BJJ: Mat vs. Street

Helio:
There was this one time I was certain some guy at the game was giving me a weird look. I walked straight up to him and asked if he was a fag.

what the hell 😬

At our gym, the coach points out every technique that actually works in a street fight—and then shows us exactly how to execute them when things get real.

Brandon Lopez said:wanderingridge says:
Brandon Lopez, do you train BJJ too? And where at?

Yes, I do train, right here in Miami, at the one and only BJJ club in town. I actually heard some buzz that Dean and Tony are planning to open a new club this fall, which should make things quite interesting.
The gym where I currently train was originally founded by that Argentinian guy, Rodolfo, though he's actually living in Iraq these days.

A new club?
So, they finished their seminars, picked up their belts, and then decided to move on from their current coach?
I have to wonder why they aren't just applying everything they've learned within their own gym, even if it means showing it to their own coach.
I mean, huge congratulations on the new belts, truly, and opening a second location is perfectly fine if the goal is to expand the BJJ scene to a different part of the city, but if it's purely intended to create competition against their own original gym, that doesn't seem quite right.

Christian Miller68
says
A new club?
So, after finishing the seminar and picking up their belts, they just went out and found a different coach?
Why not just bring those skills back to their own gym and show their teammates—or even their current coach—what they've learned?
Look, congrats on the new belts, truly. And hey, opening a new location is perfectly fine if the goal is expanding BJJ coverage to a different part of town. But if this is just about setting up competition against your own home gym, that’s not a great look.

The whole situation is actually a bit more complicated than it looks, but honestly, I don't care enough to dive into the weeds. Dean and Tony were instructors at that gym, which is where things got messy.

Come on, Brandon Lopez, just give it a shot once... it won't kill you.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/171/vidje4pw.png

Christian Miller68 said:A new club?
So, they finish a seminar, grab their new belts, and then immediately go hunting for their former coach?
Why on earth can't they just show what they learned to their own teammates—or even their current coach—back at the home gym?
Look, I mean, major props on the new belts, truly, and opening a new location is perfectly fine if the team is expanding BJJ to a different part of town. But if this is just about setting up direct competition against their original club? That’s just not right.

Listen, from everything I've gathered over the years through various conversations, that Argentinian guy is a total traditional JJ specialist. So, my guess is they probably trained together at the same academy, but I highly doubt he was ever actually their coach. It’s much more likely they were both just running the BJJ sessions themselves.
At the end of the day, why they split up doesn't really matter to me, and there won't be any real competition anyway if those two were basically the ones leading the BJJ program at that club to begin with.

Drew Martin6 said:Come on, Brandon Lopez, just give it a shot once... it won't kill you...

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/171/vidje4pw.png

😂 😂 😂 🙏 🙏 😂 😂 😂

Pipercub said:I think he probably thought the guy would just give up, so he let go. He should have at least disarmed him first before backing off, though honestly, I wouldn't have even tried that.

You can't exactly snatch a knife away if someone has a solid grip on it. When you're defending against a blade, there is no such thing as "letting up."
Defending against a knife is incredibly difficult, especially if the attacker actually knows what they're doing with it.
1. If someone comes at you with a knife, run as far away as possible and grab whatever hard object is nearby to strike them with.
2. Create distance by pushing them away or landing a solid punch to the head.
3. If you're cornered and can't escape, your last resort is trying to establish blocks or leverage—but those are strictly your absolute last options.

Our coach brought a knife to training to demonstrate what a knife attack and defense actually looks like.
He held the knife and told my training partner to try and run.
The coach simulated an attack, and my buddy was scrambling all over the mats just trying to get away; he didn't stand a chance at using blocks or leverage because, in a real situation, he would've been cut or stabbed long before he could react.

dinoss said:You can't just strip a knife away if they’ve got a solid grip. When you're defending against a blade, there's zero room for hesitation.
Defending against a knife is incredibly tough... especially if the guy actually knows what he's doing with it.
1. If someone comes at you with a knife, run. Get as much distance as possible and grab whatever hard object is nearby to hit them with... just use whatever's at hand.
2. Create space, push them back, or just throw a heavy punch to the face.
3. If you can't get away, your only option left is trying to block or use leverage... but those should always be your absolute last resorts.

Our coach brought a knife to training the other day to show us what a typical attack and defense looks like.
He held the knife and told my training partner to just run.
The coach simulated an attack—not literally, obviously—but my buddy was scrambling all over the mats trying to escape, and honestly, he didn't stand a chance at blocking or using leverage... he would've been cut or stabbed before he could even react.

