Is BJJ really effective?

[jitzmandala]

...I continue to train in BJJ not for self-defense, but to beat other BJJ guys. I love the art because it's simple, effective and it's not bullshit, you have to back up what you claim....

Nicely put.

Dave

[jitzmandala]

Most of the standup of the Gracies and other BJJ-only practitioners is laughable.

Man i totally agree with you there. I have to say I'm not really a "satisfied" customer when it comes to the format, the "connectivity of techniques", or even the techniques shown in the "gracie self defense". Their family grappling though on a personal one on one experiential level I believe is very high though. Commercialization has effected the 'mystic' of the family that comes from being known on a much smaller scale, but "coming to be known" none-the-less. And in brazil the name is synomous with jiu jitsu and has been for a long time.

The popularization of the "ufc" of the "past" has influenced us though, but remember we see thru the lense of evolution. Remember the first 3 UFC's? Even though the fight cards were chosen by the gracies, the "stylists" chosen where chosen because of their lack of cross training. (at least MY opinion)

What is cross training? Rounded Balanced Training. Why is it important and why would it be a 'weakness' to target?

An athletically minded martial artist is willing to reach into new zones of discomfort in practice. That means both discomfort while sparring which means different training partners, different ranges, different problems to solve... and also athletic performance training or maintenance outside of the dojo, ring, etc. Needless to say, the first competitors in the UFC could be said to be deficient in both range awareness AND athletic ability to maintain their 'style' in something closer to real 'combat'.

The cross training athlete spends time training while 'uncomfortable', when comfort is experienced they reach into some place that gives new kinesthetic experience. Of coarse this is all very natural... occuring within the spectrum of human physical and psychological experience, and involving natural human relationship with real people and real physics.

The "influence" of grappling on us all is that it has reminded us of the importance of "aliveness". As any individual involved in pregressively resistant martial art "grows their game" the movement executed are affected by both elemental stresses and a spectrum of fatigue. Economy of motion is not so much a set of techniques to be learned inside of a style, range is range... but what kind of movement induces fatigue, and what kind of movement does fatigue induce. I think economy of motion is an over-rated notion unless learned by moving under stress and fatigue.

I believe cross training and training smartly while fatigued profoundly influences the learning curve and creates in individual psychological processes oriented around a process of transitional problem solving.

This doesn't mean training stupid and get injured.

Mind and Movement have a wonderful interplay. Sometimes labeled "Sports" psychology I think it has a lot to do with the success of a fighter in any situation. Through familiarization with the kinesthetic "learning" process the mind gets rather used to being consciously involved with a problem solving process.

I digress and babble. But why? Why am I not saying that this style is better then that style? Cuz really, style is style, system is system but what we make our own we know when we spar, everything else is just anothers poetry.

Hindu wrestlers would often do bull-in-the-ring matches, sometimes as many as 3 on 1. Practitioners of batto jutsu will often fight multiple attackers, as do some eskrima styles (DeCuerdas does if my memory serves me correctly), the Thugees (Middle Eastern assassins) also had some very good ways of dealing with multiple attackers (mostly to get the hell away from them, but some of their techniques do prove interesting), ninja would train against multiple attackers and often in their missions were severely outnumbered, etc. There are countless examples, but a groundfighting-oriented art is the last I would choose for being my main tool of self-defense.

Related to fatigue and movement, but connected to the multiple attackers theme....

Yesterday in class we did a few laps around the mat and we switched to forward rolls into crabwalks, everyone was getting tired, thinking what the hell is this kids stuff, i said ok lets hook the hands and feet while we're crab walking they blew it off, i started busting x-pattern sit thrus and triangling guys and hooking hands and feet out from under them while crab walking. It got fun we chased each other around... you know what? The fatigue LEFT. Games are powerful, for good warmup... i went home asking myself if laughter is a "breathing technique". I think not.

I'm going to change the "game" into a little "submit the guy in the middle" while he's trying to get "outside the circle".... oh man it's going to be fun. Thanks for the great idea.

Dave in Oregon