This is an excellent thread.
I’ve trained in western boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, Kali, JKD, Shotokan, and yes a drum roll please TKD, in one way or another for most of my life.
BJJ’s real roots have obviously been overshadowed by the UFC, MMA PPV events, and the rules that they impose. That jiu-jitzu was developed in ancient Japan lacking the lethality to actually kill someone has been fostered by the modern sport phenomena. The Gracies started to put a more lethal polish on the system some 70 years ago, but also welcomed the idea of competition, and invited any style to compete. Vale Tudo tournaments were happening for many years in Brazil prior to arrival in the U.S., and there weren’t many rules. System on system martial arts were not taken seriously elsewhere prior to the early UFC’s. I’d bet that if our early combatives founders were exposed to what Helio Gracie was doing in Brazil back in the 40’s and 50’s you’d see more than a touch of it in what they developed.
Competition enhances situational awareness, and confidence. Prior to my daughter fighting in the NAGA tournament here in Atlanta a few years ago, she wondered why I was “forcing” her to compete. I put it in terms I hoped she could understand. You can place a saddle on a fence rail, jump up on it, say “gidde-up” pretending your riding a horse, or you saddle up a real horse and see if you can ride. Sparring with your regular crowd is one thing, taking that skill to the mat and testing it against someone you’ve never met is another… more so mentally than physically. Doing so with regularity is a form of conditioning in and of itself, and is often a requirement for advancement. Parameters obviously have to be set that make things relatively safe… but there is still an element of risk, and the mental conditioning is invaluable.
Frankly the Asian masters who’ve setup shop in just about every strip mall in America have done more to stifle the development of effective fighting systems than not. Their unwavering adherence to their style, traditions, training techniques, and basic “respect my authority”-“don’t think outside the box” attitude have lead to their eventual downfall. Bruce Lee recognized that back in the early 70’s, wrote volumes about it, and developed a system around the necessity of open mindedness called JKD… probably the first documented mixed martial art.
One of the major distinctions that I’ve found between jiu-jitzu and other systems, is that the majority of the system is focused on the “now what do you do?” scenario. These scenarios assume that “something” has compromised your advantage and now you have to fight from a disadvantaged position, to a position where a lethal technique can be employed. Many systems that I’ve trained in don’t focus on that very heavily, if at all. That focus is also what makes BJJ very effective for people of small stature against a larger stronger person.
That kudos being said, strict BJJ leaves one critical piece on the table, and not many schools seem to focus on it, until they move toward MMA. Multiple attacker scenarios. There is no way in hell you’d want to go to the ground unless it’s unavoidable. You’ll die. Between the potential of being kicked and stomped, to being cut by broken glass and other nasty things, it’s just not the place to be. Throw in an effective striking technique to complement BJJ, and add a weapons system… namely Muay Thai, JKD and Kali, and you have a very round system with lethal capabilities, that will allow you to work in every range from kicking to rolling on the ground.
Competitions in the form of “smokers” can enhance the striking aspect of ones tool kit, but unless you’ve got a Dog Brothers camp close by, Kali sparring pretty much has to be limited to soft sticks and rubber knives. That being said, relentlessly training Kali, JKD, Cistari, Applegate, Fairburn and the like techniques develop neural pathways that have a dramatic effect on your ability to react effectively with very little hesitation.