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BJJ for Self Defense

Hoo boy, I know we’re going to be opening a can of worms with this one! However, this is a really important topic to cover, and I’m going to do my best to do justice to the discussion.

Whether BJJ is designed for self defense (or not) is one of the longest-running debates in the community. It’s not uncommon to see people who have been part of the sport for a long time claiming that “new school” BJJ has actively harmed the self-defense aspect of the sport; it’s also not uncommon for people who are active in the competitive “sport” BJJ scene to brush these concerns off. Addressing all of these issues is exhausting and delves into some of the minutiae of BJJ politics, and continuing to hash out all the details doesn’t really add much to the discussion, particularly for people just starting out. I’ve developed a short guide to the discussion of BJJ for self defense, and I hope it’s helpful for people who are looking for answers.

New School/Old School BJJ

I already alluded to the fact that there are two groups standing off against each other in the BJJ community. There are people who believe, fundamentally, that BJJ should be functional for self defense. These people believe in the “basics:” triangles, arm bars, side control, and mount.

The mindset of an individual doing BJJ for self defense requires that he or she use techniques that would be effective on concrete, against someone who is trying to punch him or her in the face.

Someone who trains with a sport BJJ mindset will be willing to do more innovative, creative BJJ. The rules of sport BJJ don’t allow for face-punching, so the sport BJJ practitioner doesn’t care what would happen if his or her opponent could punch him or her in the face. Someone who adheres to this mentality will be willing to do things like invert to win a match or score points.

Don’t worry, beginners. Everyone looks at this and thinks “what.”

BJJ for Self Defense: Yes and No

Now that I’ve established the two “schools of thought,” so to speak, let’s talk about why everyone is wrong.

Don’t let the old school guys convince you that “old school” jiu jitsu is a magic bullet against an attack: it isn’t. If you’re looking for self defense training, take up running. If any altercation gets to the point where you are on the ground, something went wrong long, long ago. Fleeing an attack is always safer than engaging with an unknown opponent in a situation where there are no rules. Absolutely train BJJ, but it is imperative to realize that BJJ should be a last-ditch effort to protect yourself.

Unknown instructor. Excellent knife defense technique.

This is particularly true if you are small or female, but it holds true for everyone, regardless of size. If a person is close enough to touch you, they are close enough to use a weapon. BJJ won’t save anyone from a knife or a gun. Compliance in the face of a threat is likely the safest course of action. The one exception is if the attacker is trying to force you to go somewhere with them; in this case, fighting can be an essential, life-saving tactic.

If there’s one thing you’ll learn in your first week of training, it’s that size matters, but training matters just as much. Even setting aside the issue of weapons, the fact of the matter is in a self-defense situation, you will have no way of knowing what training– if any– your attacker has. You might be facing someone with no knowledge of martial arts, or you might be facing a boxer, muay thai fighter, or MMA fighter. With the growing popularity of combat sports, that is not a gamble I, personally, would be willing to take.

BJJ will give you many things, and it is a gift that you continue to give to yourself as long as you train. Those who say that BJJ has no applicability to a real combat situation are wrong; those who say that BJJ should be solely for self defense are also wrong. There is nothing wrong with doing BJJ for sport and competition, with no intention of ever using BJJ as a self-defense tactic. There is also nothing wrong with doing BJJ as complementary training to self-defense preparedness, as BJJ is a combat sport that can be practiced live, with fully-resisting opponents.

What BJJ will give you:

Better bodily control, awareness, and fitness
A generalized knowledge of how to control an opponent’s weight, leverage, and strength on the ground
Ability to “buy time” during an attack, which can be used to escape, subdue, or get away from the attacker
Potential ability to submit or disable an attacker, should a fight go to the ground
Awareness of your own weaknesses, and knowledge of your own vulnerability.

What BJJ won’t give you:

Karate-kid-like abilities to defend yourself against every attack effortlessly
A guaranteed win over an attacker
Imperviousness to bullets, blades, and large rocks
Common sense.

Basic Self-Defense Tips

This is not, by any means, an exhaustive list of self-defense tips. However, I’ve experienced numerous “self defense” classes over the years– some better than others– and these are the most important things I’ve learned.

Be proactive about your safety, whether you’re male or female. Don’t take unnecessary risks.
Be willing to give up physical items to an attacker.
Familiarize yourself with the theory of verbal de-escalation. Try to determine what the attacker wants and come to a non-violent conclusion.
If the altercation does escalate, martial arts should be used to physically get away from the attacker, not to continue the confrontation.
BJJ can also be used to control the situation once a threat has been neutralized, as seen in this video
If a situation is feeling uncomfortable for any reason, leave. Don’t worry about rudeness: our instincts exist for a reason.
Contact authorities as soon as possible if you experience violence.

