| MMA and sport jujitsu have become all the rage | | | | weapons are involved, charging in could be the last |
| these days. But, are they effective methods of | | | | thing you ever do! |
| personal self defense? | | | | 3) Locking up with the opponent. This strategy |
| Many well-intentioned martial artists are looking at | | | | works great in a ring with a referee. But, out on |
| the whole MMA/UFC and jujitsu arts to learn | | | | the street, in a real situation, locking yourself to |
| effective self defense. The problem is that, these | | | | your attacker can get you killed - not necessarily |
| arts aren't necessarily designed for self-protection. | | | | by your assailant, but by one of his friends. It can |
| Fighting - Yes. | | | | be very difficult to escape from your own |
| Self-defense - Not so much. | | | | submission hold, designed to control a single |
| Here are several reasons why MMA and sport | | | | adversary, while his buddy is standing over you, |
| jujitsu are not the best choices for street self | | | | kicking in your skull! |
| defense: | | | | 4) Legal considerations. There is a huge difference |
| 1) The very fact that they are sports. This | | | | between self defense and fighting. I've written |
| means that they are laden with rules. When mma | | | | extensively about this and make sure that my |
| and the UFC first came on the scene several | | | | own students know the difference. Sport martial |
| years ago, there were only 3 rules. Now, there | | | | artists, just like boxers, are fighters. And, some |
| are about 18. When you are up against a criminal | | | | of the things they do to each other in a ring, will |
| attacker who will do anything to beat, break, or | | | | get you into trouble with the law - either civil or |
| kill you, training in a system that ingrains a set of | | | | criminally - if you use them on the street! |
| rules into your subconscious programming is not a | | | | Please note that I am not saying that a jujitsu |
| great idea! | | | | practitioner or a mixed martial artist can't defend |
| 2) They are unarmed systems. MMA and sport | | | | themselves. Of course, I would never say that a |
| jujitsu fighters are not prepared for the attacker | | | | high school wrestler couldn't defend himself either. |
| who brings a weapon to the fight. These systems | | | | What I am saying is that these things were |
| pride themselves in attacking their opponent to | | | | designed as fighting systems - as contests - not |
| gain a knock-out or submission hold. When, in a | | | | as methods of self defense. |
| real-world self defense situation, especially where | | | | |