LittleDragon:
“All their street fights in Brazil proved that Gracie Jiu- Jitsu is not just a sport. I advise you to read The Gracie Way or buy the video tape Gracie's In Action where it shows some of the most toughest street fights. People make it sound like what they do in the ring is what they will do in the street which is false. In a street fight the winner is of course not by someone tapping out but when someone is completley beaten up, if a MARTIAL ARTIST gets into that situation what I learned in Aikido class is if I can use a technique that effectivley defends myself without seriously hurting the attacker than I have achieved my goal. My sensei said what if you hurt them real bad and the next time they track you down with 5 guys with bats. So I say to my sensei what shall I do? He says attack, he grabs my rest and in a circular motion puts me down, also he uses an irimi on me.”
Here’s my thoughts: Street fights are not cut and dry. Do you or do you not know who you are getting in a fight with? Yes? Ok, so after you educate him as to why attacking you is a bad idea he ought to know better than to come back at you with buds and bats. If he does come back with 8 friends armed to the teeth with Babe Ruth specials than you hospitalizes his A*S, continue from friend to friend till there are not anymore friends left. After that you visit them all in the hospital and remember! Bring flowers and get well soon cards, and cookies, hospital food sucks. (they’ll probably all worship the ground you walk on and want to be your friend)
If you don’t know the guy, don’t worry about it. Beat his A*S SILLLY, and if he’s too stupid to just be grateful to be alive and he wants to jump you again with friend, he’ll probable not get the chance as he doesn’t know you or anything about you. How is he going to find you? If he does happen a cross your path again it’s not likely he’ll be prepared.
On these kind of topics Bruce Lee’s philosophy and mine are very similar.
LittleDragon:
“I apologize by my comment, I think you are a very knowledge person about martial arts and I would love to keep discussing them about you in a non argueing matter so I apologize.
Just to let you know that I just turned 16 and I am the youngest member on the site so enlighten me with your info as I will do the same.”
Don’t worry about it, it’s all good.
Just remember you are a Master when you decide you are. O’Sensei himself said he wasn’t a master but a student of Aikido. One you decide you know everything about a topic, you stop looking for new things and you stay where you’re at, so in that since you have mastered that thing because you’ve hit the top of where you’re ever going to be.
Be thankful you’re that young, you have a chance to be as good or better than this Rickson you admire so.
LittleDragon:
“Like I said 95% of street fights end up on the ground and IF you are on the ground you must know some submission fighting.”
Well this is something that badly needs to get cleared up. What the stats are “95% of ALL fights end up on the ground”, remember ALL fights. Most martial arts aren’t in fights very often for a number of reasons, and there are a lot more normal people without ANY training out there and they get in to a lot more fights on the street each then martial artist do. That number does not refer to trained fighters. Second, getting me or anyone else with a strong center on the ground is quite the feet. Third, for those Aikidoka out there, if you end up having to deal with a BJJ guy and you can’t stop the shoot, drop to a suwariwasa position once you do your center strength increases 10 fold! From there you can regain your feet pretty easily, if you have good technique and you know what you are doing.
My thoughts on BJJ: I think BJJ is a sport. In fact a more proper term would be martial sport, just like Judo, or modern Kendo. I think it is a good complement to any given art you maybe studying but it isn’t an art in its own right. For one it is not complete, two it does not deal with conflict in a realistic way, and three there is WAY too much infuses on competition. I think you are getting confused, when we say sport, because we don’t mean like football, or even wrestling. It is a combat sport, and in that anyone who studies it is of cores going to learn things that are going to have martial application to it, but he won’t have the mind for a REAL fight, and won’t be well rounded enough for a REAL fight. Even though he may survive a street encounter, if he has to deal with the 8 guys and bats, I just hope everyone he cares about knows he loves them.