms are going to cramp from gripping a gi way harder than you normally do, your lungs are breathing fire, and a 6 min match is going to feel like an eternity. Fighting is illegal and if you don't do it all the time you're not going to be as composed as you might think .
There's no fair game on a street fight. It won't be one to one. May be one to two; three; or even more. You can't lock a person on the ground when you have more than two opponents.
@@TheAnsonysc that's not correct. There is not only ONE fight scenario. And who said anything about locking someone on the ground? If you don't have ground game, you're not getting off the ground in the first place.
That's one of the first lessons in bjj, not to go into panic flight mode when your getting crushed from above. Took awhile for me. Felt like I was being buried alive.
Ive learned several things from this video :
1.This is my first time watching the channel and Chewjitsu has a very almost hypnotic way of reaching the listener as well as how he educates you with advanced vernacular.
2.The info was spot on.
3. This guy's beard rivals Chuck Norris's.
4. When Chris Evans gets too old for the part, or even if not...I see another Capt. America.
5. I ran out of stuff to say.
I'm a 7th degree kenpo black belt and have done that for 28 years. I got so tired of our oldest son, 32 years old, getting me tied up and getting me in any one of a variety of holds, chokes, triangles, foot locks, Americana, you name it. I decided I needed to learn some kinds of BJJ and walked into a gym 7 months ago. This stuff is brutal on you. It doesn't matter how good a shape you're in, you walk into a BJJ gym and roll with even a one year white belt and you get destroyed. All the time. Every day. I'm a very good striker and I think my skill could get me by on the streets with someone who is bigger and stronger than I am if they haven't trained in any kind of martial arts. It's hard for me to keep going because its so discouraging. You're getting beat by people who are not as strong as you, as athletic as you, and yes, even women will beat you. I"m 65 and I'll go for as long as I can, but BJJ is for real. And yes, you expend an awful lot of energy with the striking arts and get tired quickly. Don't discount the value of BJJ. You'll never know what it feels like to be grabbed by a BJJ black belt until you are. It cuts you down to size right away.
One on one, a person that's been training BJJ for a year is going to maul 95% of untrained potential opponents, and that's true for a number of reasons. That sounds useful in a street fight to me.
You make some extremely valid points chew man , my problem is when you talk about the different things you do in jujitsu i never see it, every jujitsu school I've ever trained at all they do is ground fighting or at least not enough time spent on the other stuff to be useful to you in a situation where you might need it. I'll even go so far as to tell you years ago i use to have an open martial arts forum at my house on weekends and I couldn't to save my life get the jujitsu guy's who showed up to do judo throws or simple striking they didn't even want to participate in any training thaf started standing and didn't want to fight on the ground uneless striking wasn't permitted. Yet they were of the mindset that the ground was the last place you wanted to be in a real physical confrontation.
Thanks Chewy. Loving your channel. I've been training for a few months about once a week. I've grown more interest in bjj in general, the more I show up. Listening to your video's and reading your email posts have been helpful 🙏
Oh boy you're right about the exhaustion. I started BJJ on January and I was on ok shape, I tough .. and we did 1 min rounds as an absolutely new white belts. man I was so wrong., I was diving after a single round. Now 3 months in were doing 4-5min rounds, multiple opponents. BJJ is so so fun, thanks for the content Chewie. :) Always when im down in the dumpsters with my training i just come youtube and find your videos and it motivates to keep me going.. Happy Thursday all!
One of the "whole video" warriors here lol.
Good content. First I've ever come across from you. Don't even know how I did but I'm glad I did.
That was a rather informative perspective because yeah you're right, from the outside jiu jitsu does just seem like a ground game. But it makes total sense about everything else.
Thanks for that tidbit and I'm subscribing just to see what else ya got.
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, BRO 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻🥊🥊🥊
THANKS 4 THE HELP
I didn't even need to listen to the whole video to tell that that guy KNOWS his stuff. EXCELLENT POINT, INFO!
I would never cut you off men. You have a voice, especially on this topic. As a practitioner, I know I have better chances of survival because of JJ, than if I didn't train. By rolling and smashing ourselves every day we are training our minds into the principle of: I can escape almost every situation if I keep my cool, especially before being taken to the ground :) Cheers!
I've watched hundreds of these fighting videos. This guys one of the best advisors I've seen.
