Making Sense of Street vs. Sport
by Burton Richardson

"There is no doubt about it. The well-trained modern No Holds Barred (NHB) or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athlete is a fighting machine. He or she can fight very well in the kickboxing, clinch, and ground ranges. Athletes in the sport of MMA train to fight skilled opponents through the use of striking, throwing, and submission holds. Rules prohibiting headbutts, eye strikes, groin attacks, biting, and other tactics are in place for the safety of the participants, but other than these constraints the fights are real as they get. Competitors prepare for the sporting event through rigorous training. Sparring against uncooperative opponents is the main method of preparation, along with massive conditioning. Without sparring in all of the ranges, the fighters would be lost when matched against a skillful opponent. Bottom line: the training methods work. It is from my extensive training in MMA and full contact stickfighting that I was able to distill the JKDU philosophy of training into one phrase. That phrase is: “If you want to learn how to fight you have to practice fighting against someone who is fighting back!” This is what the MMA athlete does daily.

Now, what happens if such an athlete, who trains within the rules of the sport, has to take on an aggressive street attacker outside of the ring or cage where there are no referees? In the great majority of incidents the trained fighter is going to dominate the situation. (An ambush from behind is another story, but no type of training will help you there.) Why? Because all fights take place in the kickboxing, clinch, or ground ranges, and often within all of the aforementioned distances. Someone trained in all of these ranges will generally prevail over an adversary who can only bring aggression to the fight, even without the use of “street” tactics.

On the other side of the equation, you have probably heard of many instances where traditional martial artists who spend most of their time practicing forms and static technique sequences, along with limited sparring, have been overwhelmed in a self-defense situation. Even though the traditional martial artist had eye strikes and groin attacks in his arsenal, he wasn’t actually able to apply his training when real resistance came crashing down on him. So if the MMA fighter fares much better than the traditional martial artist in a real fight, we can come to a logical conclusion. If a main goal of your training is to develop usable self-defense skills, you should then train in the sport of MMA. This is where we at JKD Unlimited have a different point of view.

The reason MMA fighters can fight well is because of the training methodology of practicing against a resisting partner in all of the ranges. This is the key to skill development. Knowing the techniques is not enough. You must develop the skills necessary to be able to apply your techniques against someone who does not want you to succeed. Is a real attacker going to resist you? Of course he will. The true art of self-defense lies in your ability to overcome that resistance, not just in memorizing a litany of deadly techniques. You can learn the punches and defenses of boxing rather quickly, but just because you can demonstrate them doesn’t mean that you are ready to fight the champ. You have to learn the techniques, and then practice them in the proper environment to prepare yourself for combat.

Once you know how to train correctly you must direct that training to address the “rules” of the event you are training for. In MMA, different fighting organizations have different rules. Some fights allow headbutts, kicking a downed fighter in the head, and elbow strikes. These tactics are illegal in other organizations. Fighters adjust their training to allow for the rules. As the rules change, the training and tactics change. If you are primarily interested in the self-defense aspects of the martial arts, then I believe that you should train for the “rules” of the street. As we all know, there is only one rule, and that is that “There are no rules.”

Some will say that this is all nonsense, and that your best bet is to just train as an MMA fighter would train. You are probably never going to get attacked on the street anyway. If you do get attacked, the theory is that you can spontaneously adjust to that environment and add in the foul tactics. That theory needs to be examined.
The entire principle of training is to create habits within our bodies so that we will not have to think about what we are doing in a stressful situation. We want our bodies to be able to automatically react in a positive and safe manner when under the stress of combat. Let’s go back to that theory that if you are in a street fight you can spontaneously adjust to the lack of rules. My question is this: If you don’t train to protect your groin, what would prompt you to think about doing that in a real fight? Answer: A solid groin hit! Do you want to wait until you are kicked in the groin to adjust your clinch stance? Do you want to wait to start protecting your eyes until after you have been gouged? No. If we are talking self-defense, this attitude of training for the sport then making an instantaneous adjustment in the midst of a street attack is dangerously backwards. In JKD Unlimited we do the following:
We train primarily for the street environment, and then make adjustments to the training for those who want to enter competitions.

