The fundamental question at the heart of the debate is “Does training sport jiu jitsu prepare someone adequately for a street self defense situation?”
A true martial art must include realistic, proven techniques for situations that happen in real life.
Jiu Jitsu students are prepared for high stress, high intensity physical conflict with an opponent and are relatively familiar in these situations compared to the untrained individual.
Above whatever specific techniques a jiu jitsu student is learning, they are also training their reactions to rapidly changing and chaotic fights, physical attributes that are critical in a physical confrontation.
The way boxing, judo, jiu jitsu are trained live against a fully resisting opponent has proven in reality to be far more effective for preparing students for the unpredictable nature of a street encounter than choreographed “lethal” self defense techniques performed with compliant training partners.
Experienced boxers, wrestlers, judoka and bjj competitors have an enormous advantage in dealing with physical aggression compared to an average untrained individual.
It is important to mention (especially in the case of women and young people) that martial arts training helps build confidence that is the first step in not being a victim and avoiding conflicts before they escalate to becoming physical.
How important do you feel self defense training is to your experience in Jiu Jitsu?