Love this explanation. And BJJ can give you mental quietude and calmness in an altercation that can be disarming. This is so true. Good answer.
I really liked that this RUclipsr said you should learn both striking and grappling. Very useful and surprisingly a lot of people are not saying this they’re saying to either just grapple or just strike. I will be completely honest, though I think Judo would be much more effective usage in the street, if you have to grapple. But I still think jujutsu still is very effective
I'm with you. I've been doing Martial Arts since 1983. Before my Martial Arts journey I had been in about 20 street fights and yes I would say about 3 or 4 of them ended up on the ground for one reason or another. So ground game is very important. I am a stand up fighter but I have been training the basic BJJ moves for about 15 years and I love it. I think the most important thing I have learned over the years in a self defense situation is to stay calm and do your best to deescalate the situation and has worked a few times. So keep training until your body doesn't let you anymore and feel confident and healthy.
You are absolutely right. The whole video and all of the points. I was explaining this to someone that has never trained in any martial arts, but was looking to learn self-defense techniques. I didn’t articulate it as well as you, but I am sharing this video with him.
good video good points and Ive used multiple takedowns in multiple fights so grappling is very useful. Not to mention if its a one on one fight nothing is more effective than using a submission because its quick, consistent, and it completely incapacitates a threat.
Finally someone has said this on a video. I've been saying it in comments for years and getting ignored. Fact is, most people who make videos and comment on videos have never been in a street fight and probably never will. You cannot wrestle around on the floor in a street fight, you need to be on your feet and moving at all times.
LOVE yr work, very informative and knowledgeable... Sent it to my son, who at the age of 21 is getting back into MMA next week after a 5 year break ...... From Cape Town South Africa Shalom
I don't know anything about BJJ but enjoy watching your videos. Look forward to more.
From an experience striker and a novice grappler.... truer words have never been spoken.
I love your point about BJJ does not start on the ground, very accurate. The people who say BJJ does not work in a street fight are missing the big picture. They are right about never going to the ground, it is undeniably the most dangerous place to be in a street fight, but not going to the ground and finding yourself on the ground are two different things. Should you find yourself on the ground in a street fight, you better have a ground game to save you, and BJJ is one of the best. The only thing worse than being on the ground, is being on the ground and not having the ability to get back on your feet.
I've watched a billion of your vids man, this is one of the best one. Well they're all good but this ones on top of the heap!
I think you nailed it. You don't want to go to the ground, but if you can't grapple then what's keeping you from going there? Better to be trained in case it does go there or how to defend it. I've trained and competed in wrestling, BJJ, and muay thai. I'm currently developing my own fighting system designed for street fighting. Basics from all three styles that will prep you to hit high percentage simple techniques in striking and grappling from all positions while accounting for the reality of concrete, weapons, and multiple attackers. Train more than one style and learn that de-escalation is your friend.
Till last year I use to don't like BJJ but now I love it, i love all grappling arts.
Very true I’m still a student of your school I’m trying to make time for training your jujitsu. Thank you for the video.
I was that guy, never use bjj in a streetfight, but listening to you, you have really good points
I couldn't agree more about the cardio! I am not terrible for the first 3 to 5 minute round, but after that, I am diminished. Granted, I am now old, fat, and injured, but no one understands the cardio load of full intensity grappling with the stressors that you mention. After about 6 months now, I can normally work the entire hour, but I am still sucking air! LOL.
I did combined martial arts in my 20's and it included BJJ (grappling). As a rule if I faced multiple opponents, Id never want to go to the ground. But in a one-on-one situation, particularly if I was the same size or bigger and if they were untrained. I would always want to go to the ground. Reason being is that stand up fights involving strikes will have a lot of uncertainty based on speed, technique, distance, luck, etc. Grappling on the ground takes away a lot of that uncertainty. Its down to technique and to a lesser degree strength. At that time, I was fairly confident, that no matter who the person was, if they were an untrained grappler and of the same size - I could beat them. You cant say that with a stand up fight. People can always get a lucky strike in.
Its amazing how many street fighting experts also spend most of their days commenting on youtube to educate us...