It should be noted that these tips focus on what to do if you don’t know your attacker. For individuals who are experiencing partner violence, these tips do not necessarily apply. Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft has some excellent self-defense tips for individuals experiencing partner violence specifically.

Reading/Watch List

For more information on self-defense, these books and videos are excellent and come highly recommended for everyone.

The Gift of Fear, by Gavin DeBecker
Ryan Hall attacked at dinner— This is an excellent example of BJJ used by a high-level practitioner to control a situation
BJJ used in McDonald’s altercation
Facing Violence, by Rory Miller
Verbal Judo, by George Thompson, Ph.D.
Why Does He Do That?, by Lundy Bancroft

What happens in a typical BJJ class?

One of the most common questions we get from people interested in starting BJJ is the question of what happens in a typical BJJ class. There are a lot of misconceptions about jiu jitsu and about the process of beginning the sport, so let’s clear up some of those right now. We’re going to talk about a typical BJJ class, but also about the different types of classes you might experience as a beginner in the sport. These are not specific to any academy; academies might have any or all of these types of classes. If you have specific questions about the classes offered by an academy, it’s always best to ask. However, these are the types of classes that I’ve seen in my time in the jiu jitsu world, and generally what can be expected from each.

Leveled Classes

IBJJF belt ranking system, taken from IBJJF

By “leveled” classes, I am referring to the type of class in which all participants are generally the same level. Some larger schools are able to separate out beginning students from the more advanced students, providing both beginner classes and advanced classes. These “leveled” classes allow instructors to tailor information shared with their students. It protects the students: beginners don’t get overwhelmed with information, and advanced students don’t get bored. Win-win, all around!

Typically, the format of a class will include:

Individual warm-up with running, individual movement drills, and perhaps basic partner drills
Technique instruction and refinement
Technique practice with a partner
Question/answer time (usually occurs during technique practice)
Sparring

A note about sparring: some schools allow a student to spar on their first day, while others do not. I’ll provide another post on why I believe sparring should occur (within reason) on the first day of class; however, that’s another novel to write, and something I’ll only touch on here. Essentially, sparring is the heart of BJJ; it’s also the fun part of BJJ. A student who is comfortable with the idea of sparring can always safely learn to spar on their first day with appropriate supervision and the right partner.

Typically, beginner’s classes are between 60 and 90 minutes. If you’re a beginner, expect to be immensely fatigued, even if you’re in shape. Very little will prepare you for your first jiu jitsu class, so don’t worry about getting in better shape before you get on the mat. The fatigue will pass quickly, and you’ll be having too much fun to notice anyway! Just expect to feel extraordinarily strange in your forearms the next day.

The Mixed-Level Class

This is probably the most ubiquitous type of class out there. Many academies aren’t big enough to have a dedicated white-belt or beginner class; as such, many academies choose to put beginners into their nightly class.

Most mixed-level classes will follow the same format as a leveled class: the time for the class will be either an hour or 90 minutes, although some schools choose two-hour blocks. Generally, the format will be the same as a leveled class: the instructor will run an individual warm-up with jogging, movement drills, and perhaps some partner drills, and then move into technique. Beginners will often be paired with a higher-ranking student who can oversee their progression. After technique, the class will move to sparring. The intensity and type of sparring will often be dictated by the school, instructor, and students.

Competition Classes

Competition classes are not suitable for beginning students. These are fast-paced classes with a focus on technical ability for success in BJJ competition. The format will be rigorous, usually including:

Brief warm-up, often consisting of fast-paced partner drills, sprints, and so on, with the purpose of raising the heart rate and warming the body quickly
Varied situational sparring, in which participants will be asked to focus on specific situations.
“Superfights,” a type of sparring in which the class observes a single pair sparring
Physically and mentally difficult workouts that focus on different aspects of competition.
Difficult drills and sparring targeted at specific areas of weakness for individual students or the team as a whole.

Competition classes vary in intensity and in structure. Competition classes are sometimes integrated into “camps” leading up to large competitions, and their purpose is to get students into shape for the physical and mental stress of large competitions. These classes are also more focused on the sport aspect of BJJ, which means that beginners rarely have enough knowledge of the point system to have success in these classes.

