Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, known as BJJ for short, is a great martial art technique that can positively influence your self-defensive skills in a variety of ways. With Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you cannot only increase your stamina, flexibility, and strength, but also work on your self-confidence, your fighting technique, and your mental attitude.
This is why many often ask the question: is BJJ good in a street fight. Well, the street is one of the places where you’ll most likely need to put your BJJ lessons into practice, albeit, in an unpremeditated manner, but when faced with an aggressor.
Why BJJ is good in a street fight
BJJ is often seen as much more effective in street fights than other mixed martial arts techniques. One of these reasons is because, in the streets, you’re most likely to be aggressed by a much larger aggressor who, however, most likely doesn’t understand how to put their body to use.
Meanwhile, BJJ is a branch of self-defense art that seeks to train people with a smaller physique to be able to take on bigger ones, but more effectively. In other words, in BJJ, the practitioners work more on the principle of David taking on a potential Goliath. And if you’re more physical than David, then, better!
Another reason why BJJ is effective in street fights is the frequent use of grappling, a technique that you may find useful in the street. To analyze these answers, we’ll try to broaden the concept of BJJ, tell you what you can get from it and give you reasons why you should practice it, and when not to put BJJ in use.
10 reasons why you should practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
1. BJJ increases your strength and stamina
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a technical-based martial art that demands a lot from you. There are an infinite number of transitions (transitions between positions) and submissions (giving up techniques that are supposed to make the opponent give up). There are also special movements in BJJ, which will help you move around your opponent.
This leads to decent stamina and tremendous power being anchored in your muscles. As long as you wear a gi or a rash guard, freedom of movement is not restricted and you can strengthen every muscle while training. A few effective sweeps that can also be used in street fighting can be seen here:
2. BJJ includes self-defense techniques straight from Hell and perfect for the street
How safe do you think an opponent feels when he is on the ground? You will hit him, kick sensitive areas, and hit him hard. In BJJ, you will learn techniques such as triangle choke, armbar, kneebar, and other methods that make you a very dangerous opponent. Ground and pound defense in particular is world-class.
3. BJJ is also suitable for shorter men
It’s safe to say BJJ focuses more on physically disadvantaged persons (note: not the physically disabled), i.e. the short, the thin, and unmuscular fighters. After all, we’re not born super strong, muscular guys. Someone goes to the gym to look stronger, which will usually lead to him earning a little more respect.
But what happens when a criminal sees a little man on the street? He will believe that this will be an easier victim and try to rob him. If he now jumps on the smaller gentleman (who of course has at least the basic BJJ skills), the aggressor will face great difficulties. Because he now has some inherent, not necessarily physical advantages. With better flexibility, for example, you can duck away and make faster transitions.
4. BJJ increases your discipline and confidence
If the other person is inferior to you in a physical confrontation, then this gives you self-confidence. With this certainty, you can deal with an unpleasant person without being fisted. You will also learn submissions that show you that you don’t even have to injure your opponent to get him to give in.
During training, if you repeat a movement more than a few thousand times, it will eventually be performed automatically. That is, if someone attacks you, your body memory will react by itself.
5. BJJ is great for getting rid of stress and is fun
You will generally become more balanced. If you have a hard time at work or in your relationship life, you will soon realize that it is possible to take hits without going under. A man is not made of glass and this is what you become aware of in training. Sporting challenges fuel a good mood and a real fighting spirit develops for life.
You can also free yourself from everyday worries on the mat. During the fight, it is almost impossible to think about tomorrow’s presentation or lovesickness. What then counts is the big guy who has you in a headlock.
6. BJJ promotes your mental performance
A good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trainer will always motivate you. He will show you what you are made of, what you can get out of it, if you want it. The limits are often only in the head, but not in the physical abilities.
This mindset is internalized and so you believe more and more in yourself. Suddenly you think of solution-oriented and no longer problem-oriented issues. This means that the focus is on solutions in thinking, speaking, and acting. This creates constant motivation.
7. BJJ training is a great way to make friends
You can quickly meet people who share your interests. This is a great way to start a friendship. When people share a common passion, it is easy to talk to them. Who knows, it might turn into a lifelong relationship.
8. BJJ sculpts your body
With BJJ, you just stay in shape. The exercises strain a wide variety of muscle areas and can demand everything. In contrast to jogging or cycling, it is also far more exciting and varied. Even die-hard fitness fans report extremely intense sessions.
9. BJJ teaches you assertiveness
BJJ teaches you assertiveness not just against other people, but also in terms of living conditions. With solution-oriented thinking, you just don’t give up as quickly as others. You have overcome numerous obstacles and so hurdles appear to be surmountable.
At the same time, you lose passivity, and things no longer just happen to you, but you shape your fate consciously. From the mindset of a fighter, you become a man who wants to survive at all costs and not just live by yourself.
10. BJJ trains your body awareness
Breathing, movement, relaxation, and tension are the keywords here. The lack of body awareness has a direct impact on health, personality, emotional well-being, and sexuality. Without adequate training, these aspects that should really make up life wither away.
When should you use BJJ as ideal self-defense on the street?
There are hardly any situations in which we advise practitioners especially women to defend themselves against an attacker on the street. If you are so far away from your opponent, there is always enough room to escape! However, if the attacker clasps you, grabs you, or even throws you on the ground, the option of escaping is no longer available.
This is when you can put your skills into good use. BJJ training is all about clinch (hand-to-hand combat) or ground combat. In BJJ training, you will be optimally prepared for the situation in which fighting is the only and last possibility to save your self, without hitting a sandbag for hours to ultimately succumb to a stronger opponent.
When someone is attacked on the street, it is very often by a larger and heavier, in other words, a physically superior attacker. The aggressor usually chooses the victims according to this pattern.
If this is not the case, he is presumably under the influence of drugs or hatred and thus becomes an unpredictable danger. We therefore do not recommend anyone to engage in a fight. You never know whether the attacker is also armed or whether other opponents are lurking somewhere.
If the victim has years of martial arts experience, he should theoretically be able to overcome this disadvantage through his technical knowledge. But there should be no false self-confidence.
The training in the dojo is very different from the situation on the street. There is no second attempt on the street. Every movement has to be perfect, otherwise, you expose yourself to great danger.
But even if, in the ideal case, the attacked person emerges victorious, both major and minor injuries will appear during the fight. The road is not about points. We, therefore, advise everyone against engaging in a duel or a fight.
This should be a last resort option. When you have an option to avoid a duel, it’s usually not worth fighting and putting your health or even your life at risk even if you have an edge.
But there are also situations where evasive action is no longer possible, for example, when the opponent grabs you. Then, you have no choice but to try to defend yourself as well as possible. This is exactly where BJJ can help you!
Conclusion
So, once again, is BJJ good in a street fight? Definitely! BJJ prepares you for this situation because in BJJ you always have close contact with the opponent. For example, you are standing in “clinch” (close combat) with the opponent or practicing ground combat. Also, it helps you get prepared for bigger opponents.
BJJ gives you the know-how, techniques, and best possible chance to deal with street aggression. However, our advice remains the same: avoid the street fight while you can. The main goal is you getting away unharmed!