Mr. Harris. I have been reading such negative things lately about bjj. Is bjj a useless art in terms of self defense. Is wing chun a better system?
flipdid,
Most every system or style of martial arts has some value to it.
Each and every technique ever developed CAN and WILL work in a
specific range and environment. However, numerous factors have
to be taken into account:
Your level of skill and confidence.
Your assailant's level of skill and confidence.
The environment.
Weapons.
Number of assailants.
Who is with you at the time of the assault.
What your mental and emotional status are.
What you are wearing.
Who gains the upper hand before the fight begins.
How the altercation begins.
Who has luck on their side.
Tons of other considerations.
BJJ can be used as a form of self-defense. However, by using this
method, you are agreeing that all fights should involved grappling.
I do not believe all fights should involve grappling, but many other
people believe it should.
So the bottom line is this: You will have to make up your own
mind and run with it!
And besides, most people rarely use their fighting skills, and
those that do use them because their profession puts them in
hostile environments on a daily basis.
Finally, I believe the best form of self-defense is walking away and
talking your way out. Yes, I know some will ask "but what if you
can't talk your way out?" To them I say this, "Why did you allow
this person to get so close to you and back you into a corner?" If a
person has to fight it is usually because: A) They saw violence
approaching and thought they could handle it, or B) They let their
guard down and assumed they were safe!
Having been a police officer and taken hundreds of reports;
Having been a private investigator and been face to face with
violence, I know and understand the value of walk and talk
(because I have used it MANY times).
So, in my opinion, what is more important than the physical
techniques used in defense of one's life are the techniques used to
prevent an incident from happening. And, the only tool that needs
to be developed is awareness (five levels).
So, style is unimportant. What's more important is learning how to
neutralize violence as you see it approaching or getting out of its
way as you realize you cannot stop it.
Good training to you,
Roy Harris
One of these days I'm going to check out Tony Blauer's stuff, verbal judo and similar ideas.
"And, the only tool that needs to be developed is awareness (five levels)."
what are the five levels of awareness?