2nd degree black belt and owner of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Eddie Bravo is attempting to start up a new hybrid of grappling and striking, it seems.
In an article from BJJ.org, they quote Bravo explaining the sport as ADCC rules, but with striking only allowed on the ground. It technically does not stray far from jiu jitsu’s lineage, from what I understand: the Gracies did strike in some self defense situations.
I can really see this going in either direction to the extreme: either stupendously well, or pretty freakin’ terrible.
Some say it will take care of stalling problems that happen on the ground, but I also see this creating fights that stall on the feet as well. I would also have to wonder if this would actually stunt the possibility of submissions being attempted in the first place. Who would want to sit in guard or be on bottom in general, knowing their range for a punch is limited and therefore barely effective, coupled with the possibility of getting a hammer fist to the face?
We could then argue this would force competitors to address those issues quickly and effectively with either existing techniques or the development of new ones, therefore strengthening jiu jitsu’s self-defense aspect. But, those may take years to really develop, which in the mean time means poor fights and a potential death sentence during those first shaky years of any new business venture.
And around and around we go. Again, this has the potential to go really right, or really wrong.
What do you think?
A Skirt on the Mat 