So, oddly enough, one of the students asked myself and our other combatives instructor, "So I have never fought or anything- if I was just starting out what would you guys advise I do?"
Both our answers were "BJJ". Body control, adrenaline control and heart rate management, self protection etc, all great things you get out of training BJJ, for the other reasons mentioned.
The other combatives instructor that day is a freaking world famous fight coach, so his opinion matters (not so much mine) but I am throwing my lot in with BJJ for a base as well.
100% agree.
Thread revival / update:
I've since made the jump to the SoCal life. My apartment complex is only a block or two from a notable Gracie gym - noteworthy enough where one of the instructors has been in BJJ in America for almost 30 years now. For those of you in the know, this is when Rorian Gracie was just coming out like that dude from MyPillow introducing his father's discipline to Martial Artists and armchair badasses.
It has been a genuine pleasure to learn from a man, who self admittedly, was buying a pair of nun-chucks at a pawn shop when Rorian made his street pitch to him and a group of hippies.
"If you signed up for his classes you got a free T-Shirt, so I figured I'd give it a go" he said laughing.
We sat for about an hour before class started while he walked me through his times with all the Gracie family, all the people he's met (big john mcarthy, joe rogan, all those hip people) to include but certainly not least, getting choked out while in the mount by master helio himself. Really humble guy, top notch instructor and every student is willing to stab one another to snag up one of his classes.
The other instructors are great with plenty of accolades in various tournaments/competitions.
Current status is that I'm a white belt who goes to class once or twice a day, every weekday with a morning roll on Saturday. Muay Thai and "MMA" striking is offered by jump-in instructors but frankly, I'd rather just roll. I do Gi and No-Gi - my game has definitely taken off.
I'm not so interested in being so "street ready" as I am just genuinely enjoying the discipline and good people to hang with. I figure there were probably a lot of situations where I could have grabbed my girl and exited a bad scenario so that's on me. I could train for the 1 out of 10 likelihood of evil dooers in a Walmart parkinglot looking like an asshole at class... OR train to the 10 out of 10 likelihood of just enjoying myself alongside very talented people.
I really have found my outlet here and its so fortunate that socal is literally riddled with awesome gyms all over.