Women’s Classes

Women’s classes also follow the typical format of a BJJ class, but they are often focused on providing women a space to train outside of the male-dominated BJJ environment. Some women’s BJJ classes focus more on the sport aspects of BJJ, while others are more geared towards women’s self defense.

Self-Defense Classes

Some BJJ curriculums offer self-defense classes or “BJJ for self defense” classes. These classes will focus more on classical self-defense problems– escaping from a headlock, verbal de-escalation, and other methods of protecting oneself in case of attack. These classes vary significantly in terms of quality and style, so it’s always best to discuss the class with an instructor from the academy to get a better understanding of what to expect from the course itself. I will also be writing a primer on “BJJ for self defense” which will be a more in-depth look at self-defense classes and what to look for in a self-defense class if learning to defend yourself is your primary goal.

No-Gi Classes

No-gi classes follow the same typical format as a gi class. Men typically wear a rash guard, shorts, and sometimes spats, while women will typically wear a rash guard and spats or a rash guard and shorts. However, if you’re new to no-gi, you should definitely expect more bumps and bruises: no-gi is fast, slippery, sweaty fun, but people doing no-gi are much more likely to accidentally catch an elbow or knee. No-gi tends to be much faster paced sparring than gi sparring. It’s just a side effect of not having any material to grab!

I always recommend starting in the gi. Switching from gi jiu jitsu to no-gi is always much easier than trying to go from no-gi to gi, due primarily to the number of grips that you can make when doing BJJ in the gi. Integrating no-gi practice into your training schedule after you have a few months of gi under your belt is an excellent way to augment training.

Most people experience a love/hate relationship with no-gi. It’s perfectly normal to feel as though no-gi training is slightly more uncomfortable, particularly for women who are new to the sport. However, that discomfort will likely fade over time. Instructors can make a no-gi class more inclusive and comfortable for everyone by ensuring that everyone is wearing appropriate no-gi attire, and that no one is likely to experience wardrobe malfunctions.

Children’s Classes

Children’s classes follow the same structure as a typical adult class. However, for younger students, the format is often significantly shortened, and games are integrated into the curriculum for the warm-up and throughout the class. Ideally, the classes are split into different age groups to protect smaller children from larger ones.

Children of all ages can and should spar in every class. Supervised sparring is safe for children, and instructors should always be closely monitoring their students to prevent injury. Children’s sparring rounds should be between 1-4 minutes, depending on the age. Older, more advanced pre-teen and adolescent students can spar for longer, or join the adult classes.

Open Mat

An open mat has no real format. Anyone can join; it is the responsibility of the participants to structure their open mat as they wish. It’s a time when many people choose to get extra sparring or drilling in without the added structure of a class. It’s also often a time for people from other academies to visit with a new academy and experience new people’s styles of jiu jitsu. Some academies, however, don’t allow drop-ins from other academies; it’s entirely case-by-case.

At Escapology, we will likely be offering beginner classes, fundamentals classes, advanced classes, children’s classes, no-gi classes, open mat, and competition classes. More information on our specific schedule and class system will be available at a later date.

How To Prevent Infections and Care for Your BJJ Equipment

Alternatively titled: wash your belt, you filthy animals!

Accidental injuries in BJJ are rarely serious, particularly when compared to other contact or combat sports. Injuries occur, of course, but BJJ does not present any real elevated risk of serious injury. However, there are dangers that can be mitigated when training, and one of those risks is the risk of infection. In this post, I won’t include any graphic images of what can happen when someone gets a dermal infection as a result of staphylococcus, strepylcooccus, or any other microbe that invades the skin: if you’re a visual learner, any of these infections can be seen on Google Images. I will go through what an infection is, how they’re treated, the most common ones in BJJ, and what you can do to avoid them, however. I’m also going to include some practical information about basic care for both gi and no-gi apparel.

About Infections

In the context of BJJ, wrestling, and other close-contact sports, the type of infections that we worry about most are bacterial infections. Viral infections are spread around the gym, of course, because jiu jitsu necessitates touching, but bacterial infections spread from skin-to-skin contact are of particular concern.

There are also fungal infections that can be spread around the gym as well: issues like ringworm can become endemic in the academy if untreated, particularly as they spread so easily. Ringworm is itchy, extremely contagious, and an all-around pain to deal with, but it rarely causes major health issues. Ringworm is commonly found in children, but the close-contact environment of jiu jitsu, wrestling, gymnastics, and other sports where skin is exposed also sometimes fosters outbreaks.

