In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, in most academies, you typically start your rolls from the knees. There are many reasons for this. It is said that that takedown sparring may cause a lot more injuries, especially for BJJ practitioners who do not know how to breakfall.
Another reason, is that some academies do not have enough space…
UFC heavyweight and Metamoris heavyweight champion Josh Barnett posted on his facebook his opinion on grapplers who start their rolls (training) on the knees. Barnett argues that it’s a waste of time and isn’t realistic:
“Live wrestling/rolling with both wrestlers/grapplers starting on their knees. Practically anyone who trains in the current grappling climate has seen it. For some gyms it’s the only way they start and I’ll tell you why no matter the case, you’re wasting your time (or your student’s time in the case of coaches) doing it.
First and foremost fights and grappling matches don’t start on your knees. In fact I can’t think of any sports that do besides Inuit Kneel Jumping (Google that sh*t. It’s a real sport) and last I checked that’s not the sport we were training for. I can remember one of the first things my high school wrestling coach said to me “Nice to meet you.” and the second thing being “GET OFF YOUR F**KING KNEES!”.
BJJ black belt Robin Geisler talks about how it’s a waste of time to start training directly from the ground in a set position from the knees. It’s a position that doesn’t exist. He recommends instead to start from a certain position such from half giard, or from mount or from the back:
