Does Jiu-Jitsu work in a street fight? Yeah, the age-old question…
But does it, really?
Well, Demian Maia – former UFC fighter and one of the best BJJ competitors of all time – spoke about the topic in a recent “Pura Connection” podcast episode.
Here’s what he had to say [translated from Portuguese]:
When talking about self-defense, one thing that bothers me is that it is almost always very separate from Jiu-Jitsu.
Jiu-Jitsu is self-defense. Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art. People talk as if Jiu-Jitsu was just a sport.And another thing, people think that self-defense is that part where you hold your neck, do this, hug me from behind, I do this defense.
No, the ground game, after the fight is on the ground, is also self-defense.
Demian continued:
There is no point in a student arriving at the gym and teaching him things like that, because in a real situation, he falls to the ground and the guy punches him in the face, he opens his guard and gets punched in the sac*.
A girl falls, she thinks about putting the other person in a headlock and gets punched in the ribs.
Maia explains that there’s a time and place for everything:
First, the person has to understand when or not to stay on the ground.
She has to, first of all, defend herself and stay safe.There is no Armbar, no sweep if I get punched in the jaw.
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