The real culprits for infection problems in the jiu jitsu academy are bacterial infections. Strep and staph are two of the more common bacterial infections that can occur— these bacteria often live on the skin (and in the nose, funnily enough), but become a problem when they enter the skin through a cut or tear.

Taken from Dr. Hussein Abulfotouh

Some strains of bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but antibiotic-resistant microbes are becoming frighteningly common, and an infection can become serious and life-threatening very quickly. But now that all the doom and gloom is done, and I’ve frightened everyone sufficiently, let’s talk about what we can do to avoid infections and keep the academy a clean, healthy place for everyone.

Preventing Infections

Preventing infections is partially our responsibility, and partially yours. To prevent infections at the academy, we:

Wash and clean the mats after training
Clean all shared spaces regularly
Clean our gis, belts, and other equipment after every use
Replace mats regularly when they become worn, dirty, or impossible to clean.
Remain vigilant when teaching students, watching for potential infections.

Your responsibilities are similar:

Clean your gi and belt after every training session
Clean all spandex regularly.
DO NOT train if you have any kind of infection at all– no one wants to come down with the flu after training, and absolutely no one likes ringworm or MRSA.
If you have an open wound that appears red, hot, inflamed, itchy, or weepy, go immediately to A&E for treatment. Infections progress quickly, and the faster they are treated, the better the prognosis.

Signs of infection in a wound, taken from Google Images.

So with no further ado, let’s get on to… cleaning and caring for your jiu jitsu equipment.

Cleaning and Caring for a Gi

We’re relatively lucky in jiu jitsu– gis are easy to clean, and they don’t really have any nooks or crannies where microbes can hide through a wash cycle. That said, like any athlete, jiu jitsu practitioners tend to have some really strange superstitions. I’ve been a black belt a number of years, and let me tell you, I’ve never once washed away any of my knowledge by washing my belt. Wash your belt, people!

Gis and belts are primarily made of cotton, although there are some that are made from other materials like hemp. Cotton tends to shrink in the washer and in the dryer if washed on hot, so washing on warm or cold with extra agitation is a good way to ensure that your gi and belt are clean without shrinking your gi too much.

Tom and I tend to hang dry our gis, which, depending on the humidity and temperature, can take anything from a few days to a week. If you do hang dry, hanging them in a place with good airflow will keep them from smelling musty when they dry. Some gis are advertised as “pre-shrunk,” but I’ve personally had middling success with these claims. Sometimes gis don’t shrink at all; sometimes they shrink more than a size. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to tell whether the gi will shrink other than asking someone who has bought the same gi.

Generally, this means that if you’re training three times per week, you’ll need at least two gis. Gis have a shelf life as well: a gi worn regularly will last anywhere between one and two years, barring any kind of ripping incident. Gis also come in different “weaves:” this refers to the thickness of the fabric. A single-weave gi will be extremely light and compact, but it will also wear out faster than a double or pearl-weave gi. The heavier the gi, the longer it will take to dry, so always make sure to plan your washing accordingly!

Cleaning and Caring for Spandex (Spats, Rash Guards, etc.)

Usually, in jiu jitsu, spandex is found in apparel like rash guards, spats, and sometimes spandex shorts. Spandex is also found in sports bras and other athletic tops.

Generally, spats and rash guards are worn for no-gi, but they can also be worn under the gi. Washing regimens should be the same regardless of how the apparel was worn.

Spandex is similar in that it must be washed after every training session, but I always wash my spandex on warm to hot, and I frequently use a tumble dryer for my spandex rather than hang drying. However, hang drying spandex is a much faster process than hang-drying a gi, but it is even more important that you hang spandex in a place with good airflow, because spandex can and does become more smelly than a gi much more quickly.

Permanently Smelly Rash Guards

There is something about the alchemy of male sweat and spandex: over time, the combination of man-sweat and spandex becomes overwhelmingly stinky. Sometimes, you’ll find that you wash your spandex and it smells fine– but as soon as you put it on, it begins to smell again. You can sometimes save your rash guard by soaking it overnight in vinegar and water: I usually use a ratio of 3:1 for water: vinegar when I have to soak rash guards. After I soak the rash guards, I usually rinse them well, then run them through the wash as normal. If they still smell, it’s time for retirement– remember, if you can smell yourself, everyone else around you can smell you as well!

We’re invested in making sure our training environment is safe in every way, and that includes creating a clean environment for the students. If you’d like more information, this post, written by a microbiologist, is an excellent primer on the science of infection and how to protect yourself from infection in an environment like a jiu jitsu academy.