Many people think Bjj is just playing guard. That’s what they see because they don’t understand . Bjj is more than that. It is feeling comfortable when you are on the ground! Someone who knows a little of Bjj or grappling compared to someone who does not will much easier stand up or get on top when both are at the ground. Great vid as always. Greetings from Austria. Blue belt osssss
I took jujitsu for 1.5 years and what it taught me was controlling distance. It helped my taekwondo tremendously.
Never say never. The issue is how skilled are you at getting up? The problem is survival depends on the transitions, and how good you are at it. I think being able to flow to the ground and back up to running away is the most important ability. Jui jitsu gives you a very necessary experience in learning how to disengage an aggressive opponent. Also having good striking skills is also vital. I see in my experience though that the transitions of striking to grappling and back is mostly undeveloped. My opinion though. Good post man .
Preach. I love being a "snorlax" of jiujitsu and allowing my opponent to just wear theirselves out.
I completely agree with everything. My only concern or issue is that there are so many bjj schools that don't actually teach standup techniques. I think the no-gi scene has definitely helped popularize wrestling techniques in the sport but you can still go to plenty of schools (gi and no-gi) that barely if ever teach stand up.
Dont go to those schools. Money talks and if people vote with their dollar wrestling will continue to grow
Exactly knowing how to grapple isn’t all about just taking someone down it’s also about defending from being grabbed, and deciding what should happen also restraining someone is easier to explain in court than knocking someone out in self-defense.
Good points. Another thing to consider is that a street fight is a chaotic situation. conversely, there are well defined rules in boxing, mma, and grappling matches that occur in 1 on 1, controlled environments.
I happily watched the whole video. Good content. I agree with your thoughts.
You are absolutely correct. These people do not train. They think they know what Jiu-Jitsu is but have no idea.
Absolutely loved this presentation & most fights eventually go to the ground unless you’re Lee Murray & dropping every dude, but ground skills & your breathing is absolute key & just puts the experienced fighter/trainer in such a better place then the average person off the street… Brilliant
So I'm a bouncer and have been in hundreds of physical altercations and seen thousands. Granted my BJJ is rudimentary but I have used the arm drag into a RNC many times. Though I have also seen a brown belt get beaten up by a totally untrained guy. BJJ works great if you can get a take down or an arm drag. But you need some basic striking, a good 1-2 and a guard. Like you said if the guy isn't on his own BJJ isn't going to be much use.
When I first started I used to get exhausted so quickly doing any rolling or situational training. That came back the first time I completed. I was exhausted midway through the first match. I cannot imagine what an actual fight will be like.
Thanks for your videos I like your delivery and it is quite helpful.
I have been training jitsu for 4 plus years and the reason why I started training was street fight that someone else tried to instigate. I think jitsu is a excellent art for street given you know what are doing, everyone is different and has different capabilities, jitsu with ground striking would be a great combination especially if the the person threatening you does not know jitsu.
Well-spoken sir. You gave a sensible, logical non bias answer. I come from a GOJU-RYU background and never trained in BJJ.
One thing that I do know is that when you learn self-defense you need to learn everything to be well rounded; striking, blocking, throwing, holds and escapes, fighting standing up and fighting on the ground.
When I was young, I grew up in some bad neighborhoods. Got to see a lot of different altercations that came with that.
I will say for the record that if you or the other person do not really know what you are doing in a serious fight, there is a good chance you may find yourself where you or both of you may be on the ground.
And even if you know what you are doing and are in control of the situation your opponent usually ends up doubled over or is knocked down to the ground.
I think you explained it great. Experience practicicinors can decide where the fight goes.
You are an excellent JJ practitioner and a very effective public speaker---I’ve spoken in large crowds since I was 7. You are very accomplished at delivering information---I see a TED talk in your future 💪💪💪🙏🙏🙏🙏
Whole video watcher. I have a God given gift of being cold as ice. Stay cool calm and collected
Lol “attention span of gnats” I love it! Also, great explanation. I’ve had this conversation a few times with others and this will be a great resource to share
“Don’t let the fight go to the ground” is as useful as “don’t let anyone punch you.”
Thanks for sharing your insights and taking your time to create such a content.
I’m glad you covered this. Been watching you since I was a white belt.
You are spot on. I train primarily in karate but we do a fair amount of grappling for all the reasons you mention. I have become a lot more relaxed and comfortable with being grabbed or going to the ground. We all need to be open to cross training in martial arts. Good stuff!!!
