Ground Work?

[bkl041018]

Question for the more experienced KM’s…. I’ve been thinking of taking BJJ in addition to provide some grappling and ground work skills ( I also take kenpo now but that provides very little from what I’ve seen). To be clear, I’m NOT interested in sport fighting, I’m speaking purely for self defense purposes, will I learn sufficient ground work tactics in KM to defend myself on the ground against someone who has some BJJ skills or should I consider some BJJ myself?

Thanks!
BK

[emil]

Re: Ground Work?

BK, I am glad that you are looking to expand your toolbox. However it’s difficult to answer your question, as there are too many variables. KM does teach basic groundFIGHTING. The idea is to teach you ways to avoid most common attacks and get away safely. Having said that there are infinite variables from the circumstances of the violent encounter to the mindset of the individuals involved. Having said that, if you have the time, spending some time studying a grappling based art-BJJ, sambo, judo, wrestling, will add tons of new tools into your toolbox and also happens to be a lot of fun.

[crazy-train]

Re: Ground Work?

krav teaches basic things you might encounter when in an altercation with a grappler, but emphasizes more striking and getting away than submission. even though i don’t practice any kind of submission style, i do think that some experience in submissions will help you recognize things that could be done to you……just giving yourself a better view of the fight so to say. some of my students says it helps.

[la-revancha]

Re: Ground Work?

quote bkl041018:

To be clear, I’m NOT interested in sport fighting, I’M SPEAKING PURELY FOR SELF-DEFENSE PURPOSES, will I learn sufficient ground work tactics in KM to defend myself on the ground against someone who has some BJJ skills or should I consider some BJJ myself?
BK

Hey, BK:

I am an AVID practitioner of both Krav and jits now for some years now, so I think I can speak about this with some credible insight.

#1. Based on the your vocabulary selection, on a purely self-defense discussion, I believe the martial art v. martial art debate is statistically irrelevant. For example, when was the last time you heard the evening news say or the newspaper write: the robber used jiu jitsu to rob the victim; judo throws were employed before she was stabbed 10 times; the suspect used arnis to flay the cashier before taking the money.

In my experiences training in BJJ studios in NY, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, and CA, I think MOST, NOT ALL, BJJ folk are more concerned about paying their monthly, car payment, mortgage, than about commiting crime.

#2-you gotta crosstrain to prepare for anything. Yes, jits will concentrate more on the ground than anything, but like I tell my own BJJ students “whatever x% of fights end up on the ground, 99.9% of all confrotations start on 2 feet.”.

A good krav instructor should give you:

-the ubiquitous rule of thumb: the best defense, IS DON’T BE THERE!!!
– a sprawl
-proper “etiquette” from bad positions (mounted, back mount, side control) so that you don’t make bad positions worst (expose yourself for chokes, joint locks, etc.)
-technical awareness of how to improve your position on the ground (sweeps, getting out of mount).
-methods to pressure-test your ability to get back on your feet and refine your situational awareness (tell your family to meet you back at the car/home, find the nearest exit, deal with multiple attackers)

I think a good, healthy, cocktail of krav and jits, sambo, judo (any grappling art for that matter) is sound. BTW, YOU SHOULD HAVE A HEALTHY UNDERSTANDING OF ESCAPING AN RNC FROM ALL POSITIONS.

Just this BJJ blue belt’s humble opinion.

[nixxon]

Re: Ground Work?

This humbler BJJ white belt also agree’s with Master La Revancha.

Oh, one thing. BJJ teachs to go for sweeps and submissions. If I were fully mounted in a self defense situation it would be hammertime on that guys balls with my elbows.

BJJ does make me feel confident and comfortable on my back which is sometimes all you need when you’re in a fight. I would be more afraid of the calm collected guy than the guy who is going wild. He probably knows some sh!t.

[michael]

Re: Ground Work?

One thing I would add to the above comments is that the chances of ending up with a BJJ attacker are greater than they once were. Many MS-13 gang members and others are training in some pretty hard-core submissions skills in the last year or so. There was a video floating around that I saw, but I can’t recall where it is now. In places like California and other states where BJJ is more popular, you are also more statistically likely to need ground skills as well, though it is always a good idea to at least know the basics.

[Author]

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