# BJJ For The Street With Burton Richardson Focusing On Head Butts.



## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 25, 2014)

BJJ for the street with Burton Richardson at 
my blog:  The Instinctive Edge


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## Tony Dismukes (Oct 25, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> BJJ for the street with Burton Richardson at
> my blog:  The Instinctive Edge



i've been favorably impressed with everything I've seen of Richardson's approach to training.


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## K-man (Oct 25, 2014)

It's an interesting concept and might actually work the other way in that head butts might be a reasonable foil to a grappler. At present I have a preference to use elbows (point). I will look forward to playing with the concept of head butts more. I have noticed with good grapplers that they tuck their heads in real close reducing the opportunity to punch or butt.

Another thing that did strike me in the video is how the grappling deteriorates when you are trying to perform a particular technique rather than the technique that is appropriate at the time. It might have taken a lot longer but it would have been a better demonstration for video if they had grappled for as long as it took and just use the head butt when it was appropriate. Then the tape could be edited to give the example, but that is a minor aside based on personal experience. 
:asian:


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## Hanzou (Oct 25, 2014)

Yes, it is very easy to headbutt while in someone's guard, this is why controlling your opponent's posture in guard is so important.

Minor critique: I would have preferred to see the girl use a guard pass instead of attempting to use so many strikes while stuck in her opponent's guard. Its so much easier to get those strikes in once you achieve a more dominant position. Striking while in someone's guard can lead to very bad things happening to you.


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## Tony Dismukes (Oct 25, 2014)

Hanzou said:


> Minor critique: I would have preferred to see the girl use a guard pass instead of attempting to use so many strikes while stuck in her opponent's guard. Its so much easier to get those strikes in once you achieve a more dominant position. Striking while in someone's guard can lead to very bad things happening to you.



Eh, bad things can also happen to you as a result of trying to pass. Traditionally BJJ has favored passing over striking from within the guard, but I think recent advancements in ground-n-pound technique have made it clear that they are both valid options.  For combative purposes, it's good to be skilled at both. Pass attempts help set up strikes and striking helps set up passing.


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## Hanzou (Oct 25, 2014)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Eh, bad things can also happen to you as a result of trying to pass. Traditionally BJJ has favored passing over striking from within the guard, but I think recent advancements in ground-n-pound technique have made it clear that they are both valid options.  For combative purposes, it's good to be skilled at both. Pass attempts help set up strikes and striking helps set up passing.



Good point Tony.

I suppose I'm simply a traditionalist at heart.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 25, 2014)

I agree with Tony in that it is very important to be good with both!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 25, 2014)

I will admit though that I personally would be more prone to work for a guard pass!


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## Hanzou (Oct 25, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> I agree with Tony in that it is very important to be good with both!



Well.... personally I prefer to see smaller people utilize grappling over striking when necessary. I felt that the girl should have used the head butting in conjunction with sound passing technique. I didn't see much grappling in the course of the second part of the clip.

Let's just say that she's lucky that I'm not her instructor.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Oct 25, 2014)

I think you have to be able to go both ways and strike when necessary or open and pass when that is available.   From a self defense stand point when a woman is in some ones guard if she can strike and stand up and get out that is what she should do!  Heck if she opens their guard she should stand up and get out and get away.  To many opportunities for a much stronger male to eventually get the upper hand.


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## Hanzou (Oct 25, 2014)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> I think you have to be able to go both ways and strike when necessary or open and pass when that is available.   From a self defense stand point when a woman is in some ones guard if she can strike and stand up and get out that is what she should do!  Heck if she opens their guard she should stand up and get out and get away.  To many opportunities for a much stronger male to eventually get the upper hand.



Agreed, which is why I would have liked to have seen some grappling in the pass instead of only striking, or as you say, just got up and backed away from the guard. While pressing the attack with only strikes, there were several points on top there where she could have (frankly should have) easily been armbarred or swept.


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## geezer (Oct 25, 2014)

Another thing I noticed. Wild head-butting is fine when you are wearing helmets and face shields. When using the technique "for reals", you better be sure you can accurately whack a hard part of your head against a vulnerable part of theirs, like the point of your forehead against their temple, nose, or jaw ...or else you can come out worse off than the other guy. Especially if you are a small woman and your opponent is a big, thick-skulled thug.


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## drop bear (Oct 25, 2014)

Hanzou said:


> Good point Tony.
> 
> I suppose I'm simply a traditionalist at heart.



I will stack and pound. It is legitimately a bugger to deal with if the guy knows how to do it while defending the sweep.

MMA you generally get of your back as soon as you can. Nobodies bjj is good enough anymore to sit there anymore. 

Striking just comes on too fast.


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## Hanzou (Oct 26, 2014)

drop bear said:


> I will stack and pound. It is legitimately a bugger to deal with if the guy knows how to do it while defending the sweep.



You can get swept or armbarred while stacking too. Be careful. 



> MMA you generally get of your back as soon as you can. Nobodies bjj is good enough anymore to sit there anymore.



Anderson Silva did an excellent job in guard versus a roided out Chael Sonnen in their first bout. Silva eventually got Sonnen in the triangle. If you look at the damage done by both men, Silva looked fine, while Sonnen's face looked like hamburger meat. This despite the fact that Sonnen did a heck of a lot more strikes than Silva.



> Striking just comes on too fast.



Eh, depends on the striker, and the guard player.


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## drop bear (Oct 26, 2014)

Hanzou said:


> You can get swept or armbarred while stacking too. Be careful.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sorta.and if I was on my back I would want to be in guard.

 I am generally working with the idea that both people can grapple. And so can defend the sweep and submissions. It really stops your ability to sit there and set something up. So you can mash out a quick sub I don't disagree. But you cant play around down there or you start getting hit. Which makes it harder to sub or sweep.

You don't get that consolidation time like you would in straight grappling.

The guy on his back can also jam up those punches grabbing your wrists and putting knees or feet into the bicepts for example.


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## geofunky (Feb 13, 2018)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> BJJ for the street with Burton Richardson at
> my blog:  The Instinctive Edge


Well that was me on the bottom receiving the head butt. I can say I thought she would try to pass my guard, I didn't expect the head butt.


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