There is an adage spoken in SBGs all over the globe, “If you can’t beat me with rules, what makes you think you can beat me without them.”
One of the things SBG is most proud of is teaching Brazilian Jiu JItsu that can be used regardless of the environment. Whether gi BJJ, no-gi, MMA, or “the streat”, the fundamentals practiced on our mats hold true throughout. Sure, we can take that BJJ and go win tournaments, but that doesn’t mean we teach Sport BJJ.
Fundamentals are fundamental, and if you are being taught something different, you are likely being lied to about its efficacy. If you really want some honesty, after about 2-3 years of solid fundamental BJJ (like what is taught at SBG Athens) the rest of your time is about perfecting timing and having fun simulating murder with your friends.
Some places like to scare you about the “Boogeyman”. One thing our friend Paul Sharp talks about is how we are more dangerous than the criminals who aren’t training against resisting opponents (read: training partners) every day. We are giving our students all the necessary tools to defend themselves against violent actors.
Many police departments and our country’s own military (including Special Operators) has adopted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as their go to self defense. There is no better way to get good at BJJ than to train it against another athlete trying to beat you.
One understands the rule set (or lack thereof) when forced to Manage Unknown Contacts (MUC). The BJJ athlete doesn’t just flop to the ground and pull guard against a violent actor on the streets. This is preached about regularly inside the academy. But that doesn’t stop us from having some fun and exploring the different games that are available. That’s what makes BJJ something we can do until the day we die. Rickson Gracie himself competed all the time and understood the best way to improve was to train against an alive (read: resisting) opponent.
Here we are learning how to defend against a striking opponent if we happen to find ourselves on our backs. Sometimes you fall down or get taken down and need to know how to survive. This is ten minutes from a 90 minute class utilizing MMA gloves to safely strike one another. Our students continue to gain valuable training time and become more dangerous every hour they spend on the mats.
The likelihood of them ever needing to use this against someone trying to do them grave bodily harm is slim. Nevertheless, as coaches we know that they are gaining the necessary skills in case the situation is to ever present itself.
This is SBG Athens, you will be okay.
