The Effectiveness of Combining Striking with Jiu-Jitsu: A Modern Approach to Mixed Martial Arts
**The Effectiveness of Combining Striking with Jiu-Jitsu: A Modern Approach to Mixed Martial Arts**
In the world of combat sports, blending different fighting styles has become the gold standard. One of the most powerful combinations is striking and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). The symbiotic relationship between these two disciplines offers a multifaceted approach to fighting, enhancing a fighter’s versatility and ability to adapt to any situation inside the cage. But how effective is this combination? Let's break down the advantages and explore why striking and BJJ work so well together.
### 1. **Striking Provides Distance Control and Control of the Fight's Pace**
Striking — whether through punches, kicks, elbows, or knees — is crucial for controlling the distance in a fight. In any combat sport, establishing distance can determine the tempo of the bout. A fighter skilled in striking can use footwork, movement, and timing to manage when the fight takes place at range, creating space to land clean shots or setting up a takedown attempt.
For a BJJ practitioner, effective striking helps avoid being overwhelmed by opponents who prefer to stand and trade punches. It provides the ability to set up takedowns or clinches when needed, or to avoid dangerous situations if the opponent is more aggressive standing up. Being able to control the distance with striking, particularly jabs, leg kicks, or even low kicks, allows a BJJ fighter to dictate when and where they want the fight to go to the ground.
### 2. **The Threat of Striking Opens Up Opportunities for Takedowns**
The key to integrating striking with BJJ is leveraging the threat of strikes to open up opportunities for a takedown. In mixed martial arts (MMA), a well-timed takedown can be the difference between a fight won or lost, and striking provides the perfect distraction to set it up.
When a fighter throws punches or kicks, their opponent’s natural instinct is to defend, counter, or avoid the strikes. This reaction gives a BJJ practitioner the opening they need to shoot for a takedown. A jab to the face or a low kick to the leg forces an opponent to react, creating a brief window where a transition into a double leg, single leg, or clinch takedown becomes much easier.
Additionally, strikes that disrupt the opponent’s balance or timing (such as a hard leg kick or a solid punch to the head) can make them more susceptible to being taken down, especially when the opponent is caught off-guard or overcommitted to a punch or kick.
### 3. **Striking from Top Position: Ground and Pound**
Once the fight hits the ground, BJJ becomes the dominant factor. However, even in a ground-based fight, striking plays an important role, especially from the top position. The concept of *ground and pound* is about combining the submission skills of BJJ with the power of striking. By controlling an opponent’s posture on the ground, a fighter can maintain dominant positions such as side control or mount, where they can rain down punches and elbows to damage and disorient their opponent.
Striking from the top also forces the bottom fighter to expend energy defending strikes and possibly giving up position or submission attempts. It creates a sense of urgency for the opponent, giving the BJJ practitioner the upper hand in maintaining control and looking for submission opportunities when the opponent tires out or makes a mistake.
### 4. **Defending Strikes While Looking for Submissions**
A BJJ practitioner with strong striking abilities is not only offensive but also defensively versatile. When a fighter is proficient in striking, they are less likely to be caught off guard by a punch or kick, which allows them to defend, move, and enter clinch situations where they can initiate their grappling.
Moreover, the ability to absorb and slip strikes while constantly advancing or maintaining distance gives the BJJ specialist more time to seek a dominant position or set up submissions. Fighters like Anderson Silva and Jon Jones have demonstrated that elite striking skills combined with grappling allow them to remain calm under pressure, knowing that they can handle the stand-up game while hunting for submissions once the fight goes to the ground.
### 5. **Psychological Pressure on the Opponent**
A fighter who can strike while maintaining the threat of BJJ is often a mental challenge for their opponent. The striking aspect forces opponents to constantly be on the lookout for incoming punches or kicks, while also worrying about the BJJ practitioner’s ability to take the fight to the ground and submit them.
This constant uncertainty in a fighter’s game plan creates confusion and hesitation in the opponent, which allows the striker/BJJ practitioner to make quicker decisions, feint, and control the tempo. It also offers an element of unpredictability, as a fighter who can seamlessly transition from stand-up to ground control can throw off their opponent's rhythm.
### 6. **The Evolution of MMA: Striking and BJJ as a Package**
MMA has evolved tremendously over the past few decades, with fighters who were originally specialists in one discipline becoming well-rounded athletes capable of excelling in multiple areas. Fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Henry Cejudo are prime examples of athletes who combine elite-level striking with exceptional grappling skills.
Striking combined with BJJ provides an advantage over opponents who may be proficient in only one area. A fighter with the ability to mix strikes and submissions can exploit an opponent’s weaknesses, create openings for takedowns, and threaten a knockout or submission at any moment. This makes them unpredictable and dangerous across multiple ranges of combat.
### 7. **Training for Both Disciplines**
One challenge for fighters combining BJJ and striking is the time and effort required to become proficient in both disciplines. While striking techniques are fast-paced and require timing, reflexes, and endurance, BJJ requires deep knowledge of positions, submissions, and sweeps, along with a high level of patience.
However, the payoff is immense. Fighters who dedicate time to developing both their striking and BJJ abilities can create a fluid and dynamic fighting style. The key is not only training these skills individually but also learning to integrate them effectively in real-time during sparring or competition. The ability to fluidly transition between the two can be the deciding factor in a fight.
### Conclusion: A Winning Combination
Combining striking with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most effective approaches in modern MMA. Each discipline complements the other, creating a fighter who can control the pace of the fight, land damaging strikes, and quickly transition to grappling when needed. This versatility and adaptability make the combination of striking and BJJ a potent weapon, both for offensive attack and defensive strategy.
As the sport of MMA continues to evolve, the fighters who master this hybrid style will remain at the top of the competition, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the cage. Whether it's knocking out an opponent with a punch, taking them down for a submission, or using strikes to set up transitions, the combination of striking and BJJ is a winning formula.
