Most people do not know that BJJ is a self defense martial art focused on ground fighting, though it has turned into a sport over the years.Hagan, a carpenter, stepped in and applied BJJ at its core. He is no sheriff, he is an average joe, that took matters into his own hands. There are several other recent stories of Jiu Jitsu practitioners stepping in and making a difference.
Just back in April of this year Pedro Arrigoni, a jiu jitsu instructor in San Francisco stopped an assault on a police officer by putting the suspect in a rear naked choke. It just shows if you prepare for a situation by training, you may be able to prevent something terrible or save your life or the life of someone else. Hagan and Arrigoni showed with training and a level head anyone can step in and help a fellow man.
I wonder if I were ever in that situation, what would I do?
It is kind of funny, several months ago. I would not have even cared about how these suspects were subdued nor would I be reading about them. Since studying BJJ, I have searched out stories like this for motivation and inspiration. It allows me to think that if I ever get backed into a corner or someone needs my help I will be able step in and assist them. Thanks for sharing that story Allie, and everyone make sure you train hard, you may never know when you need to apply your skill set off the mats. Please post any comments below or send feedback to abair1981@gmail.com.
Thanks for the shout out!! That's cool about instructor Arrigoni. I was also wondering what I would have done if I were in their shoes. Hopefully the same thing! ;) You never know until you're in that situation I guess.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I have no idea what I would do, so that is kind of the premise behind the post.
ReplyDeleteI guess that is why it is important to drill the self defense techniques so if you ever get in that situation it is instinctive on how we react.
Thanks for the comments!