What style of karate
Hey chewjitsu I used to go to your gym to the boxing classes back in early 2022 when I lived in Louisville before I joined the army I seen you a few times but never knew you had a RUclips channel lol anyway I got stationed up here in fairbanks alaska and they literally have no mma gym but they do have jiu jitsu gyms I've never been interested in jiu jitsu but since it's the only combat sport they have up here I'm gonna do it thanks so much for all the helpful tips it makes me happy seeing the gym I used to go to in your videos I miss Louisville lol
If you ever come back to visit be sure to drop into the gym.
love u chewie, only commenting cuz u told me too since i watched the whole vid
you are completely right. A lot of people, including martial artists, don't understand ground fighting in a self-defense scenario. These comments usually come from people who 1) are not trained at all or 2) don't train in a functional martial art or 3) only do striking and no grappling. I sometimes try to explain it this way: is trying to touch each other from a distance with your fists (aka boxing, karate point fighting, ...) for minutes long realistic? Have you ever seen a street fight where people are boxing for a few minutes long? No, because if one really wants to hurt the other, the clinch just happens. People tend to grab eachother and before they know it, they are on the ground against their will. Besides, knowing how to get away from the ground, requiers you to know about ground fighting/grappling. A boxer spars a lot in the standing position to get really good at it. A jiu-jitsu person spars a lot on the ground to get good at it. It isolates a part of "fighting" to get better at it. But neither a boxing match or a jiu-jitsu match resembles a real street fight. Yet, people don't say boxing is unrealistic ... and I think it's because of movies. People have a false sense of how real fights go. To me, a real fight is like 20-30% striking and 70-80% grappling. And the evidence for that is found all over the internet. No experienced grappler says it's wise to go to the ground on the street. But unfortunately we have to keep on explaining this to people. I saw a video of 2 karateka getting angry at eachother and getting into a real fight. How did the fight look? Well, they were both on the ground for 90% of the time. It just looked like a bad jiu-jitsu game. I think I made my point. Keep up the good work Chewy
Everything you said spot on. I have nothing to add :-) Thanks for the video man!
Thank you Chewy! I love your videos. Greetings from Austria
10/10 agree with everything you’re saying, Chewy
I've always had a problem with some of the elements of the "never go to the ground" or "grappling doesn't work in a street fight" argument. The first one being someone saying what if they have friends. Grappling is indeed bad against multiple opponents, so is every other fighting system. If you get into a fight and its 3 vs 1 the fight is over, you lose, regardless of your training. Another is just because you don't want to go to the ground doesn't mean you aren't going to end up there. If you have some grappling experience and the other person doesn't there's probably a reasonable chance you can just stand up.
I used to get in fights all the time, when I was a little kid, all through my teens and 20’s. I did tae kwon do as a kid and trained boxing off and on through my 20’s. I started training bjj in my early 30’s, I’ve been training 7 and a half years. I haven’t been in a fight since I’ve started training. Probably due to a lot of factors, getting older, having kids, lifestyle changes etc, but also being a more mentally/emotionally balanced person, a large portion of which I attribute to having a regular jiu jitsu training schedule. Whenever I roll with a new guy who’s never grappled before I’m always stunned by how helpless they are on the ground. Sometimes it’s big military dudes, or accomplished muy Thai fighters, and when I roll with them it feels like I’m wrestling with my kids or something. I look back on a lot of the fights I’ve been in and think about how much less violent or dangerous they could have been if I’d have been able to pull them onto the ground and control them till they tired themselves out and gave up. An untrained opponent can hit hard enough to hurt you while he’s got his feet under him, but on the ground (unless he’s an mma guy who drills ground strikes 3 days a week) he’s just gonna be throwing inconsequential arm punches, it’s much safer.
btw, their friends can also jump in and punch and kick you when you’re standing upright. It’s happened to me more than a couple times. I’d rather get soccer kicked in the ribs while I’m putting one of the bad guys to sleep then get blindsided in the temple with a wild haymaker while I’m trading punches with some other guy.
As far as knives go, you’re pretty much fucked either way, try your best to avoid interacting with maniacs who stab people
From the people that see Bjj only as going to the ground to the people that see the street fight as a fight without knifes: In which situation is it easier to get stabbed ¿?
1: Grappling?
Or
2: Keeping them at distance with straight stiff punches?
