i live about 20 minutes to half hour (depends on how fast you wanna drive) from saratoga where this gym is located
Training with a Gracie! That'd be pretty fucking cool. I personally question how applicable BJJ is to real life, though. If you already know how to box and grapple on your feet it's a great addition for contingencies but I think getting those things down should be the first priority for self defense. They say on the site 95% of fights end up on the ground but I reckon they must include all the fights where the guy gets decked with a punch in the first 10 seconds cause thats what happens in most fights I see. Certainly most fights involving guys who can box decently, never mind box along with some standing grappling in their arsenal are NOT gonna end up with them rolling on the ground together. And since avoiding the ground is priority 1, in street situations I reckon a combo of boxing and wrestling 101 is probably the best place to start for self defense purposes.
