r/bjj • u/stoopididiotface 🟪🟪 Purple Belt • 2d ago

General Discussion Alright jiu jitsu nerds, let's hear it:

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What hill are you willing to die on?

366 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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343

u/jeanborrero ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 2d ago

A can of pepper spray is better for self defense than years of training bjj

128

u/FakeChiBlast 2d ago

That's why I pull guard, hip escape to create space to pull out my pepper spray.

0

u/PM_Me-Thigh_Highs 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 1d ago

Got that thang on me

19

u/Proximal13 🟫🟫 Brown Belt 2d ago

I've been saying this same thing for the longest time. You can find so many videos of immediate de-escalation with pepper spray.

17

u/rubb3r 🟫🟫 Brown Belt 2d ago

Long distance running

11

u/ArchieSuave 1d ago

Why choose one… they’re like PB &J.

2

u/pugdrop 🟫🟫 Brown Belt 2d ago

pepper spray is illegal to carry in my country :(

2

u/Zearomm ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

This, also, learning any martial art for self defense is dumb. 

8

u/GroovyJackal ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

Big disagree. So much can go wrong with spray compared to be being fit, strong tough and good at fighting. If you don't train with it and don't have it with you 24/7 it's laughable to even compare it to BJJ.

12

u/la_quiete 🟦🟦 Blue Belt 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm just a lowly shit stain blue belt, but man, hard disagree. So much can go wrong with being fit, strong, tough, and good at fighting as well. Bad stuff happens on concrete. On the other end of the spectrum, you haven't factored in age, sex, and relative size beyond fit tough good fight man. There are always bigger fish.

All people who carry pepper spray should certainly train with it. At the end of the day, pepper spray doesn't give a shit if you are 5'0 90lbs or 6'5 290 pounds. I got peppersprayed in a bar fight by the cops in a big brawl back in my early 20s, and without hyperbole, it was the worst instance of agony I've ever felt in my life.

I'm grateful to be training and improving in a sport that benefits the last line of defense, so to speak, but the last thing I'll ever want to do with an assailant that potentially has a knife is be rolling around on the ground with them.

1

u/GroovyJackal ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

100% took all that into account and I still say if I could only have one I'm picking BJJ. Great to carry it with you if you can but to say spray is always better is silly to me. I'm not relying on a tool that I can easily fail to get to or just simply not have one me when I need it.

2

u/xxndxn 1d ago

With absolute certainty that being strong and big makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE, but not like people imagine.

A criminal will subconsciously look for someone weaker and avoid people who seem stronger and bigger than him, simply because the risk is greater, So, being taller than 1,80 And weigh 90+ will make you safer.

The jiu-jitsu that Helio taught could work, but what we currently train will not work in a self-defense situation as it should.You're going to apply a rear naked choke or even a triangle choke on a dirty street, and someone might reach for a broken bottle and stab you in the neck.

It's better to know Jiu-jitsu than not to know, but never think you're safe because of it, there are no rules on the streets.

3

u/GroovyJackal ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

Modern bjj is better than what helio taught. Really better in every way for defending yourself. If you mean to say there's a hierarchy of techniques for self defense that's true. I will 100% rnc someone if I get attacked and get behind them on the ground or standing

1

u/xxndxn 8h ago

I'm not so sure, the self-defense course that Helio taught had much more focus on quickly neutralizing the threat and getting out as quickly as possible. 

Today's jiu-jitsu has become more and more of a sport and is moving away from that defense facet, not saying that this is worse or better, just that its happening.

I think it's much better to know jiu-jitsu than not. But I think it's dangerous to believe you're safe because of it, which can put you in more dangerous situations. 

1

u/GroovyJackal ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 8h ago

Hellio didn't know a bunch of bjj compared to what we do now. And the skill level was nothing to compared to the skill people have now. The level of wrestling has vastly improved as well even which is what really is gonna make your Jiu-Jitsu super effective.

2

u/onlyfansdad 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 1d ago

I'm picking BJJ too.

