Nothing to disagree with here. But there is the "yuck factor" to consider. For example, how does a woman prepare herself to gouge out her assailant's eyes ("extreme violence")? No easy answer.
I've been reading a few books on self-defense lately, and it seems like it's all the rage these days to teach people that in order to deal with violence you must first become desensitized to violence – by exposing yourself to violent encounters...
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Nothing to disagree with here. But there is the "yuck factor" to consider. For example, how does a woman prepare herself to gouge out her assailant's eyes ("extreme violence")? No easy answer.
The BJJ community could benefit greatly from lifting more. As a blue belt, almost everyone in my gym has never lifted or focused on strength before. Most of them can still kill me easily though, even the 150-pound brown belt and 60-year-old purple belt. The technique is obviously the most important factor in Jiu Jitsu/self-defense skill and ability (just watch Gordon Ryan destroy Hafthor Bjornson or Dustin Poirier tap out Brian Shaw), but it's always better to be stronger and bigger regardless of experience or skill level, as this article points out (It would have been much worse if Gordon was Thor's weight or Dustin Brian's). When I was brand-new to jiu Jitsu, I came in as the strongest person in the gym by far, which may not have prevented many submissions but it allowed me to get better faster.
If it came down to it, I would rather be a 250lb blue belt with advanced weight on the barbell than a 150lb black belt who's never lifted a barbell.
When it comes to martial arts and strength, quantity has a quality all its own.
You got that right! I have these conversations with my teenage son fairly often. He seems to think that lifting weights is unnecessary for his skateboarding activities because he'd get too heavy, wouldn't be able to jump as high, and it'd make him slower. (eye roll)
It's like, dude, strength is good for you no matter what you do; why can't you understand that!
Oh, I forgot one of the major tenets of being a teen and the biggest cross to bear; teenagers are gifted with the knowledge of EVERYthing...
No, Gordon did destroy him. He had a big match coming up, and starting standing with such a weight discrepancy can be a bit risky for injury. I think being big and strong is more useful in like than being very good at grappling, but in the grappling world, cardio and work capacity are king. You can really drown someone with forward pressure from an endless gas tank, where just because someone is big and strong doesn’t always mean they are necessarily heavy on top or able to throw you around.
These little skirmishes with rules and not starting from “ risky” positions is a complete farce to reality. If a big guy feels his life is threatened he will act much different than in a grappling match with a low-tier celebrity. Concrete, jeans, alcohol, bystanders, weapons, beer on the floor, and fatigue are never considered in these setup reality bits.