In all the movies, there would be stories of all the different martial artists coming together to figure out which martial art is the best.
Well, that did actually happen. In 1993, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was held. Fighters from lots of different styles came to compete, from Boxers to Karate to Ninjutsu fighters. There were no weight classes.
(Image source)
At the end of the tournament, it was a lean BJJ fighter Royce Gracie who end up winning.
(Image source)
As MMA has become more professional, all fighters now not only know BJJ, but must also know how to strike and wrestle. But if the opponent doesn’t know how to grapple and you do, it doesn’t matter how well the opponent is at striking. They will lose, as the first UFC showed.
This is why at its roots, BJJ is still a martial art and it is very effective for self defence. Though AOS practices BJJ as a sport, training in the sport does make one effective at self defense as the following story shows.
One of our members' friend has a 10 year old son who trains BJJ regularly, was at school, when a bigger boy tried to bully his friend.
(Image for illustration purposes only source)
The son stepped in front and ask them to please stop, but the bigger bully kid tried to punch the son. He managed to duck under the punch, grab the bully and get around to his back. He asked the bully to calm down and when he wouldn’t, that's when he applied a choke.
The teachers came right then to stop the fight and no one was hurt, except of course for the bully's pride.
This is a great example of BJJ being effective in self defense and also in neutralizing a bigger opponent without hurting them.
Thinking about giving BJJ a go? AOS is offering free trial classes for adults and kids!
Feel free to reach out to us for any enquiries. Contact us