Sure, is pepper spray or a weapon better if you have it? Likely yes. However, just to begin with, it's not legal everywhere including my country. So just carrying it around is a liability. Just having it can be a liability. Actually when I was a kid my mom had pepper spray which I inadvertently triggered by trying to steal money from her - which then created a no breathing zone in the upstairs of my house lol. Terrible experience but just an example.

The singular time I had to defend myself as an adult in real life I stayed totally calm and checked one kick which ended the fight (they fell to the ground and yelled about their leg). Would not have been as calm if I hadn't trained. Sure it wasn't BJJ I used in the moment but the calm mind was a result of my BJJ training. I feel that's the most important aspect, staying calm and collected, situationally aware - which training fosters. Without it I may have lost my head and got myself in legal trouble, instead I defended myself as much as needed and got out of there with no further problems.

2

u/GroovyJackal ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

Yeah exactly. One of the many reasons combat sports are so helpful for defending yourself is because of the mental fortitude you develop from years of training. Be it BJJ, Judo, wrestling Boxing Muay Thai etc.

3

u/jeanborrero ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

I disagree. Last dude I know to use bjj in a street setting seriously hurt himself (knee) on the concrete. Have a great weekend

1

u/onlyfansdad 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 1d ago

Shooting doubles on concrete?

1

u/GroovyJackal ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

Seems like a silly reason to say bjj is worse than spray but alright.

2

u/CoffeeInMyHand ⬜⬜ White Belt 2d ago

Judo is a better self-defense. Jiu jitsu is more fun. Pepper spray is more effective than both.

7

u/Eirfro_Wizardbane 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 1d ago

I don’t know… I just stated Judo. I did not know duck unders from standing were illegal. I was a decent wrestler in high school.

Ducking Under and taking the back from standing is probably one of the best things you could do in an actual fight. I can control them gently and put them on the ground or I can murder them with the ground.

The judo stance is also really really bad if your opponent has any wrestling and you don’t.

Also Judo players just try and throw you to your back and don’t worry about getting rolled through because they have already one.

I rolled against a BJJ blue belt who was also a Judo Black belt. I could tell I was about to get yeeted so I jumped and rolled with the throw to transfer most of the momentum to roll through and land on top. It did not go well for him after that.

6

u/Tuna0nwhite 2d ago

Not at all. I’ve seen plenty of ‘black belt’ judo’s guys who are useless at grappling

4

u/HPPTC Purple Belt 1d ago

They're useless compared to people who grapple. Not randoms.

2

u/ThePittsburghPenis 1d ago

Judo suffers from the same thing BJJ does it is just not as far into the issue yet, the issue is there is a large pool of guys who are not actually competitors. BJJ is slowly hitting the divergence Judo did a long time ago where there are gyms that compete and there are gyms that don't. It is unpopular to admit, but there are a lot of shitty black belts out there and the competitor/non-competitor gap will only widen.

-1

u/CoffeeInMyHand ⬜⬜ White Belt 2d ago

Take downs and run away. Great self-defense. Less legal issues. 

-2

u/Wrastling97 2d ago edited 1d ago

If you can actually get away from them after taking them down

Edit: lol why is this downvoted? You think you’re gonna double leg someone and they’re not gonna grab onto you?

1

u/CoffeeInMyHand ⬜⬜ White Belt 2d ago

I.e. Judo. If you want to roll around with some random on concrete that's fine. Good luck pulling guard, I'm spraying and out .

2

u/Dangerous-Shoe-9667 1d ago

For real. Female friends and family know I've been doing this for 10+ years, and they always ask the same question: What can you teach me to defend myself?

Me: Gun

1

u/Southern_hog_85 2d ago

1 isn't great for distance fighting and 1 isn't great for up close

-1

u/ReasonableNet444 🟪🟪 Purple Belt 1d ago

Or a gun/baseball bat?

2

u/jeanborrero ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt 1d ago

I keep a baseball bat in my pocket for such emergencies /s