This article is part of a long effort by MixedMartialArts.com, to understand what works, by watching the use of martial arts not in the arena, but on the streets, or in this case, in the park. Check out more stories on:
1. Jiu-jitsu
2. Battles of The Sexes
3. Martial Arts on The Street
The fundamental promise of martial arts is that an adept can offer effective defense against a larger, stronger person. Some martial arts can back that up; the evidence is that most can’t.
Here we have a not-at-all-tough-looking teenage girl taking on her male friends in informal bouts in a park. They probably thought that she’d be an easy target for them, even if she trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I mean she’s just a girl, right, so what could go wrong?
Well, everything, for the boys, anyway.
What Happened
The girl, Riley Breedlove, first goes toe-to-toe against a boy in brown shorts. In a performance reminiscent of Ronda Rousey‘s early UFC fights. Breedlove pulls guard, puts him in a triangle position, and armbars him. In 10 seconds.
On to the next challengers. Spoiler: they didn’t have much success either. One gets arm barred, and the other one has no choice but to tap to a guillotine choke.
The dude wearing brown shorts is now back, older and wiser, more careful, more prepared. In other words, it’s time for Riley to showcase more of her skills. The boy actually manages to get a dominant position after a failed Darse choke attempt by Riley, but she turns the tables and secures a triangle choke.
“You might go out again,” warns the person who’s recording the scene to the boy. And yep, moments later, it’s nap time.
The remainder of the video showcases the girl utterly manhandling the boys. The whole session is a walk in the park for the kickass teenage girl, literally.
The Lesson
This video showcases the beauty of jiu-jitsu. An equivalent domination via a striking art would leave broken bones, whereas here, there is nothing but fun, and a great learning experience.
What’s an Informal?
Informals are contests held, sometimes loosely, under boxing, wrestling, MMA, etc rules, outside of any established sporting organization. They can range from gym fights, to smokers, to a friendly if aggressive exchange of technique. Informals can take place in a wide variety of areas, from the gym, to the beach to, as seen here, the park. They can be friendly, or not so much; this was friendly, the way it should be – only punch your friends.
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