We play in all the ranges against a resisting partner, just as we do in MMA sport training, but we always have the street tactics included as we do our training. The idea of training one way, then making a spontaneous adjustment to a mode that you don’t train is not practical. It would be like training solely in submission grappling when you are preparing to enter an MMA competition. With this philosophy, you would say “I am going to work on my takedowns, guard passes, and submissions without any strikes allowed. Then when I get in the match, I will just adjust to the striking.” We all know that this does not work. You have to train for the parameters of the event. You don’t only train collegiate wrestling techniques if you are going into a submission wrestling match. You wouldn’t just train boxing if you are fighting in a Muay Thai kickboxing match, just as you wouldn’t only train kickboxing if you are going into MMA. When you change the rules of the event, the techniques, tactics, training methods, and structure must change to accommodate the particular rules. As effective as sport-oriented MMA is, you should go beyond MMA if you are training to be prepared for the arena of street self-defense.

One drawback of the including the street tactics is that you can’t actually gouge your partner’s eyes or hit him hard in the groin. But you usually don’t actually try to knock out your partner in training either. Great thing about grappling is that you can apply your technique at full tilt with minimal risk of injury. Does this mean that we don’t add striking to the face because it isn’t at full intensity? No. We can also add eye strikes, groin hits, and simulated bites to the training in a safe, fun manner to play the game at the street self-defense level.

BJJ, kickboxing, and MMA can be very effective in a street fight, but the best MMA fighters don’t just train BJJ or Muay Thai or Greco Roman. They cross train specifically for the event. We cross train with MMA style training methods, but with the street environment as our first priority. This can be done by anyone of any level of physicality. We adjust the intensity of the training to suit the individual’s current physical condition and goals. It is extremely fun, healthy, and mind expanding. If you aren’t planning to compete in the sporting event, but want street self-defense, I suggest that you train primarily for the street environment."

This article was published on Wednesday 01 December, 2004.

backarcher,
i don't have all my life to waist reading your •••• (too ••••••• long)
but the thing is if you get in a street fight
you have 2 options
run or fight .
run if you can fight if you can't run.
if you can't run you must be fat or stupid
if you run than run fast,
if you fight don't look back and don't delude you're self,fight with all your heath and soul
because that's all you got left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
take it or leave it.

"with all your heath and soul" Good grief! when is Jack, OLD TIMER, or even anyone else with half a brain going to post again?

wait... it's the training methodology and not the collection of techniques that's most important in learning an applicable real life skill?

yeah, that's like Tim telling me there is no 'one form to rule them all',one form that if i just learn i will have mastered all martial arts. Right, Tim...

so backarcher, now your one of those guys...



PS: thanks for the post

Naw.

If you are going to train for the street, you fight in the street.

If you are going to train for competition, you compete (not fight) on the mat.

I agree with Jack that there is no substutue for experience on the street.

You can well prep yourself in the dojo, but after that its the real thing or it's not.

i get mad when i hear these goddamn mma people categorize. i practice my ma against fully resisting opponents, does that make me a mma then? well i also practice static postures and forms, so what category do i fall into now? oh crap, looks like this guy is gonna have to rethink his whole life.

people are so obsessed with mma's. all i see in an mma is a grappler/striker on steroids, is that anything new?

Robert,

All training as long as it is fundementally sound is useful. There is a current theme on this site that confuses training with application.

Competitors see application as tournamnents.

Realists see it as something like war - no rules, no annoucements, no catagories and no sporting chance.

I have learned alot fron this site and I see both Jack and the competitors as making valid points. Sports or fighting. Why do the competitors feel threatened about this. If they want to fight I am sure they can find a time or place to do it. There are plenty of people who want to fight. I think the competitors like the safety of the ring. No weapons, a framework of the event and a saftynet that protects you from possibly losing your life.

