[razor840]

Its been awhile since I've trained. I moved back to my hometown after some personal issues and I started trying some gyms out around here, in the Mid-Ohio Valley. I went to a Judo place that was pretty nice, everyone was really cool and I liked it (boy those break falls are no joke :-)) and I tried a JJ place that trains out of the local YWCA. I was wondering if anybody knew of any other good places in the Parkersburg, WV area. I checked the gym finders online and the yellow pages and what not but I just thought I would ask if anyone knew of a low key place I might have missed.
I used to think of JJ and the fighting arts in general as a self defense first kind of thing but I've since gotten my conceal and carry permit and I usually carry a blade in my boot as well, because its getting dangerous around here with all the meth heads wandering around. So I guess I'm really more interested in the sport/MMA aspect at the moment (the whole human chess aspect and what-not). Plus, I want to make sure that if someone tackles me from behind or something, I'll be able to defend and get to one of my weapons in time. I took a self-defense class awhile back that dealt with knives and guns and stuff, I also read a lot of literature about how to stay alert while walking to your car and stuff. Also, I had to become very proficient with fire arms to get my conceal and carry permit. I've been thinking about getting a kevlar vest but I think if I wore it full time, my friends and co-workers might think I was getting too paranoid.
I guess, basically, what I want to ask is, as a grappler, or someone involved in MMA, what is your self-defense strategy? How should I approach a future instructor about these issues, if I want some help addressing them? I agree BJJ=self defense but, how do your instructors go about imparting this? I mean, is there any logical break bettween BJJ/self defense? I mean, I know there are things you should and shouldn't do but how do you train for a legit, street confrontation? I was thinking of maybe trying to find an underground fight club but I don't know if anything like thise really exists or how to find it. I guess maybe tough man contests might because you get the flailing and the testosterone. I also see the spiritual, disentegration of society aspect that gets explored in the movie fight club as somewhat interesting. I watched something on the History Channel about an underground sword fighting club. Anyway, I do see the primal, animalistic side of full on competition as being healthy. Do you see your training as full sport, a mixture of sport and self-defense, or do you like the primal, tearing away social nicieties that you sometimes get when you play human chess with someone?

[PhillyD45]

Nice collection of incoherent thoughts and random ramblings.

I believe you are slightly crazy. I really don't mean that as an insult. I can tell by the way you write that your mind races with several unfocused thoughts at once. Because of this I'm not to happy you are certified to carry weapons. That said...

Use your weapons RESPONSIBLY. I believe you know this. You have the gun cert. so now you should focus on knife. If you can find a kali/escrima school that would be your best bet. If not look it up on youtube.

For physical self defense no, BJJ or any other grappling art should NOT be your first choice. Muay Thai, western boxing, savate, or Krav Maga would be in your first choices. The tools you learn in these arts will give you the best chance against several attackers and to get away (the usual street fight situation). Once these are learned and you feel confident then take a grappling class.

[lethalazn]

There are certain situations where you're better off settling things on the ground, certain situations where you're better off standing, and maybe for the other 50 percent of those situations, you're just better off running, but without any training in grappling, you have no ability to control where the fight's going to end up.

Long story short: Grappling/BJJ isn't the style to end all styles, but for self defense, you definitely need it

and by the way, PLEASE arrange your thoughts nicely and look over what you write? a "legit street confrontation" is an obvious oxymoron

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by razor840

I've been thinking about getting a kevlar vest but I think if I wore it full time, my friends and co-workers might think I was getting too paranoid.

I think you're already too paranoid. I mean seriously, what the hell man? I was in Iraq in a hostile fire zone and I didn't even wear my body armor full time, and you live in WV and you're seriously considering it?

Do you really have that many enemies that you need to be packing a firearm and a knife plus considering wearing a kevlar vest? If the area you live in is so bad that you have to go do these things, my advice to you would be to move.

[Technomad]

My self defense strategy consists mostly of avoiding bad neighborhoods late at night and running away. BJJ would not be high on my self defense list because a) muggers have friends too, and BJJ doesnt work too well against groups and b) even the poorest mugger has a knife, and BJJ doesnt work well against knives.

On an unrelated note, make sure you are familiar with the conceal carry laws in your area. Many times, just having some guy flash a knife at you isn't enough to warrent shooting him. and never pull your firearmy out unless you are 100% certain you are going to fire it.

[eclipse]

Originally Posted by PhillyD45

Nice collection of incoherent thoughts and random ramblings.

LOL

[Calc]

You carry a knife and a gun, no need for bjj.
You carry a knife and a gun, you need to get rid of them and relax.

I grew up in Bosnia and Hercegovina during the war and did just fine with common sense.

[PhillyD45]

Originally Posted by Calc

I grew up in Bosnia and Hercegovina during the war and did just fine with common sense.

Ah, common sense. Probably the most important weapon of all. You can't earn a black belt in that. You can only be born with one.

[codemonkey76]

Originally Posted by razor840

Its been awhile since I've trained. I moved back to my hometown after some personal issues and I started trying some gyms out around here, in the Mid-Ohio Valley. I went to a Judo place that was pretty nice, everyone was really cool and I liked it (boy those break falls are no joke :-)) and I tried a JJ place that trains out of the local YWCA. I was wondering if anybody knew of any other good places in the Parkersburg, WV area. I checked the gym finders online and the yellow pages and what not but I just thought I would ask if anyone knew of a low key place I might have missed.
I used to think of JJ and the fighting arts in general as a self defense first kind of thing but I've since gotten my conceal and carry permit and I usually carry a blade in my boot as well, because its getting dangerous around here with all the meth heads wandering around. So I guess I'm really more interested in the sport/MMA aspect at the moment (the whole human chess aspect and what-not). Plus, I want to make sure that if someone tackles me from behind or something, I'll be able to defend and get to one of my weapons in time. I took a self-defense class awhile back that dealt with knives and guns and stuff, I also read a lot of literature about how to stay alert while walking to your car and stuff. Also, I had to become very proficient with fire arms to get my conceal and carry permit. I've been thinking about getting a kevlar vest but I think if I wore it full time, my friends and co-workers might think I was getting too paranoid.
I guess, basically, what I want to ask is, as a grappler, or someone involved in MMA, what is your self-defense strategy? How should I approach a future instructor about these issues, if I want some help addressing them? I agree BJJ=self defense but, how do your instructors go about imparting this? I mean, is there any logical break bettween BJJ/self defense? I mean, I know there are things you should and shouldn't do but how do you train for a legit, street confrontation? I was thinking of maybe trying to find an underground fight club but I don't know if anything like thise really exists or how to find it. I guess maybe tough man contests might because you get the flailing and the testosterone. I also see the spiritual, disentegration of society aspect that gets explored in the movie fight club as somewhat interesting. I watched something on the History Channel about an underground sword fighting club. Anyway, I do see the primal, animalistic side of full on competition as being healthy. Do you see your training as full sport, a mixture of sport and self-defense, or do you like the primal, tearing away social nicieties that you sometimes get when you play human chess with someone?

Hey dude heard of paragraph spacing... who can even read that???

[pattheflip]

my self-defense strategy:

5% BJJ training
10% negotiation
25% good running shoes
60% looking for a good job that will let me live somewhere not in the cuts where i'd feel like i had to wear a kevlar vest and carry a knife