Imagine you wanted to gather a group of experts to collaborate on making the most complete, effective ground-fighting system for extreme self-defense. What arts would you recruit these experts from? You would certainly want an experienced Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. How about a successful MMA coach who had cornered world champions? Since we are talking street defense, you would want a renowned jeet kune do instructor. And an expert in the weapons-based Filipino martial arts, preferably one of the original Dog Brothers.

You would probably also want a Southeast Asian silat expert who specializes in the most vicious and functional portions of the art. And you would definitely want a krav maga instructor who pressure-tested all the gun disarms against world-class combat athletes. Let’s also include an experienced scientist to oversee the process to ensure that every theory is taken into the lab and tested. Burton Richardson, author of this book, is all of the above.

Highlights

• Learn from Black Belt Hall of Famer Burton Richardson
• The material is pressure-tested instead of just theoretical
• Everything is performed against a resisting partner, not with a static, cooperative feeder
• Functional pistol and knife defense is prioritized
• Learn why you must always expect a weapon
• Learn how expecting a weapon changes your positional priorities
• Learn the difference between “dangerous to grapple” scenarios and “safe to grapple” scenarios
• Learn to prioritize chokes, as a well-placed choke can stop anyone, regardless of their mental state
• Train to defend against bites, eye gouges, throat grabs and groin strikes while learning how to use them when necessary
• Get honest advice on multiple-opponent situations.

Burton Richardson earned his BJJ black belt in 2006 under BJJ and MMA world-champion Egan Inoue. Richardson was an MMA coach for Egan and his brother Enson Inoue, along with UFC star Chris Leben. He is a full instructor in JKD and FMA under Dan Inosanto. He is also the leading functional-silat master, testing everything against MMA fighters. He earned his krav maga instructor credentials in 2014 under IDF soldier of the year Nir Maman. And he was Black Belt's 2015 Self-Defense Instructor of the Year.

Underlying all this is Burton Richardson's foundation as a scientist. He won the science award at Carson High School, graduated from USC in biological sciences and was a researcher at UCLA Medical Center, where he worked in a lab studying multiple sclerosis. For him, everything is theory until it has been thoroughly tested in the laboratory of hard sparring or actual fighting.

And that is why BJJ for the Street is exceptional. 

None of the self-defense techniques is done statically. In sport jiu-jitsu, competitors train by drilling and sparring with each technique. Sparring is essential. But when most people learn the “self-defense” aspect of jiu-jitsu, there is no sparring at all. Burton Richardson is on a mission to change this. 

Functional skill is developed through sparring, so all the self-defense techniques in BJJ for the Street are tested in a safe manner to ensure that actual fighting skill against a resisting opponent is developed. It's not enough to know the mechanics of a functional gun disarm; you need to develop the skill to apply the technique against someone who's fighting back. 

Richardson’s motto is “Pressure-test everything!” This book shows the results of his in-depth scientific testing in an organized, step-by-step, easy-to-follow format. Richardson’s wish is that everyone who enjoys the benefits that grappling has to offer is also well-versed in the practical self-defense applications of the art. This book will help everyone understand the difference between BJJ for sport and BJJ for the street.