If they do not - then continue competing. Seems simple to me.

i think when people reference "MMA" what they are referring to is less a training method, but rather the concept of sportfighting where the rules are minimalistic enough to promote a competition between different styles, that doesn't lend a particular advantage to striking or grappling or whatever it may be. A "MMA" guy is one who competes in these events, and presumably takes some interest in training in something outside of and complimentary to his primary martial art, whether this be BJJ+Muay Thai or BGZ+Judo, for the sole purpose of being more prepared for this type of competition, usually in a sporting atmosphere.

I have noticed a correlation between this type of competing and non-cooperative or sparring based training, but I don't necessarily confuse correlation with causation. A tai ji fighter could spend 75% of his training time in the ring, it's just not that common. Hence the unique value of someone like Tim Cartmell.

BackArcher's reference makes a clear example of a traditionally non-competitive art, taking a position on a style of training that incorporates resistance, and attempts to be mindful of 'street' application. It's a compromise, but it points out that more and more teachers are becoming aware of what Kano, Maeda and the Gracies figured out a while ago. Randori is a good way to build and refine applicable self-defence skills. Maybe the best, b/c it provides a relatively safe way to practice at a very specific and high intensity level.

"... It's a compromise, but it points out that more and more teachers are becoming aware of what Kano, Maeda and the Gracies figured out a while ago. Randori is a good way to build and refine applicable self-defence skills. Maybe the best, b/c it provides a relatively safe way to practice at a very specific and high intensity level."

Great quote Jason...great!!!!

Wow, a quireadmire.

Did you see that, it was like seeing a flying Common Bushtit.

Fudd the only compromise here is in your inteligence. Inteligent Fudd - now that is an oxymorron. Or a just plain old moron.

Later Moronicus, you couldn't make sense of yourself let alone the topic. Oh did you forget the Topic? Yu are trying to make sense out of it, not compromise it. One or the other - there are no compromises except hopefully in the medical attention you recive while hospitalized from your "compromizing" attitude.

Pure competitor. Real world. Can anybody say ... Real World?

i'm not sure what you are saying, but I won't take it as a compliment.

Imaja,

'Real World". I can say it. But I can't understand anything else in your post.

If you have something to prove to anyone including yourself, you are most likely a competitive person,

competition is part of the ma world. although i feel that sparring can be used to the same effect (honing one's martial skill), competition is the only way to raise your status.

i feel that in the beginning we are all of a competitiove nature, and we all feel that we have something to prove, but as you evolve into a more experienced practitioner, you will realize otherwise. and let it build your character.
though some people are just animals.

Here we go again. Backarcher, Jason, you'll never convince people like Jack that resistant training and competition are the way to go for real world ability. Jack has his entire personality vested in the idea his kungfu makes him a deadly outlaw. Having to actually spar with contact against another trained fighter takes all the romance out of the deadly outlaw fantasy. And no one wants to feel like a chump.

About the John Marsh vs. Sansoo fighter match. The Sansoo guy in the clip deserves more respect than all the rest of the "too deadly to spar/compete" guys a thousand times over. While all the other deadly fighters, from a hundred different styles, fueled by their fear of inadequacy were frantically talking •••• about how MMA fighters were just athletic competitors, and couldn't fight "for real," the Sansoo guy in the clip stepped up to the plate against a much larger, professional MMA fighter.

There were no limits on legal techniques in the match, so all "deadly" techniques were allowed. The result was clear. I'm certain the Sansoo fighter would have destroyed an untrained loudmouth in a bar, but well conditioned, trained (as in full contact sparring) MMA athletes are a different story.

A student can learn to sucker strike an unsuspecting victim after a couple of weeks of training. Then what. How about training to fight people that will actually fight back.

training people who will fight back??? ABSURD!!!

how about another sucker punch?

once you get them in the face, robert tells me you should go for the balls.

Go for the balls first. Maybe you could become friends!

the quickest way to my heart, one way or the other, turns out to be below my stomach.

10-4!

get kicked in the balls, then you will understand.