👍 👍There’s no such thing as "taking" a knife... you might wrench it away from a broken hand, or maybe if the attacker is knocked unconscious.
Escaping a knife or pulling off a clean block is nearly impossible. Honestly, maybe the best move while they're still threatening you is to grab the arm holding the knife immediately and just hammer away at them... then maybe rip the arm out of the socket. That's probably the only sure thing.

Drew Martin6 says:
Come on, Brandon Lopez, just give it a shot... nothing bad's gonna happen...

Haha, what, you want some gossip? Fine, if you insist!
Those guys, Dean and Tony, haven't stepped foot in the gym for months, not even before they headed off to London to train with Roger. They didn't just show up for a seminar; from what I heard, they were actually training with him for about two weeks or so. When Rodolfo first started his academy and then had to leave for Iraq, Dean and Tony were the ones running the classes. Later on, there was some sort of falling out between them and the current head instructor, but honestly, I don't know the details.
That kind of stuff happens everywhere you look—people get close, then they drift apart, nothing new there. I just hope things turn out better for everyone practicing BJJ in Miami, that everyone finds better facilities to work in, and that we get some world-class masters visiting us soon.
There, you satisfied?
Let's get back to the actual topic; it's way more important and interesting!

p.s.
The Argentinian guy, according to what I was told, focused much more on traditional JJ.

Brandon Lopez, man, this guy is telling you to actually use the QUOTE button instead of just copying and pasting everyone else's text!!

Jonathan Johnson67 said:👍 👍 It’s not about "taking" the knife—you basically have to rip it out of their hand if they're swinging wildly or if the attacker passes out.
Trying to dodge a blade or pull off a perfect block is incredibly tough. Honestly, while the guy is still threatening you, your best bet might be to grab the arm holding the knife, hammer him with a few heavy strikes, and then just wrench the weapon away from him (better safe than sorry).

👍 👍
That said, your absolute best move is to just get the hell out of there, hit them in the head with something hard, and finish the job once you've created some distance.

dinoss said:👍 👍
Honestly, the best move is just to get away from him... maybe throw something hard at his head first to take him out, then deal with the rest later.

Well, obviously running away is always the superior choice. If you actually manage to escape, there’s really no need to go aiming for the head... you just keep moving and leave it all behind.

The realist said:Brandon Lopez, man, I'm telling you—use the actual quote function! That’s what he meant, not just copying and pasting entire blocks of text!!

Feeling better now? Maybe we can actually understand each other this time, or perhaps we'll stumble upon something even more brilliant???
I suppose it all comes down to a simple lack of focus.

Brandon Lopez said:Happy now? Maybe we finally get on the same page... or maybe something even smarter happens?
I guess it just comes down to focus, doesn't it...

Now people will actually be able to tell which parts you wrote yourself and which ones you're just "quoting."

HrvojeB said:Look, the whole situation is a bit more convoluted than I’d care to get into—honestly, I don't even have the patience to unpack the full mess for you—but the bottom line remains the same. Things got incredibly messy because Dean and Tony were actually the instructors at that gym, which just added a massive layer of complication to an already frustrating scenario.

Unbelievable. Honestly, I can't even walk down the street without people cornering me—asking if I'm actually HrvojeB from the forums and if I'm really the one talking about our club behind everyone's backs. Can you believe the nerve? It’s getting ridiculous.🙂 There can only be one HrvojeB. 🙂
Let me just step in here to set the record straight and correct a few of these blatant inaccuracies.🙂
Tony was never actually an instructor—let’s be real about that—whereas Dean was the one running the entire club and calling all the shots during training sessions before he finally decided to wash his hands of the whole thing. And now? From what I've been hearing through the grapevine, he's out there opening up his own Gracie Barra academy.

Look, obviously everyone has the right to open a gym or start a school wherever they feel like—that’s just how freedom works. But let’s be real here: there simply aren't enough people practicing BJJ in Miami to support more than one serious academy. It's basic math! The guys have put in the work, they've earned their belts, and naturally, they want to branch out and run their own shows. Now, whether you want to call that being arrogant or just ambitious—I wouldn't be the judge of that—but personally? I wouldn't even bother getting involved in that kind of drama.

Listen, if you’ve been sitting on the fence about finally picking up BJJ, this is your sign to stop stalling. I am officially calling out anyone who actually wants to learn the craft—stop overthinking it and just reach out. Shoot me a DM or drop me an email. We are always looking to welcome new faces into the fold, and frankly, the more the merrier. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch. 🙂

Greetings to my landlord and everyone else out there!