How BJJ Training Can Simulate A Real-Life Self-Defense Situation
Many newer grapplers often wonder: does gi training simulate real-life self-defense situations more than no-gi training? The short answer: it depends. Unless you live on the beach, chances are good that our physical altercations are almost always going to include attackers who are wearing clothing. These situations can arise at restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and even at an ATM. But how exactly can gi training simulate a real-life self-defense situation.
Jiu-Jitsu Was Originally Developed For Self-Defense
Almost most people don’t know Jiu-Jitsu was originally developed for self-defense more than one hundred years ago. It can be hard to remember its roots considering that all you see these days are the media-praised tournaments for BJJ across television and the Internet. It was specifically designed how to teach people to disarm an attacker using nothing more than their own body – regardless of whether or not that opponent was bigger or stronger.
BJJ Training Answers Virtually Every Possible Attack
One reason why Jiu-Jitsu excels so well against other forms of martial arts is because it has an answer to everything. Is your opponent a solid boxer? Are they’re kicks dangerous? Are they good at takedowns? Are they bigger? Are they stronger? None of these things matter to a BJJ expert. If an opponent throws a haymaker for example, then all that a BJJ expert will is close the distance, block the punch, and hug the opponent to the ground.
If an opponent throws a kick, they’ll do the same thing – block and takedown. If the opponent is larger or stronger then the BJJ expert will simply allow the larger opponent to burn through their energy reservoir before taking mount or the back and choking them out. And once a BJJ expert gains a dominant position, there’s virtually no way to escape. From here, they’ll be free to do whatever they’d like to the attacker, which, if they’re smart, will be nothing more than a few slaps to the face or a choke.
Key Tip – Slaps Not Punches!
Most expert BJJ artists will tell you that when on the ground with an opponent, always use slaps instead of punches to break them down. First and foremost, you don’t want to break your knuckles for someone else. Secondly, slapping attackers still demonstrates your dominance without actually causing any permanent physical damage, which can come in handy for helping you relieve legal issues later on down the road.
Here’s a video of a Cross Choke from the guard that is extremely effective if your attacker has a jacket on: