BJJ vs Boxing for Self-Defense: Which one should you choose in 2021?

Learning martial arts is a great way to prepare yourself for situations that require self-defense. Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu involve different forms of techniques – the former incorporates fists in attacking or defending, whereas BJJ focuses on timing, leverage, angle, and pressure. BJJ is ground-based, and Boxing requires an entirely standing position. Both of these martial arts have their own advantages. So, it becomes a hard nut to crack to decide which one will be the most suitable for self-defense – BJJ or Boxing? Our analysis will give you some insights on which should be your pick for protecting yourself when the need arises!

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The Difference Between The Two 

Boxing was first witnessed in the Sumerian carvings, where a sculpture showed boxers and spectators. Known as the “noble art,” boxing is predominantly fist striking based. It is one of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world. You need to use your closed fists to attack an opponent. Boxing rules allow you to hit the opponent at any point starting from the forehead to the beltline. You will be able to acquire distance management skills by mastering boxing. 

On the contrary, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is dependent mostly on ground fighting techniques. Unlike Boxing that depends largely on striking, BJJ teaches you to grapple, which is very effective for self-defense. You will be able to defeat your enemies without seriously hurting them. You can take control of your opponents by taking them to the ground using strangulation or joint lock techniques.

Is BJJ Easier Than Boxing? 

It really gets tough to declare any of these two martial arts as easier to learn than the other. Your ability to grasp any of them depends on your preference and skills. 

People who prefer to fight standing in place will vote for Boxing. You only need your fists to focus on punching. While it is not a simple martial art, it involves lesser varieties of techniques compared to BJJ. 

Jiu-Jitsu will require you to implement multiple techniques for pulling your opponent to the ground. It gets quite difficult in BJJ to make your enemy submit as you have to estimate every tiny step of the opponent. However in a self-defense context, training BJJ for just 6 months can already equip you with the necessary to submit a stronger and untrained opponent.  You do not need to strike in Jiu-Jitsu but you will have to look for a wide range of things like – takedowns, different types of strangulations, throws, and many more. You will need to invest less time in learning Boxing than that of BJJ. 

Even starters can grasp Boxing techniques by means of regular practice for a couple of months. On the other hand, learning BJJ is not an easy goal to achieve. You need to train for more than two years to get your blue belt and around 10 years to achieve your black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, from a sportive perspective, that is. From this rough comparison, it appears that learning Boxing might be slightly easier than Jiu-Jitsu. However, both of them demand long term dedication and hard work.

Pros and Cons of Boxing and BJJ 

Training boxing will provide you with strength from legs and hips, which will enable you to throw punches. You will be able to hit your opponent without being hit in return. Your movement speed also needs to be increased to let yourself attack by predicting your opponent’s next moves. Learning boxing also has some drawbacks that keep you aloof from some necessary techniques. Boxing lessons will not teach you to grapple. If you have to encounter a sudden street fight, only using your fists will not be enough to defeat your opponent. You also do not learn how to throw kicks in boxing, which is a great deficiency when it comes to self-defense measures. Throwing kicks at certain moments of attack can be a lifesaver, but boxing does not make you learn this. In extreme cases, you might get your hand broken while hitting your opponent on the head. This has been the case even with some expert boxers where they have suffered from serious hand injuries. 

Though Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does not rely on striking like Boxing, it makes you learn how to grapple, which gives you a big edge in cases when you have to face an instant fight. That you can defeat your opponent without hurting him/her is a huge plus of Jiu-Jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu helps you learn to use your arm as protection against any attacker. If you can keep an adequate distance from your opponent, then your opponent will not be able to hit you back, giving you enough room to force him to the ground. 

A major lacking in Jiu-Jitsu is that you do not learn striking, making you vulnerable to opponents at a close distance. It might not always be possible to keep a safe distance from your opponents. In cases like this, you will not be able to win by only defending yourself with your fists, making BJJ ineffective here. 

Given all these advantages and disadvantages of BJJ and Boxing, how can we decide the more effective martial arts form for self-defense?

Better Self-Defense: BJJ or Boxing? 

After all the analyses and comparisons, it is still tough to take a side. We wish to declare Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu the winner in terms of self-defense. This is not to underestimate Boxing as a martial art by any means, but it is to make it clear that Boxing is most effective when it is taken as an arranged competition like environment where boxers remain prepared to face each other. Jiu-Jitsu works better in cases of impromptu fighting conditions. It is very common in street fights that your opponents use grappling to bring each other to the ground. 

When it comes to Boxing, the lack of grappling techniques will make you easy prey for your opponent. Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art came into existence with an aim to defend yourself from a potential attacker. Learning BJJ gives you the opportunity to curb the distance from your enemy and let yourself get rid of an attack from your opponent. A crucial point that makes Boxing lag behind Jiu-Jitsu in terms of self-defense is that boxers depend solely on fist strikes, and even an amateur can defeat you with reckless punching. Sudden fights mostly end up in the ground, and Jiu-Jitsu practitioners can make the most of such situations. There is no scope for inexperienced fighters to beat a blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu.

Bottom Line 

Both Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are excellent martial art forms that have some specific benefits. The difference in techniques makes them suitable for different circumstances. Boxing is most effective when it is practiced as a form of competition, whereas BJJ gets the upper hand when a sudden conflicting situation arises. Our discussion announces BJJ is the more effective self-defense tool without undermining the usefulness of Boxing as a martial art. It is best if you can learn Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) techniques to protect yourself from unexpected attacks. For now, you can master the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to make safety a priority to yourself.

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs Taekwondo: The Ultimate Comparison

You have watched the UFC, you enjoyed different kinds of martial art competitions in your local area, but how much do you know about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo? There are a lot of differences and little known facts that exist between them and in this article, you are about to find out about those.

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, often called BJJ, is a type of grappling and ground fighting based martial art. Most of the techniques that are taught here are practiced and learned for the ground.

Even though most of the combat is employed on the ground, there are still differences between Karate, Kung-Fu and Taekwondo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu styles. If you are already somewhat more familiar with these fighting types, you will know already that Jiu-Jitsu is considered as grappling while the other martial arts are considered as striking.

Let’s break it down into this way, if you watch karate, you will notice that karate is based on more hand-based punching and strikes. Taekwondo however, is one level up, mixing the same strikes with combinations of kicking. Taekwondo moves are mixed with spectacular combinations of kicks and jumps that can carry away the focus of any viewers around.

Let’s take a deeper look into the differences between these two sports.

History of BJJ

From the time Royce Gracie won the primary, second, and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships in the first half of the 90s, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become a leading fighting style on the planet. Today it is a staple fighting style that blends in to the combat techniques of fighters from different traditions. However, you want to know how everything started? To understand the roots of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, we should initially take a glimpse at Judo.

Kodokan Judo, usually referred to just as Judo, was founded by Jigoro Kano in 1882. A significant part of Judo was the accentuation on “randori” or non-helpful free competing. Antiquated training for Jiu Jitsu was depended on or was known as “customized structure” or pre-orchestrated groupings of attack and defense moves.

Judo increased public acclaim in 1886 when the Tokyo police held a competition. In 15 matches including Kodokan Judo practitioners against contenders from other exemplary Jujutsu styles, the judo practitioners won 13 matches and tied 2.

For quite a long time Judo dominated Japanese combat sports with numerous Jujutsu schools losing ground to Judo schools. Be that as it may, in 1891 Mataemon Tanabe, the hand-to-hand teacher of the Tokyo police office and a Jujutsu expert of the Fusen-Ryu school, got renowned for crushing an individual official and third-degree Judo specialist in a test battle. Tanabe constrained his rival to the ground and utilized his mentors’ ground fighting strategies to dominate his adversary. 

Fusen-Ryu contenders, for example, were prepared for ground fighting procedures, a zone where Judo was inadequate to cope up with. Judo methods were on the whole made out of standup tosses.

In the following matches, Judo practitioners were vanquished when taken to the ground by Fusen-Ryu contenders. Being dazzled and seeing the requirement for ground fighting strategies in Judo, Jigoro Kano welcomed Tanabe to educate at his Judo school.

Mitsuyo Maeda was a Judo master who was educated by Kano himself before being sent throughout the whole world to spread Judo. Maeda battled in a large number of fights with rivals across North America, South America, and Europe. He spearheaded Judo in the United Kingdom and Brazil where he in the long run settled.

In Brazil, he prepared Carlos Gracie and different individuals from the Gracie family. Due to Maeda’s preparation of the Gracies, who continued to develop Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a noticeable fighting style, Maeda is alluded to by some as the Father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. 

At the point when Maeda got comfortable in Brazil and founded his Jujutsu Institute, one of his understudies was Carlos Gracie. Following quite a while of preparing, Carlos began his school and started preparing his family and others. This began the Gracie administration that has been at the cutting edge of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for right around the century. While Maeda might be alluded to by some as the Father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Gracies are its author. 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kept its focus on what some call “genuine fighting.” Not to state that different styles aren’t genuine fighting, yet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has an extremely reasonable, sensible road for fighting applications. Furthermore, since Royce Gracie arranged wins during the 1990s, it has been a backbone in Mixed Martial Arts.

History of Taekwondo

Taekwondo is known as the Korean striking military workmanship for its insane turning and head kicks. While as of late created, it has immediately ascended in notoriety and has become an effectively conspicuous Olympic game, just as being used by MMA contenders, for example, Edson Barboza, Anderson Silva, and Anthony Pettis. 

Taekwondo is relatively new to the extent where martial arts are concerned, being created in the 1940s and ’50s and crafted by a few military specialists. The originators of Taekwondo took components of Karate and the Chinese Martial Arts and joined them with the Korean combat techniques of Taekkyeon (which centers on unique footwork and striking), Subak (another powerful military craftsmanship that Taekkyeon was created from), and Gwonbeop (a Korean rendition of one of the Chinese hand to hand fighting traditions). 

In 1945, after the Japanese Imperial control of Korea finished new fight schools started to open in Seoul, known as Kwans. At these schools, Korean military craftsmen encouraged different methods they had learned in Japan during the occupation.

The early Taekwondo instructed in the Kwans in the ’40s and ’50s are frequently assembled under the umbrella term of ‘Conventional Taekwondo’, regardless of the way that they were all extraordinary styles of combat. The South Korean Military embraced Taekwondo as their unarmed battle discipline around this time.

It was in 1952, following a military exhibition, that the South Korean President Syngman Rhee proposed that the various styles ought to be consolidated, and in 1955 the Kwan pioneers started to cooperate to bring together the styles of Korean hand to hand fighting.

At first, the style was known as Tae Soo Do, from the Korean Tae for ‘step’ or ‘stomp on’, Su signifying ‘Hand’ and Do signifying ‘Way’ or ‘Control’. The Su was in the long run supplanted with Kwon, at the recommendation of the Korean Army General Choi Hong Hi, which signifies ‘Clench hand’. 

The principal Taekwondo league was established in 1959, the Korea Taekwondo Association. In 1966 General Choi established the International Taekwon-Do Federation (Choi is to some degree disputably marked as the ‘Father of Taekwondo’ by certain associations, while others consider him to be an immaterial or even shocking figure).

The two leagues looked to build up a typical, bound together style of Taekwondo. This was confounded by the Cold War legislative issues of the ’60s and ’70s, the South Korean Government needed to restrict the impact of the North Koreans on the game, while General Choi and the ITF looked for help from any place they could get it.

In 1973 the South Koreans pulled back their help from the ITF, which migrated to its central command for Toronto, and in the mid-2000’s part into three associations which all work under a similar name. 

Likewise in 1973, the South Korean Government established the Kukkiwon as the new public foundation for Taekwondo, and the World Taekwondo Federation was made with the particular reason for advancing Taekwondo as a worldwide game. The WTF utilizes the Kukkiwon style of Taekwondo, which frequently gets alluded to as the WTF-Style (or either Sport-Style or Olympic-Style) Taekwondo, even though it is a style characterized by the Kukkiwon instead of the WTF.

Since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Taekwondo has been one of just two Asian combat sports (the other being Judo) which are included in the Olympic Games after it was exhibited in the 1988 Seoul Games. In 2010 Taekwondo was acknowledged as a Commonwealth Games sport.

Rule differences between BJJ and Taekwondo

There are differences between BJJ and Taekwondo and we are here to show you the key difference between them. First of all, BJJ is open ended fighting where taekwondo is more like a traditional fighting technique. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you can win a match by applying different types of techniques while fighting. The more you show, the more points you will earn.

On the other hand in Taekwondo, you have to land your attack on a certain zone of the body.

For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,

• 2 scores are granted for a takedown 
• 2 scores are granted for clearing (an inversion from one has returned to on head of the adversary) 
• 3 scores are granted for passing the adversary’s guard 
• 2 scores are granted for getting a knee mount position 
• 4 scores are granted for total mount control 
• 4 scores are granted for reverse control
• etc

 

For Taekwondo,

• Taekwondo matches ought to be challenged by contenders of similar sex and in a similar characterized weight classification. 
• The opposition region is a tangled mat that estimates 8 meters squared. 
• Taekwondo matches are more than 3×2 rounds with a break between the game rounds. 
• Every contender endeavors to knockout their adversary or score focuses via landing blows on their rival’s middle or head. Kicks are permitted to both to the middle and head, while punches are just permitted to the body. Underneath the midriff isn’t an allowed target. 
• If a contender and their mentor imagine that a point has been missed or that a mix-up has been made, they can make a dissent. A video replay is then taken a look at by the judges and a choice is made.

Belt System and Progression Differences

For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

BJJ Belts 

The belt progression framework in BJJ is like Judo, yet there are fewer belts. In BJJ, the belts are categorized as advancement from white to blue, at that point purple, brown, and then lastly black.

• How to reach black belt

The two martial arts require long periods of preparation to arrive at a black belt. Different people’s advancement differs depending on preparation time, age, physicality, etc. A contender preparing a couple of hours consistently will advance quicker than a specialist preparing a couple of times each week. But in general, it may take those admonitions or a normal individual to 

• 5-10 years to arrive at a Judo black belt 
• 8-12 years to arrive at a BJJ black belt

 

Along these lines, every martial art branch requires a lot of duty and commitment to get into a black belt.

For Taekwondo

Numerous Taekwondo starters are frequently befuddled about Taekwondo belts. Some think there is just a single general taekwondo belt framework, however in actuality there are many. 

This contrast between belt frameworks is because of the assortment of taekwondo associations, and your school is receiving its belt framework relying upon its connection with a particular association.

White Belt (tenth Geup): White has the importance of vacancy; it shows the humbleness and absence of information on an apprentice.

Yellow stripe (ninth Geup): A center stage between an absolute apprentice and a yellow belt. 

Yellow Belt (eighth Geup): The analogy of yellow is the seed planted. 

Green stripe (seventh Geup): Middle stage among yellow and green 

Green Belt (sixth Geup): The seed presently is beginning to grow a plant and the specialist is developing gradually 

Blue stripe (fifth Geup): Middle stage between the green belt and the blue belt. 

Blue Belt (fourth Geup): Signifies the sky as the plant is seeking to go high towards the sky unbounded 

Red Stripe (third Geup): Middle Phase between the blue belt and red belt 

Red Belt (second Geup): Red is an indication of blood, this is an admonition to the understudy that they are acquiring a deadly weapon, poising ought to be extremely present. 

Black Stripe (first Geup): Middle stage between the red belt and black belt 

Black belt: The understudying person is then awarded the black belt once they pass the first Geup.

Training Differences

Gi and Nogi for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

At the point when you begin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu you’ll notice that there are two distinct sorts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; one is called Gi and  the other Nogi. Gi preparation is conventional BJJ, prepared in the Gi (otherwise known as Kimono).

Nogi is in another way, such training, as the name suggests, is BJJ without the Gi, prepared in shorts, and a basic difference between Gi and Nogi is the capacity to grasp your rival’s Gi while doing the more conventional variety of BJJ training. You can utilize your holds on your rival’s Gi collar, sleeves, and pants or on the other hand belt, to unbalance them and in hope to throw them.

This seemingly permits a more prominent assortment of throws as control of your adversary and to take them down. What’s more, lower body takedowns, for example, twofold and single legs can be harder to accomplish as your rival can keep you from dropping to get a handle on the legs with grasps of his/her own. 

Taekwondo

In Taekwondo training, you need your body to be strong, yet not massive. There’s a contrast between being strong and building enormous muscles. At the point when individuals consider quality preparation they generally consider pump iron inside the body in the training center which isn’t extraordinary for hand to hand fighting. Your training isn’t tied with expanding your muscle size; however, you may need to take a shot at speed to create power.

Aerobic Exercises:  Many of the activities are vigorous. If you like hopping rope, running set up, bouncing jacks, and going around the dojang doing air punches then Taekwondo exercises will be easier for you. 

Stretching: Stretching is vital to quality preparation, because as individuals get more grounded their muscles and become more firm for Taekwondo training. 

Push-ups and Sit-ups: If you go through varieties of leg siphons, side-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups, transformed sit-ups, back-ups.  Leg lifts,  planking regularly, then think that Taekwondo classes are already half done.

Wrist and Ankle Weights: Your body weight is an extraordinary type of opposition when working out, however, you will likewise join light wrist and lower leg loads for Taekwondo.

 

Clothing and Equipment (differences/similarities)

Jiu-Jitsu

Judo outfits and Jiujitsu outfits are to some degree comparable. In case you’re calmly preparing in BJJ, for instance, an training center may permit you to use your judo gi. The size of the judo gi may place you off guard in competing, however, because it takes into consideration more accommodation based assaults utilizing your uniform against you.

While the Judo gi top is customarily long and has wide sleeves, the jiu-jitsu gi’s coat is by and large fits more tightly to the body, with a more limited skirt, and more limited, smaller sleeves. Jiu-jitsu gi’s come in various tones, loads, and weaves. Some can even be brightened with patches and weaving.

While these potential outcomes permit jiu-jitsu contenders to customize their gis, a few rec centers will have rules about what tones and fixes are permitted in class. BJJ and jiu-jitsu competitions additionally accompany their guidelines about sleeve and gasp estimations to guarantee reasonableness.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo gets advancement from karate’s impact, Taekwondo dresses are developed from the karate gi in long times. Today, the top TKD gi, otherwise called a dobok, has moved away from the fold overcoat supported by numerous other combative techniques to grasp a more shirt-like slipover coat. It permits martial fighter specialists to execute their strikes without the worry that their coat could come open whenever.

Slipover judo uniforms come in various styles, loads, and tones. Like the hand to hand fighting outfits examined over, the correct decisions on these issues will rely upon the martial dress. There is one principle that is exceptional to Taekwondo, however: black dress collars are explicitly for black belts and should just be worn by individuals who accomplished that position in the order.

BJJ vs. Taekwondo: Pros and Cons

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pros

Demonstrated to be powerful: BJJ has demonstrated its adequacy consistently, all things considered, and MMA circumstances. 

Self-defense: The central conviction of BJJ is to control and overpower a stronger untrained opponent utilizing a variety of chokes and joint locks.

Community: BJJ has a magnificent community that is steadfast companions to each other. 

Wellbeing: BJJ is an incredible way to get fit and get strong. 

Mental Benefits: BJJ can help you overcome anxiety and strengthen your mental resilience

Extraordinary for Kids: BJJ is an extraordinary sport for kids, and can assist kids with building discipline.

Loads of competitions: There are numerous associations continually running BJJ competitions around the globe, so there are a lot of opportunities to compete every year.

Taekwondo Pros

Self-defense: Some would contend that Taekwondo is a decent type of self-defense. The distinction between BJJ and Taekwondo is that it is striking based. 

Wellbeing: Like BJJ, a few styles of Taekwondo can be a decent exercise to get fit and healthy. 

Extraordinary for Kids: Taekwondo is likewise incredible to keep kids dynamic and in an invigorating atmosphere and activity outside of school.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cons

No striking: BJJ does exclude striking, which implies it’s seemingly not a total fighting framework. This is why many people don’t consider it a perfect sport. 

Taekwondo Cons

Fewer schools: Taekwondo is an incredible art, however throughout the last 20-30 years this art has been discolored by schools called “mcdojos.” These schools care more about their own benefits than showing the self-defense techniques which Taekwondo was established upon. 

No ground work: Our biggest concern is that Taekwondo does not involve any ground fighting techniques

Which is better to learn for self-defense?

According to our assessment, for self-defense, it is better to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it prepares you better for street fights which most likely will end up on the ground. More so, because of its strength on the ground, you will also be taught to takedown attackers to reduce any impact from punches or kicks.

On the other hand, Taekwondo contains a lot of formal rules and regulations, and also one needs to be fast enough to fight for self-defense which is a bit tough for any to do on the ground. This is why for any kind of self-defense; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best pick for anyone and any age.  

BJJ vs. Taekwondo for Kids

You must keep one thing in mind that Taekwondo is hard training compared to any martial arts. Jiu-jitsu has fewer rules and regulations but to be a Taekwondo fighter, one has to have a lot of natural abilities.

For instance, if you have seen the videos of Taekwondo training, then you would see that in the very beginning, the trainer has to practice for leg stretching which is a tough task to accomplish. Many kids fail to start the training and finish it due to this. On the other hand, BJJ training is quite informal. It contains fewer rules and regulations. It’s depending on the kids who enjoy the training and who don’t. BJJ is less strict with natural abilities and physiology.

BJJ vs. Taekwondo for Fitness

In both BJJ and Taekwondo, you need to stay fit. But in the case of Taekwondo, you need to stay fit more as you need to have speed, and also your legs need to be move faster. BJJ fitness is usually gained in the gym but for Taekwondo, you need to stay fit by doing some extra exercises.

Conclusion

Both of these martial arts are a great choice, there is no need to be biased that this one is better over another. Both are legal and legitimate so you can always pick any of them if you ever feel to become a martial artist.

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BJJ vs Muay Thai for Fitness: The Ultimate Comparison [2021]

Are you looking for a new and more fun way of getting fit? Maybe you are bored of just lifting weights in the gym or spending hours on the treadmill? Well, martial arts is definitely a good way of keeping or getting fit while also learning new skills and exploring our bodies in whole new ways.

Muay Thai and BJJ are both popular forms of martial arts. They both have different physical and mental benefits. If you want to know more about which one is better for fitness, then this article is a must-read for you.

We’ll discuss the short history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ and Muay Thai, the basic differences between them, and which one is more suitable for fitness. So, without further ado, let’s dig into the discussion.

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Introduction

Martial arts are very popular all over the world due to multiple reasons. While there are different forms of martial arts, each requires a different set of skills and knowledge which also influences how they are being practiced.

However, one common thing amongst most of them is they can massively improve your fitness. They all train and develop us in a way that helps us to become better physically and mentally. Have you ever watched the UFC or boxing? Just look at how athletic and fit those guys and gals are.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai are two of the most popular martial arts. They are very different in styles and you will get to know more about these two art forms in this article. Also, you will understand the significance of the two in terms of physical fitness.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Overview

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also is known as BJJ originated from Judo. It has gone through several transformations and finally came to its present form as BJJ. It was developed and shaped to the modern style of fighting that it is today by the Gracie family of Brazil. From then on, this martial art has gotten attention from fighters worldwide. It uses the power of grappling against an opponent and teaches them how to use their physical weight against them.

Also read our comparison of BJJ vs Judo.

Muay Thai – Overview

Muay Thai is a martial art that incorporates kicks and strikes. It can be a very brutal sport and makes use of elbows, kicks, and knees (it’s also referred to as the “Art of the 8 Limbs”). Muay Thai is considered a sport globally and intense competitions are arranged for this. However, many people train to achieve physical and mental fitness.

BJJ vs. Muay Thai for fitness

It is very difficult to compare the two as they both require intense physical training but are practiced differently. Both of these martial art forms help to achieve physical fitness. It depends on your preference as to which one you want to train.

BJJ Fitness Benefits

BJJ helps achieving physical fitness because of the insane number of calories you burn while training. Sparring for an hour can burn you up to 1000 calories. You need to be always alert and prepared for making your next move. It teaches you how to bring the fights that end up on the ground to your favor. The hours of training make you more physically fit and active. A lot of the moves in BJJ require you to use your entire body against a resisting opponent.

Besides, making you physically fit, it also helps to develop you mentally. By learning BJJ you will also learn how to win against an opponent which is much stronger and larger than you physically. That is why BJJ is very popular among women across the globe as a self-defense technique.

But how do you do that? Well, it all depends on the strategy. Like any other sport, BJJ teaches you moves to defeat an opponent by using leverage and their own body weight against them. Because of this, you also improve your mental fitness. It gives you clarity of thought to understand situations better. It is also a great stress buster. That is why it is very good for the overall fitness of an individual.

1. Weight Loss

BJJ requires a lot of drilling and practice to master. The constant rolling and grappling is an inevitable part of the training. Because of the hardcore training that goes on behind the scenes, BJJ helps to lose a lot of weight.

People often think that one can only practice BJJ if they fall under a certain weight limit. But this is not true. Even if you are overweight, you can lose a significant amount of weight and become more active and fit due to the training.

2. Increased Awareness

BJJ requires a great deal of strategy, execution, and focus. While rolling and grappling, you need to focus on your opponent as well. To win a fight, one needs to read the move of the opponent beforehand. All of this is a part of the training for BJJ. So, it helps to improve spatial awareness and focus.

3. Improved Overall Health

BJJ not only improves your physical look but helps in the overall development of health. Through BJJ training, blood cholesterol levels fall, endorphin production increases, and the balance between insulin and sugar levels is maintained. That is why it has a positive impact on the overall health and well-being of the body.

 

Muay Thai Fitness Benefits

Muay Thai will give you the chance to have a full-body workout. That is why it is very good for increasing fitness. Professional Muay Thai trainers claim that Muay Thai helps in achieving overall fitness for the body. It involves intense cardio which is very good for the heart. It also helps to lose a lot of weight.

Due to the constant movement, one loses a lot of calories while training for a fight. It is said that an average person weighing 155 pounds can lose around 690 calories within a 1-hour session. That is why it is a very efficient way of losing weight.

The best thing about Muay Thai is that it does not focus on one part of a body. Rather it affects the entire body. It also helps to tone the muscle and strengthens the core.

1. Increased Leg Strength

Muay Thai is based on kicking. That is why it requires a lot of footwork. This helps to increase the strength of your legs. It improves the overall endurance of the leg muscles and increases agility. It also increases the agility of the feet. The continuous footwork helps to tone the calve muscles.

2. Increased Core Strength

The core muscles comprise of all the muscles in your trunk. It is the center of all the strength of your body. Core strength helps a lot in striking as well as kicking and overall body movements. It helps to improve the confidence of an individual as well. This is one of the most significant benefits of Muay Thai training.

3. Increased Hip Mobility

Muay Thai training helps to improve hip mobility through continuous kicking and movement of the knees. It does take a lot of practice to increase hip mobility, but the benefits are long term. Hip mobility helps to get rid of the pain caused due to different moves that one must pull off while training.

4. Stress Relief

Like any other sport, Muay Thai also acts as a great stress reliever. It is a fast-paced sport that requires constant attention and focus. That is why the mind cannot wander about in negative thoughts while practicing. If you are having a bad day or suffering from some kind of anxiety, a Muay Thai session can help to uplift your mood.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, it is difficult to tell which one is better in terms of achieving fitness between Muay Thai and BJJ. They both offer different benefits to one’s body. Therefore, the choice ultimately lies with yourself. Whether it’s BJJ or Muay Thai, if it does not worsen any pre-existing physical condition or create new problems within your body then you can choose whichever you want. 

So, if you are not comfortable with kicking and striking, then Muay Thai may not be for you. Similarly, if you do not like grappling then maybe BJJ is not for you. Either way, when it comes to improving your fitness in a fun way, you won’t be wrong with either. Or maybe you just do both and develop an all-around athletic ability and get the the ultimate self-defense benefits of both.

Why not check out our other articles on BJJ and see whether it’s something you’d like.

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BJJ vs Luta Livre — Which One Is Better? [Solved]

Whether you are into grappling or not, you have likely heard about the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry. This is among the biggest rivalries, not just in the grappling world, but in the history of martial arts. From street fighting to wild gym wars, BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry had it all.

On paper, these two arts share much in common, and might even look the same to the average person. But, BJJ is a grappling style that has its origins in Judo and puts a lot of focus on ground fighting. The goal is to take the fight to the ground and submit the opponent using chokes and joint locks.

Luta Livre is a grappling art that is also known as “Brazilian Submission wrestling”. As its name suggests, it has its origins in catch wrestling, which makes it different from BJJ. But on the other side, it also puts a lot of emphasis on ground fighting and includes some elements of striking.

Keep reading this article to find out more about how BJJ and Luta Livre differ from one another. And, we will explore the history of their rivalry, and try to find out which one is better for MMA or self-defense.

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What are the main differences?

Although both of these styles focus on grappling, BJJ and Luta Livre differ a lot from one another. This is notably true when it comes to techniques, emphasis, and many other aspects. Here is all you need to know:

History and derivation

BJJ is a fighting style founded by the famous Gracie family in Brazil. It all started when the famous Judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda came to Brazil to teach Judo around 1917. After around 5 years of training, his students, Carlos and Helio Gracie used Judo as a base to form their own style. Their new system differed from Judo a lot since they moved its emphasis on ground fighting. The name “jiu-jitsu” derives from the words Ju (gentle) and Jutsu (art), so in translation, it means “a gentle art”.

Luta Livre, on the other side, shares the same time and place of origins. Its founder was Euclydes Hatem who at the time was a famous catch wrestler. He created a fighting system that was a mix of catch wrestling, Judo, and striking put into one style of fighting. He named it “Luta Livre” which translates to “free fighting”.

Techniques and emphasis

BJJ is a fighting style that covers both standup grappling and ground fighting. Since most fights begin on the feet, the initial goal is to use Judo moves to take the fight to the ground. The emphasis of the art is on ground fighting where the goal is to finish the fight using chokes and joint locks. The art is all about leverage and technic, rather than using sheer force. It doesn’t include any striking at all.

Luta Livre is similar to BJJ, but, its emphasis is on catch wrestling techniques. When it comes to ground fighting, it focuses more on leg locks, which were not allowed in BJJ in the past. And, it includes the basics of striking, notably from Muay Thai, and ground and pound as a way to finish the opponent.

Styles and uniforms

In the past, there was only one style of BJJ in which all students needed to wear a uniform called “Gi”. A gi uniform consists of a heavy cotton jacket, pants, and a rank belt around the waist. It is very similar to the one in Judo or even karate. In the beginning, this type of uniform was very expensive. It was a status symbol to some extent because poor people couldn’t afford one at the time. 

But over the years, and notably the birth of MMA fighting, we would see the rise of the No-Gi style. Nowadays, there are plenty of No-Gi schools around the world.

Luta Livre, on the other side, was much different right from the start because it was all about No-Gi training. In some way, people saw it as a fighting style for the poor people, the same ones who couldn’t afford a Gi uniform to train BJJ. Over the years, the two main styles over Luta Livre have emerged, and both of them teach No-Gi techniques:

Luta Esportiva Livre — this form focuses just on catch wrestling and submissions.

Luta Livre Vale Tudo — this form includes both grappling and striking. It was created for early MMA matches in Brazil and famous “Vale Tudo” tournaments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uVmf6NXyFY&ab_channel=MMAOnPointMMAOnPoint

Which one is better for Self-Defense?

BJJ is a much better option than Luta Livre when it comes to self-defense. This mainly due to a fact that BJJ has evolved much more over time. Nowadays, its grappling techniques are far more versatile and practical for self-defense.

And we don’t have to talk much about how BJJ is more popular in just about every part of the world. Even if you are a fan of Luta Livre and want to learn self-defense, you will still have to go with BJJ. Luta Livre is not that popular outside of South America, and you might have a hard time finding a gym. On the other side, it seems like every town has at least one BJJ gym.

BJJ is better when it comes to techniques as well. Don’t get us wrong here, Luta Livre teaches you great self-defense skills also. But, Jiu-Jitsu has a small edge in our view because it focuses more on leverage and technique. This is the reason why it is the only style that teaches you how to deal with a bigger and stronger opponent. We can all agree this is crucial when it comes to street fighting where there are no rules or weight classes.

Luta Livre, on the other side, is also very practical for self-defense. Like in BJJ, you will learn all about how to take the fight to the ground, and subdue or submit the opponent. It is even more versatile than to some extent as it teaches you how to throw or block strikes. But this aspect on its own is not enough for us to say that is better than BJJ for self-defense.

BJJ and Luta Livre Rivalry and Street Fights

As said earlier, BJJ and Luta Livre emerged in the same place, and at around the same time. In some way, these two arts were on a collision course right from the start. It was just a matter of time before fighters from both styles started battling each other, not just in the ring, but on the streets as well. Athletes from both sides were calling out and battling each other for many, many decades. 

The rivalry between these two styles started in the 1930s and it would last up until the mid-90s. They fought each other on the streets, in the gyms, and in Vale Tudo events. Vale Tudo resembles modern MMA fighting, and its events were very popular due to the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry.

When it comes to the results, it’s fair to say that Luta Livre fighters have won more matches during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. But, the tables would start to turn around from the 1980s when the best and most intense fights between these two arts took place. The rivalry would last up until the mid-90s when the rise of BJJ exploded due to its dominance in MMA, while Luta Livre failed to achieve the same status. 

Here are some of the most memorable fights between BJJ and Luta Livre

BJJ vs Luta Livre Famous Fights

It’s really hard to explain how big the BJJ vs Luta Livre rivalry was back in the day. The matches between these two arts were huge and often led to wild brawls in the arenas all across Brazil. Here are some of the most memorable bouts:

George Gracie (BJJ) vs Euclydes Hatem (Luta Livre)

The fight between George and Hatem marks the beginning of the rivalry between these two arts. In 1940, George would challenge Hatem to a fight, with an intention to prove that BJJ is superior to Luta Livre. It’s worth pointing up that this was all before the hate, street fighting, and many other bad things that took place between these two styles. Both sides agreed to a fair fight, and it all ended with Hatem submitting George via wrist lock. 

Rickson Gracie (BJJ) vs Hugo Duarte (Luta Livre)

This is, perhaps, the most famous BJJ vs Luta Livre fight. It all happened when the BJJ legend, Rickson Gracie, attacked and beat Luta Livre master, Hugo Duarte at “Pepe Beach” in 1988. It was a spark that triggered a war between these two arts. 

Duarte was so mad that he gathered a group of around 60–70 people, and he went on to invade the Gracie Academy. According to some sources, some of the members carried knives and even loaded guns. It was the wise Helio Gracie, who was 80 years old at the time, who would calm down the situation and suggest that the rematch should take outside the gym in the parking lot. The fight didn’t last long as Rickson went on to secure the full mount and force Duarte to give up once again.

Renzo Gracie (BJJ) vs Eugenio Tadeu (Luta Livre)

This was, by far, the most infamous fight that took place in 1997 at “Pentagon Combat” in Brazil. The hype around this event was massive and the entire arena was full of fired-up supporters from both sides. While Renzo and Tadeu were fighting inside the cage, the crowd started invading the cage, pushing the fence and climbing over it. 

At one point, one of the spectators kicked Renzo Gracie in the face which triggered a huge riot. People from both sides started fighting each other, and many people got hurt. The riot was so big that the government decided to ban all MMA events for the next 10 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JRnAawMhSc

Which one is better for MMA and why?

BJJ is much more popular than Luta Livre when it comes to MMA fighting, and it has been like that since day one. Still, this doesn’t mean that Luta Livre is bad for MMA by any means, no, it’s actually very practical. But BJJ took over the sport in the early stages, and it established itself as the best fighting style. Luta Livre, in some way, never got a chance to show its full potential in cage fighting. 

You see, Brazilian authorities banned MMA fighting after the infamous incident at “Pentagon Combat”. During the late 80s and early 90s, there was no MMA fighting in Brazil at all. Around this time, Gracie’s were already present in the US.  In fact, Gracie’s were actually the co-founders of the initial UFC Company. And UFC, as we know, marks the beginning of MMA in the western world. 

In the early days of MMA, the world saw the domination of just one man, and that man was Royce Gracie. He used his BJJ skills to win all UFC fights he took place in, beating fighters from other styles who were often much bigger than he was. This was huge because, back then, fighters were experts in just one fighting style. Every UFC bout was a pure style vs style matchup and BJJ emerged as the best.

MMA started to rise at a rapid pace, and so was BJJ. Luta Livre, on the other side, failed to achieve the same or to come up with a star like Royce was. This was the main reason why Luta Livre started to fall into oblivion and why modern MMA fans don’t know much about it. The BJJ emerged as the best grappling art not just in the US, but the entire world.

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Jiu-Jitsu Street is a community of fun loving and hard rolling BJJ enthusiasts. Born out of our passion for the gentle art, we have decided to create this blog and help you on your journey. Let’s grow and learn together on this never-ending journey. Oss!

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Jiu-Jitsu Street is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to our Affiliate Partner companies.