Thank you for your honest answer and I accept your apology. 🙏
We used to call it ring fitness... few years ago I was sparring in the boxing ring.. I considered myself super fit but I was gassing out quickly.. had to develop it.. you make some interesting points.
Tik Tok has NOT destroyed my attention span 😅
Great commentary.
I think it's funny when people say "never do 'x' in a fight" as if we can predict how the scenario unfolds
I'm still a new white belt but my first few rolls, man I have never been that gassed in such a short time! You are right on.
As someone who has trained as a striker for over 30 years, I would completely agree with your commenter (much as you did) - you don't ever WANT to go to the ground. But almost every fight winds up there if it lasts long enough, so you DAMN well better know what to do when you get there. With all the striker training (Kenpo, boxing, Jeet Kune Do, etc.), my ground-fighting training from the military and background in folk/freestyle wrestling has saved my ass more. If I ever get up the gumption to start all over again, I'd either go for mixed fighting or straight-up JJ in today's world.
So on point, "Jiu Jitsu begins once the grabbing begins". Great points!
The best speach in this topic i have ever heard.
When I first heard about bjj I was opposed to it, but actually taking the time to dive into it I can say that it’s great. I’m learning way more things about it now, and can safely say that it’s great for self defense.
Excellent vid. I would add that sometimes you may go to the ground whether you want to not. Better to have some grappling then…
I agree w/ Eyebrow. You can find yourself on the ground whether you like it or not, even you are a seasoned grappler. Jiu Jitsu is the best for getting back up off the ground.
I absolutely agree with you. Lotta street fights start off standing so you do need to know how to punch and kick. But once the distance closes it turn to stand up grappling, then to the floor you need jits. You need a bit Thai, Judo, and Jits in short.
This was too polite and cordial of a response to guys that say jujitsu is useless in a street fight. In my humble opinion the lack of brain cells required to make that statement is astounding.
I'm a Sandan Judoka with 30 years experience as well as several national championships. I've had my fair share of street fights and I will tell you from experience, I have never lost a street fight. I can usually get in a throw, a pin and an arm bar in seconds. I do know how to strike and defend again kicks and strikes enough to get a hold of them and then it's a very short fight once I dislocated their arm.
love your stuff and all very true. I came to BJJ three years ago after 10 years training striking and realising there was something missing now I love the art and it makes me a more complete fighter
Great points made. The battle starts at the grips. And most people are not ready for the reality of a trained person.
There are aspects of Jiu Jitsu, especially the small circle stuff, that augments your ability to control and restrain those who grab you and try go for take downs. A lot of times, the stuff you are working on from the ground can be applied from a standing position, it may take a little creativity to pull off so you kinda need to work on it when you can.
You hit the nail on the head. Make distance is the key.
As a karateka it’s important to know all aspects of martial arts.
Karate guy here. Trained a tad of BJJ and man, it really takes A LOT of energy. And yes a person who knows a bit about that, will easily pin you down (sure happened to me, though I got a little better towards the end).
That said, I'll echo the sentiment of trying to get out of dodge. As a civilian it's almost always the case that the best thing is just going elsewhere (a problem if you have someone who for whatever reason requires any kind of assistance, or if it's a family issue in which case BJJ is spectacular because no one needs to really get hurt and hopefully you'll all end up laughing about later).
You don't want to "win" you don't get trophies, you get to stay alive and in good shape, and out of legal issues. That's all there is in street fights, the only way of winning is to stop participating as quickly as possible and being ok (and yes, prevention is the best possible strategy)
If you are down you can't go. And if you are in an unfriendly area, not leaving is bad. It's easier to be surrounded and it could just be a spectator that not knowing the context could end up hurting you. A friend nearly lost an eye, he was a bouncer did a take down and someone else broke a bottle and tried killing him. He was scared for life because of it (though it's not as bad now). Anyway, stay safe folks you never know who you may end up running into, your watch, your ego, these things are not worth it.
Great points. I reckon all street fights are dangerous, and the more training you have the better.
I appreciate this video and the comments made.
A small point, which makes the statement that Jujitsu is becoming a hodge podge of different systems like Judo and Wrestling ironic.
This term jujutsu, jujitsu, or jui jitsu, used to be a way of referring to unarmed or small arms combat training in Japan. It was an umbrella term.
