Are there any other arts that use your legs the way BJJ does?

[skribs]

I've been doing BJJ for about a month now. One thing I've come to realize is that BJJ uses your legs in ways that I've never done before. In every other martial art that I've trained, legs are used for 3 things:

1. Footwork to manage range and angles
2. Leverage for throws or punches
3. Kicks

There is a little bit of using your legs to grapple when you do a sweep, but overall this seems to be accurate of every martial art I've taken or researched. Obviously, any striking art is excluded from using their legs to grapple. However, in wrestling and Hapkido, it was maybe 1% in a niche technique. Everything else, our legs are used for positioning and leverage.

Is there any other martial art where your legs are a primary grappling tool?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Judo and Sambo and some other arts in the extended jujutsu family use the legs a lot for grappling. Freestyle and catch wrestling use them more than the 1% you cite, particularly for rides. Silat uses them somewhat in grappling.

Of course, any grappling art makes extensive use of the legs, but I think you mean using the legs directly on your opponent to control them or apply submissions rather than just for moving yourself or providing power for techniques. In that case, BJJ may use the legs for that aspect of grappling more than any other art, because of the extensive development of the guard.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Obviously, any striking art is excluded from using their legs to grapple.

Kung fu uses legs for grappling.

 

[JowGaWolf]

BJJ may use the legs for that aspect of grappling more than any other art, because of the extensive development of the guard.

This is where I don't see the use of legs in kung fu. The concept is to not be on the ground and as a result the legs weren't developed for use in this manner.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Kung fu uses legs for grappling.

Any system of grappling uses the legs - for moving, lifting, tripping, sweeping, providing power for pushing and pulling, etc, etc.

As I said, I assume skribs is talking about the use of the legs to more directly control, choke, or joint lock an opponent.

This is where I don't see the use of legs in kung fu. The concept is to not be on the ground and as a result the legs weren't developed for use in this manner.

Dog Boxing Kung Fu has a number of techniques for controlling the opponent with the legs while fighting on the ground. They just aren't very good at it compared to a well-developed grappling style like BJJ.

 

[skribs]

I didn't write #2 quite correct - I did mean for it to include leverage while pushing, pulling, maneuvering on the ground, etc. But in my experience (including 3 years of scholastic wrestling in middle school), it's mainly used to push off the ground; not to push and pull your opponent.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Is there any other martial art where your legs are a primary grappling tool?

Yu are talking about leg skill. Here are examples - inner hook, outer hook, leg twist, ...

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I didn't write #2 quite correct - I did mean for it to include leverage while pushing, pulling, maneuvering on the ground, etc. But in my experience (including 3 years of scholastic wrestling in middle school), it's mainly used to push off the ground; not to push and pull your opponent.

I think the one area where wrestling has better developed use of the legs for controlling the opponent on the ground is in leg rides. However, since we jiujiteiros will steal anything useful that isn't nailed down there are a number of BJJ practitioners who have started adapting those methods for our purposes and they will eventually become widespread in BJJ.