Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Work In A Street Fight?


Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was already proven as the most effective martial art. In the early days of UFC, Royce Gracie shocked the world by finishing opponents from different fighting styles (some of them twice his size). As years passed, it’s impossible to imagine a professional MMA athlete with zero Jiu-Jitsu knowledge. In addition, competitive BJJ is well established as well. However, there are still those who question one aspect of this beautiful martial art: does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu work in a street fight?

As a general rule, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an excellent martial art for a street fight. As 90% of the fights end up on the ground, knowing BJJ can literally save your life in a self-defense situation. However, some competitive Jiu-Jitsu techniques may not be the best option for a street fight.

Traditional BJJ schools dedicate a good amount of time teaching self-defense techniques to their students (especially beginners). That’s important because some movements work very well in competitive Jiu-Jitsu, but can be a disaster in a street fight with no rules. Knowing what to do (and when to do it) is fundamental to any Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, professional or amateur. For a complete guide about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in a street fight, read on.

Would Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Work In A Street Fight?

The effectiveness of BJJ in MMA is a great sign of how it would work in a street fight. If a well-versed Jiu Jitsu fighter can overpower and submit professional athletes, how do you think BJJ would work against an average person? Jiu-Jitsu is being proven for decades against the best strikers, grapplers, and wrestlers on earth. Athletes that when compared to an average individual are almost superhumans. This fact alone is an excellent indicator of Jiu-Jitsu’s effectiveness in a street fight.

The problem is that these days, with the popularity of competitive Jiu-Jitsu (which I’m a fan of and competitor), people think that BJJ is a martial art limited to ground techniques, teaching you only takedowns and submissions. That’s not true. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a fighting style focused on distance management that teaches a large variety of techniques, including immobilizations, traumatic blows, self-defense techniques, and even punches and kicks. In a street fight, BJJ is the best martial art to know, as long as you realize that real combat is not like a sparring session or competition with judges and rules.

Distance Management Is Essential In A Real-Life Combat

Understanding distance management is usually a turning point for BJJ students. Once they realize that controlling how distant you are from your opponent is what determines if you’re gonna win or lose, the evolution increases drastically. In real-life combat, there are only two safe distances: far away (in a distance where you can’t be hit) or super close to the adversary (where you can be hit but the blows don’t have as much power). Anywhere in between is an awful idea that will most certainly make you hurt. In a street fight, controlling the distance helps to keep you safe and can buy you some time to read the situation. It’s important to proceed with the best strategy.

Techniques To Avoid In A Self-Defense Situation

Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Work In A Street Fight?

Using the right strategy is super important. Going with the wrong strategy in a training session will make you lose a fight, in combat with no rules it can cost your life. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu work in a street fight, but only with the right strategies. For example, in a scenario with multiple attackers, if you close the distance with one of them and apply a takedown, you can even neutralize him, but the other attackers will be delighted to kick your head on the floor. Staying away from opponents and trying to neutralize them one at a time (or even looking for a way out to run away) could be a better option. On the other hand, if it’s a fair fight 1-by-1, pulling your adversary to the guard on concrete may not be the best, but close distance and apply a takedown can be a good choice. Those are simple concepts, but you will only be aware of that if you understand distance management.

Pulling To The Guard

In BJJ training and competitions pulling to guard is something common and that can work super well depending on your guard skills. However, in a self-defense situation, especially in a street fight, it’s probably not the best option. Falling on your back over the concrete can be hurtful (or deadly if you hit the back of your head). In a situation of self-defense, remember to manage the distance, read the situation and if you find an opportunity to leave without fighting, do it. Even if you’re a black belt, there’s nothing good about fighting on the street. There’s nothing to win and much to lose.

Closed Guard

The closed guard is super effective. It’s not beautiful as some positions in modern Jiu-Jitsu but it works super well. But in real combat with no rules, staying too much time in the closed guard can literally put your life at risk. The first danger of keeping in this position too long is losing control of the head of the opponent, which can start throwing punches and elbows on you. But this is not the worst-case scenario. If the adversary is strong enough, he can stand up and slam you on the floor. This is super dangerous. It’s a forbidden move even in competitions because it can kill even on soft surfaces. So imagine how devastating it can be on concrete. Using the closed guard to defend yourself in a few moments can be good, but try a sweep or a transition fast, and if your opponent starts to stand up release the position and move to another guard.

Related Questions

How good is Jiu-Jitsu in a street fight? Jiu-Jitsu is super effective for a street fight, as it combines self-defense striking techniques with distance management. Plus, as 90% of the fights end up on the ground, BJJ can help you to control the situation using leverage and submissions.

Which martial art is best for a street fight? Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best martial art for a street fight. As a martial art that focuses on self-defense, BJJ is the perfect fighting style for real combat. It combines striking skills with competitive BJJ moves and attacks to keep ground control.

Is there punching in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? There is punching in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The main aspect of BJJ is self-defense, in that sense, there are a lot of striking lessons teaching how to punch and how to defend from punches as well. However, in competitive Jiu-Jitsu punches are not allowed.

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