Brazilian Jiu Jitsu From The Outside In
Even though I have been known for years as the “wrist locks guy,” I have absolutely no connection to any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu organization, or any other Jiu Jitsu organization of any type.
Still, I have managed to swap locks, and other martial-arts moves, with several BJJ artists. We had a lot of fun exchanging info., techniques, and strategies, back and forth.
While BJJ isn’t necessarily “my thing,” I think I can point out some interesting benefits. The are some strong points of the style that their practitioners may or may not have considered.
Note: Please don’t take this as a disparaging comment, but I don’t think that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the end-all martial art. There are some strong points to the style, and also some areas that could use a little tweaking, ala the principles of Bruce Lee. Just my humble opinion, of course.
BJJ Strengths
Lots of Grappling Situations: Over the weeks, it seemed that we went through a myriad of grappling variations. If there was a position that you could imagine, we practiced it.
I admire their thoroughness.
Tapping Out: They really do seem to have a goal of ending the scuffle. They have a set of holds that warrant a tap-out.
I have played with other grapplers who seemed to move without a purpose. They slowly looked for something to do, next. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guys head directly toward a move or position that they know.
Can Take Punishment: I was able to play with these guys and put a little oomph into my moves. They could take it and dish it out.
I learn a lot more, when I don’t have to pussyfoot around.
No egos involved and a little rough training is fine. And the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners were a great mix.
Now, I know that not all situations are the same; not all BJJ artists will be nice; not all of them will be able to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Still, after more than one encounter, these are some of the Jiu Jitsu benefits that I noticed.