Tommy Langaker had offered a grounded perspective on using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in self-defense.
Langaker’s journey began in his hometown of Haugesund, Norway, where he was first introduced to Japanese Jiu-Jitsu.
Reflecting on his early training during a conversation with the Grappling Central Podcast, he shared:
I started training Jiu-Jitsu from an interest in MMA and self-defense.
So I was in a very kind of self-defense-oriented school when I first started training.
And over time, it’s become much more of a sport-driven art at this point.
His passion, however, always leaned toward the combative side of martial arts:
I was never (only) into self-defense…
I was always interested in fighting.
When it comes to real-world self-defense, Langaker shared his thoughts in a humorous way:
I’m not going to sit on my butt.
If somebody attacks me…
I know I’m not going to pull guard in the street fight.I’m not an idiot.
Instead, Langaker emphasizes the transformative value of even minimal self-defense training:
If you had two classes of Jiu-Jitsu in your life and you did two sparring sessions, you still have a 90% better knowledge than anybody else.
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