Street-Ready Jiu-Jitsu: The Case for Strike Integration

Jiu-jitsu for self-defense has always been a hot topic. People who have never been on the mat will criticize and say it doesn’t work in a real fight where punching and kicking are allowed. To me, the people saying this are the same ones who sit during a UFC event, look over at their girlfriend, and say, “If I were in there, I would just stand up and go crazy.”

I was never that guy, but I used to think grappling wouldn’t work on me. A long time ago, I was a pretty good amateur boxer. I was even ranked in the top ten in my weight division by USA Boxing at one point. Needless to say, I thought real fighting was all about standing up and throwing punches.

Then in 2007, someone asked me, “What happens if you get taken down?” My first thought was I’d just knock them out before they could get their hands on me. However, that didn’t answer the question of what I would do or, rather, what I could do if I got taken down. So, I found a jiu-jitsu academy in Austin. In 2006, there weren’t many, but I found a reputable Relson Gracie Academy in South Austin run by Phil Cardella at the time.

I will never forget that day. During the live rounds, I rolled with a blue belt female who was smaller than me. She easily submitted me twice. I believe that was my first introduction to the guillotine choke, actually! Some people's egos might have caused them to never return, but for me, jiu-jitsu was like a superpower that I needed to learn. Unfortunately, I didn’t continue my training until much later, but I was no longer delusional. My eyes were opened to the fact that boxing was just one facet of a fight. On the streets, where there are no weight divisions, I knew it was likely I could get taken down. On the ground, all my boxing would be negated, and I would be practically helpless. That realization led me to start training with a good friend and longtime black belt I worked with. Eventually, I started training at a dojo close to where I live, and in 2024, I received my black belt.

However, I believe the opposite is also true. If you put a pure grappler into a pure boxing scenario, it's highly probable they will get worked over. I used to believe I didn’t need to learn grappling because I would knock out whoever tried to take me down. During my years training jiu-jitsu, I have met and trained with grapplers who believe they don’t need to learn striking because they will just take anyone down.

I think this is the same flawed thinking I had, just on the other side. The biggest problem with this thinking is not even the “I’ll just take them down” mentality. Even if that is true, the reason it’s important to train striking is to get comfortable getting hit. When teaching boxing, I typically emphasized defense first because I believe this is the harder skill set to learn.

If I tell a young child to hit a punching bag, they may not demonstrate great technique, but they will instinctively hit the bag. Maybe it’s bad form, maybe it’s a slap or a hammer fist, but they will “hit” the bag. Now, if I ask that same young child to defend my straight right, they have zero clue. Many of them close their eyes and completely turn away in fear. Most adults who have never sparred before will react the same way in the beginning as well.

Then there is the matter of getting hit. If you have never taken a hard shot, it’s foolish to believe it’s no big deal. It takes some getting used to…it’s the reason most people never train striking in my opinion. They don’t mind hitting people; they just can’t get used to getting hit back. I emphasize learning striking for self-defense not to get comfortable throwing punches, but to get comfortable defending and taking punches. There are countless videos of “trained fighters” on YouTube who get punched in the mouth and appear to go into shock. In a true self-defense scenario, you don’t want to go into code black.

This is why I emphasize training some form of striking to supplement your jiu-jitsu. This will help you become a more well-rounded martial artist. It will also help you be better prepared should the occasion arise where you have to defend yourself or a loved one. Like they say, all fights start standing up.

I’d love to hear your comments. Do you think you should supplement your grappling with some sort of striking? Do you think it will benefit your ability to defend yourself, or can you just take anyone down no problem (a little sarcasm)?


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