When it went to Brazil, that specific style of jujitsu was different from others in Japan, and it was changed by the Brazilians even further.
It’s part of the history of combat systems in Japan to make hodge podges. Part of the more traditional approach to training was to keep the blending of things out and the integrity of a specific study for its own sake protected in that way.
Most of the classifications of what something was in Japan as far as combat systems were concerned were made out of a desire for standardized study rather than some practical application for a street fight. As Japan modernized, a lot of the sources of street violence diminished in the country as it has in the USA and around the world.
The more you know.
Well I am primarily a Karate guy. However I wrestled in HS and have gone to the ground in fights. I do avoid the ground...but it can happen.
I watch your videos through 😂 good stuff. Keep it up Chewie
as a person who has done jujitsu I agree with you it involves both standing and ground work and multiple body attacks under pressure and kick and weapon defences all under real world pressure
Im a combat instructor teaching KAPAP krav maga. I have also trained bjj for 10yrs. I hear this all the time from various other clubs or students that have joined me from elsewhere. "We dont train ground coz you should never go to the ground". I ask "but what if?" And they reply "we know how to get back up." Its an ignorant comment.
Ive had an entire club attend my class including the instructor with this mentality so i ask them all to lay down on their backs. Got my students to mount them and just maintain mount. Then asked the guys mounted to escape. 100% of them failed and tapped to exhaustion (after stretching their opponents tshirts a lot haha). Anyway 3 of them continued to train with me including the teacher. The rest i never saw again.
The rule we go by is as follows. If you can go out, go out (meaning walk away, run or create enough distance that youre out of reach). If you cant go out, you go in.(clinch, find a dominant position) and if thats also failing you take it to the ground because you may have a last chance there and with skills could be successful. If its multiple attack scenario you do your best to just move and stike keeping as much distance but its still not a guarantee you wont be taken to the floor. The ground game has variations though mainly to do with distance control. Eg. Side control is not as good as knee on belly because youre in biting or stabbing range and you cant see what else is coming at you etc.
On the flip side i get equally as frustrated when i hear mma guys say things like "only knife defense is to run mate" to which i reply "are your childen fast runners then? (Or mum, wife etc )
People just talk too much shit. Its mostly because they dont train "the other" and their ego gets in the way.
Well said though
I just wanted to say that I appreciate the BJJ tutorials that you do, I just finished my first class, and we were learning a triangle choke and when I got home my brother had to go to his class to so i have to wait for him to get back to roll with him and watching your videos refreshed my mind and I am ready now. Thank you! (Also, I am 14 and my brother is fifteen and I am in the kids' class, and he is in the adult class and that's why I have to wait for him to come back to roll/spar. He is 6'3 and I am 5'11.5 so I don't know why I was put in a kid class.)
keep it up --- good luck and learn to box some too... Perhaps some simple kickboxing of some type using low kicks and punches
UFPro has some good videos up on effective stand up grappling from clinch distance, for guys who are carrying guns as their job. I have learned and used the “Pike Position” separately and applied it against live punches to good effect. The Samurai and other cultures developed these techniques and “arts of mars” in conjunction with swords, often while wearing armor. I can speak to grappling while wearing a utility blouse, trousers, boots, and a plate carrier, it’s exhausting, more so than in my Gi in a non-air conditioned Japanese Dojo. Also the “Reap Throw” has been effective for me live against bigger stronger guys. Which I learned in MCMAP and refined in Japan under Judo practitioner supervision. Cheers 🍺
As a Peace Officer for the Alberta hospitals, I ended up in a fight with two men trying to remove a kid from the hospital that didn't belong to them. I was alone on the call and ended up backed into a corner. It started on the feet of course, I took a 1-2 shots to the head initially from the main aggressor. I fired back, one down the pipe that put him down. I then grappled with the other guy standing. The 1st guy got up and threw more punches my way, but I clocked him again and he went down. This time I decided to follow him to the ground to control him. I don't advise this, but I'm a purple belt in bjj and I know I'm just better there (and didn't know how many punches I could take). The 2nd dude was kicking and punching me from the top. He even took off my ballistic vest and was hitting me with it, so I placed his buddy in a triangle and rolled to my back so I could now see the strikes coming. Around this time the police showed up and arrested them. They were both charged, however only the 1st guys got 1 year probation and addictions counseling. Take my story for what it's worth. All options suck, get out if you can. I'm fortunate that I train and fortunate they were untrained and didn't have weapons. Stay safe and do any training, but it has to be something that will have you "combat ready" like grappling. Stay safe.
