I'm not apposed to cross-training, and I think it is a good idea to at least be aware of how others with training different than our own will approach a fight.

It used to be that everyone wanted to be like Mike Tyson, and so most American's training in anything chose boxing. If a confrontation started and a guy put up his dukes, you knew he could probably box, and you expected to deal with jabs, cross and hook combos. He could probably slip a punch.

Nowadays, people want to be like Chuck Liddell. If you get into the mix with someone who has any training, chances are they train at the nearest MMA gym. That means they will have some striking, most likely Muay Thai, and some ground skills, most likely BJJ. Since that is the most likely scenario, it makes sense to do some training with that in mind.

I agree that some ground awareness is important, should you fall or for some reason find yourself there. But I think ground work is far more limited in its "street" applications than is often realized. I came across this video, and I think it illustrates some great points. Many of the weaknesses of MMA training, as well as some strengths. What do you guys take from the clip?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8y8noDJq0X0

To say that "some" awareness is a good idea is a bit of an understatement. I think its a bad idea to assume that you will just mop up the floor with a guy if you ever get taken to the ground. The ground is bad place to be and you need more than a fundamental understanding of the submission game to keep from becoming a victim. One mistake and a good BJJ guy is going to ruin your arm or leave you in a choke you can't get out of.

I agree that MMA is not as realistic in a street sense as people are making it out to be and that BJJ has vulnerabilities that are not normally acknowledged but it is not a system I would underestimate.

BJJ and Kenpo are two different approaches and can fit together nicely. But if you want to cross train and really understand the game, you need to spend more than a few months at it.

I've spent some time studying groundfighting and it was an eye opener. I used it on the street, as well as my Kenpo, when necessary as a police officer. In the right situation they both work well and blend nicely. I had no problem transitioning from on the mat ground stuff to on the pavement ground stuff. Don't underestimate the groundfighters, make yourself familiar with the system and play with it on the mats to develop a feel for what works for you.

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Replying to:

To say that "some" awareness is a good idea is a bit of an understatement. I think its a bad idea to assume that you will just mop up the floor with a guy if you ever get taken to the ground. The ground is bad place to be and you need more than a fundamental understanding of the submission game to keep from becoming a victim. One mistake and a good BJJ guy is going to ruin your arm or leave you in a choke you can't get out of.

I agree that MMA is not as realistic in a street sense as people are making it out to be and that BJJ has vulnerabilities that are not normally acknowledged but it is not a system I would underestimate.

BJJ and Kenpo are two different approaches and can fit together nicely. But if you want to cross train and really understand the game, you need to spend more than a few months at it.