About Chelsea Leah

In this post, we’ll give you a brief insight into Chelsea Leah, her history, and her career in the BJJ world.

Chelsea Leah’s Jiu Jitsu journey is a truly remarkable one. It has spanned the globe, and she has forged a reputation for being an incredibly technical BJJ player.

Introducing Chelsea Leah. BJJ Black Belt and World Champion.

Chelsea started Jiu Jitsu at the tender age of 12 years old. However, unlike today where most academies have dedicated kids programmes, Chelsea had to go straight into the adult’s classes. Despite these obstacles and her much larger training partners continually trying to sit on her head, she quickly advanced through the belts. At 16 years old, Chelsea earned her Blue Belt, and shortly after that, went on to win the adult division of the Pan Ams.

Fast forward to 2014, after many years, traveling the globe, teaching, and training with some of the worlds best BJJ players, Chelsea won the IBJJF World Championships as a Brown Belt. What makes this achievement more incredible is that she submitted all her opponents on route to the gold. After this fantastic performance, Chelsea received her Black Belt on the podium from Andre Galvao.

Chelsea winning the World Championships in 2014 — Photo Courtesy of 2XChromoZone

Shortly after receiving her Black Belt, Chelsea moved to Newport Beach to train with the Mendes Brothers, and learn their style of Jiu Jitsu. The Bros quickly realised her skill as both a competitor and an instructor and asked her to teach at their academy, the Art of Jiu Jitsu. Chelsea gladly accepted their offer and taught at AOJ for the next three years.

Chelsea teaching at the Art of Jiu Jitsu in Newport Beach

As an athlete, Chelsea is considered one of the best female competitors on the planet. She has medalled at just about every major competition out there and has fought on professional Jiu Jitsu events such as Metamoris and the 5 Super League.

Chelsea winning double gold at the London Open in 2016

On top of being a high-level BJJ competitor, Chelsea regularly teaches seminars around the U.S. and Europe. She is highly regarded for her technical knowledge and easy to follow teaching style.

Chelsea and Tom have taught a number of tandem seminars, and attendees regularly comment on the quality of instruction and depth of insight received during their seminars. This type of quality instruction has been built into the Escapology BJJ curriculum from the beginning.

Tom and Chelsea got in October of 2017, and had a beautiful daughter in 2019. Jiu Jitsu and parenting takes up a huge amount of their time, but when they are not training or teaching, they travel and have adventures with their dog, Kimura.

Chelsea making weight for the IBJJF Europeans

Find Chelsea on Social Media

⇒Instagram: @chelesa__leah

⇒Facebook: @leaahhbjj

About Tom Barlow

It’s understandable to have some questions and concerns about instructors before joining an academy. In this post, we’ll give you a brief insight into Tom Barlow, his history, and his career in the BJJ world.

Tom “the mighty Barlow” Barlow has been active in the UK BJJ scene and the international competitive jiu jitsu circuit since the mid 2000’s. He received his black belt in 2011 from Braulio Estima, and has trained all over the world with greats like Eric Paulson, Andre Galvao, Rafa and Gui Mendes, and Otavio Sousa, among others.

Tom has been very successful in competitive BJJ as well. He is a three-time No-Gi World Champion at featherweight, European Champion, and has competed in a number of professional, submission-only events like the Polaris Pro and Tuff– you also might recognise him as a recurring commentator for Polaris.

Tom teaches regular seminars around the U.K. and Europe. An excellent competitor and athlete, he has made the transition to coach and professor remarkably well, and manages to balance his needs as an athlete against his student’s needs with ease. Chelsea and Tom have taught a number of tandem seminars, and attendees regularly comment on the quality of instruction and depth of insight received during the seminar. This is the type of quality instruction that has been built into the Escapology BJJ curriculum from the beginning.

Of course, no athlete is born in a vacuum, and everyone’s path into BJJ is different. Tom has a long history with a number of striking arts, but has largely decided that getting hit in the face is no longer his calling. Interestingly, despite spending most of his time training in the gi, it is also nearly impossible to find a photo of Tom in which he is not flexing his biceps, showing off his abs, or a combination of the two– thus, it is also almost impossible to find a photo of Tom in a gi.

Tom and Chelsea got married in October of 2017 and had a beautiful daughter in 2019. Jiu jitsu and parenting takes up a huge amount of their time, but when they are not training or teaching, they travel and have adventures with their dog, Kimura.

Find Tom on Social Media

⇒Instagram: @themightybarlow

⇒Facebook: @tomasabarlow