Thanks for posting, Professor Chewy.
My pleasure!
Honestly I have never done jujitsu but I’ve been in more than my fair share of street fights and I can say that the vast majority of them end up on the ground and it’s definitely beneficial to know what to do when you get there.
Another smaller point I have heard is that a fight is optional until the other person grabs you.
As long as there's distance or its just kicks and punches, in a worst life or death situation, you have the option to run until you are grabbed.
Jiu jitsu is not my first martial art or even my dominant martial art, but I'm of the opinion that it does teach necessary skills that all martial artists should know.
I can say that some of the misconceptions of BJJ is caused by the schools and how they present themselves. The school I used to train at never really discussed the standing part or takedowns. The only time standing and takedowns were ever discussed was starting about 4 weeks before a tournament, and even then there wasn't much instruction. That left the impression that they were only focused on the ground and would only pay lip service to being on the feet.
Being grabbed for play and being grabbed by surprise is a huge difference . Playing in the gym is not comparable
A black belt is an indicator of great skill and investment in BJJ. Naturally, it would be tempting for such an experienced practitioner to prefer ground fighting in most scenarios, where they are comfortable playing to their strengths. There are many of examples of MMA fighters pulling closed guard, although onto a canvas mat, with rules and an unarmed opponent.
These discussions are valuable to remind us of the risks of choosing to transition to, or remain in, positions that sacrifice mobility and ease-of-disengagement.
I think the idea of "You should never go to the ground in a street fight" is a very limiting mindset. You may not take the fight to the ground but the guy you're fighting might. Usually, when guys like that come to the gym I show them just how fast they get taken to the ground and they become helpless. Now I agree that the ground isn't the first place I want to take a fight but fights are chaotic and you never know what part of your training will be the difference between being able to go home or staying the night in the ICU. So strikers...train in some grappling and grapplers...train in striking too.
Sorry for the long rant. Chewy, I love your videos. Keep them coming!
Jocko said it perfectly, if you wanna fight me, my first form of self defense is to run, but if you grab me, that's when the BJJ comes in
I appreciate your advice and your commitment. You are inspiring. Thank you
Facts. This is what many black belts say. They don't wanna F around. Got space, good, now I'm gone.
I agree with what you said. People forget that you contol where the fight takes place if your grappling is good. That's actually one of the things I take the most pride in my jujitsu game. I control what position I want to go into and if I don't want to be in half gaurd then I get the hell out of there.
People who say these things have never been in a street fight or fought multiple attackers.
I am not a jujitsu expert, I'm a striker for the most part, but I can wrestle and I'm learning jujitsu now at 44. Unfortunately, I've been in many street fights in my youth, a fee against multiple people, wrestling skills kept me from being to badly injured, against multiple attackers I didn't so much seek to win, as much as not get seriously hurt.
Wrestling skill has actually helped me keep a fight off the ground more then once. I'm not a huge guy, so a bigger guy woukd start to be an issue if he could get on top of me, so knowing how to block a take down attempt, control my hips and my center of gravity gave me an edge , then I coukd use my striking and kicks to my advantage from inside while they'd go off balance.
Learn ground and striking, if for no other reason then to knkw what the other person is doing and how to stop it or use it to help yourself.
Great words! I train in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and other street Jujitsu arts. Going to the ground these days in a street fight is most likely going to happen with the high present of people thinking BJJ is the most superoir martial art to train in. I would try to avoid the ground with doing other techniques from the Jujitsu arts like finger locks and small pressure points with my striking. Asphalt & concrete are not your friend for sure in a grapple. Some think that taking a self-defense art based Jujitsu is a waste of their time, but what they are missing out is those street like techniques and concepts that isn't focused in sport. It wouldn't hurt to add in one day a week of street like training. Some of the stuff is hard to spar with due to things like eye gouging and fishhooks. Drunken Kung-Fu might have concepts you might be able to use in your Jiu-Jitsu but be smart and separate the street from sport. Oh I can't use that in a tournament so I shouldn't train it. When I hear that I hear a person who has a cup so full with their ego of sport training pride. Life is not all about tournaments like the parking lot outside.