Why Punching in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is Important!
http://keith-owen.blogspot.com/2012/12/id-like-to-punch-you-in-face-why.html
These with help that type of BJJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux4ZjJCeUqA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYLd7hUxqOQ
you can use Bas stuff to set up your clinch
I like butterfly/1 leg xguard /xguard for MMA training blended with the sit up guard
Keith Owen is so right strikes in training makes a huge difference even if your just training ground work..
also for clinch work rather than just pull guard I found it good for self defense and MMA training to work on Randy Couture clinch stuff such as circling knee picks,slide by,circling inside trips,lateral drops/trips,and also a strong focus on countering the plum as well as counters to hockey/dirty boxing styles which renzo gracie has a great video on youtube to view.
just my 2 cents I only started adding this stuff the last 2 years along with the bas stuff but it really helps.
GSP is King when it comes to building the perfect style for BJJ
PrisonMattressPuncher -
I don't understand your intertwining of the terms "Gracie Jiu-jitsu" and "BJJ". Most "Gracie Jiu-jitsu" schools teach defenses against punches, entering in on punches, using kics to distract. The main goal of Gracie Jiu-jitsu is not to try and trade punches with someone and this puts you in the range to get knocked out. Whether or not this strategy is good or bad, is another debate, but this is the main emphasis.
A lot of 'BJJ' schools leave this area entirely which is fine because they emphasize sportive practive. X-guard is designed for sportive compeitition and I see no need to denigrate it because it does not fit what you think is important in practice.
Keith if you are so concerned about the brutal arena of the street, why do you not train to defend knives, multiple attackers, guns, home invasions, hold-ups, muggings, etc. about 80% of the time. So you are not talking about "the street"? Fair enough. What is the purpose of learning punching if one is not going to be fighting MMA, getting into fights, etc.if one choose to enjoy and practice Jiu-jitsu.
I agree, learning to strike is a good thing, however, true GJJ teaches defenses against strikes in all ranges. I know a lot of BJJ schools do not, but that is not their emphasis and there is nothing wrong with that.
Further, why "punching". There are plenty of hand strikes that are much more important for self-defense than closed fist "punching".
I have been in one self-defense situation in recent years, and I used the classic Gracie strategy. Low kick front kick to clinch, to trip, to mount/knee-on-belly, to leaving.
I think it is more important to learn to defend/protect against strikes, than become a master of the striking arts, IF that is an area you don't wish to train.
The example you used in your post was of an MMA student. Well HE IS DOING MMA, so of course he needs to learn to do it.
I understand where you are coming from but I think you are a little misguided in your thoughts/viewpoints.
Gone are the days of Vale Tudo dojo challenges, now it is the era where everyone can enjoy Jiu-jitsu in any way they want.
Not all BJJ schools leave out the fighting component of Jiu-Jitsu. My academy is affiliated with Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu so actually I can call my style Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu but I just keep it simple and call it BJJ.
As far as defending against knives, multiple attackers, guns, home invasions, and the other stuff you mentioned is not feasible to defend against using Jiu-Jitsu. These types of attacks need to be dealt with weapons and not empty hand techniques which by the way Keith teaches in his firearm courses.
Now on the subject of learning how to strike. This is important aspect especially on the ground. Yeah going toe toe with someone does raise your chances of getting knocked out but it does not mean that BJJ schools should not teach strikes or learn how to defend against them.
Now if you believe that BJJ schools should not teach students to fight then that is your opinion but I don't agree with it at all but that is my own opinion.
I think what Keith was trying to convey is that fighting is was Jiu-Jitsu was designed for. Some people think that fighting and self defense are two different things but they are not. When you are defending yourself you are actually fighting back so in essence a person is actually learning to fight. Many BJJ schools have gone away from teaching how to fight and only train to win medals. This way of teaching will take the fighting spirit from Jiu-Jitsu just like the Olympics did it with Judo. Sport takes away the fighting mindset of martial arts and simply makes it a game.
A Jiu-Jiteiro should not have to join a MMA school to learn how to fight. No fighting was part of Jiu-Jitsu long before there was such a thing called MMA.
how can ari punch!!!!!
Every time I read something like this I get an understanding that the author has no concept of jiujitsu.
Probably just a fat white dude that thinks he outsmarted those rascally brazilians because those pussies don't trane punch.
If Keith Owen is so concerned with real self defense he needs to immerse himself in the Lugnut. 
Plenty of people are super happy training BJJ for sport reasons.
They are just as happy doing inverted guard, berimbolo's, x-guards, etc- knowing full well it wont be the smartest thing in a self defense situation.
Who cares? As long as people are having fun, that's the most important thing.
People need to practice getting punched, just because BJJ has its origins in street fighting/self defense? I dont think so- as long as the school is clear that they practice bjj for sport reasons, and not "self defense".
suburban techniques -Every time I read something like this I get an understanding that the author has no concept of jiujitsu.
Probably just a fat white dude that thinks he outsmarted those rascally brazilians because those pussies don't trane punch.
If Keith Owen is so concerned with real self defense he needs to immerse himself in the Lugnut.
IMO ari bolden is much more lethal than said nut of lug and if you have ari on your side what can harm you??
ttt
I think Keith makes a fair point, although its extremely old news to anyone who has been training and reading the forums a while. Ten years ago (maybe more like 12 ), it was common to take the gi tops off once or twice a month and start standing and use open hand strikes for the entire round. You could hi 
(Continued) you could hit pretty hard and it stung when you were struck, but no one was really injured and all learned to respect the fact that punches were factors to consider.
It was actually pretty fun and I think most students would get into it if it were brought back.
That said, Bjj is just fine without it. Training for sport, health, stress relief or just for fun is just a legit as training for "self-defense", and probably (in most cases) enough even if surviving a one on one fight is your primary reason for training.
I think striking in Grappling (stand and on the ground) is very very important and I don´t talk about wild ground and pound but about specific striking to set up Grappling techniques and Grappling moves to set up good strikes.
If you focus on this stuff it is a science and for example a closed guard from bottom doesn´t became a super tight "holding on till the round is over" position but a position you can work on with your own fists, elbows and headbutts to destroy posture and create leverage to set up Grappling moves.
Take care
Björn