BJJ or Wing Chun for Self-Defense: Our Full Guide [2021 Update]

BJJ and Wing Chun are fundamentally very different martial arts though both of them have self-defense at their core of values. Wing-Chun is a striking based art-form which makes it very useful when someone comes charging at you with punches. BJJ, however, is ground-fighting based martial arts. This makes it, in our opinion, a little more suited for self-defense scenarios because most street-fights end up on the ground. That does not mean though that Wing-Chun can’t help with street fights at all. Read on to find out more.

Jump to Section

You can be the most peaceful person out there, but sometimes it is the fights which come to you. Whether you have been in the unfortunate situation of having had to defend yourself, or whether you feel the need to keep yourself, your family, and friends safe, learning a martial arts will come a long way in developing the skills needed to be “street-ready”

Of all popular forms of martial arts – BJJ and Wing Chun are the most well-known when it comes to self-defense. If you are aiming to pick one of them to get yourself trained in self-defense – first you need to know the differences between them to determine which one would work best for you. 

The below section manifests all the major differences that you should consider to make up your mind. So, without any further ado, scroll down and read them carefully.

Differences Between BJJ and Wing Chun

BJJ and Wing Chun, both are almost neck and neck when it’s come to self-defense, yet they have their fair share of differences that can clearly change your life forever. While both of them are “empty-hands” forms of martial arts, BJJ covers one-on-one combat and Wing Chun covers close distance combat. Starting from this, they have many more considerable distinctions between them which sets them apart. Have a look at them below.

Principles

The principles of BJJ and Wing Chun can be said to be almost the opposite. Whereas Wing Chun focuses on attacking the weak points of enemies, BJJ emphasizes using the strength and weight of the enemy against him.

Wing Chun is fundamentally based on reflexive actions, it trains you to respond instinctually and immediately to a sudden attack. It aims to teach you defense and counter-attack simultaneously for unforeseen attacks.

On the other hand, BJJ prepares you to battle against what you see coming to you and teaches you to overpower your enemy by grappling. Favorably, both of them are less concerned with practitioners’ size, weight, and strength. Nevertheless, a certain amount of flexibility is expected for both of them (but that’s someone everyone of us can easily work on every day for just a few minutes).  

Techniques

BJJ and Wing Chun both offer several intuitive techniques for attacking and defending. Between them, BJJ focuses on grappling and Wing Chun focuses on striking, punching, and kicking.  

However, BJJ techniques will solely permit you to fight against only one attacker. On the other hand, Wing Chun may come out to be better for street fights as its techniques allow you to fight multiple attackers alone.

That being said, it is important for you to know that since Wing Chun doesn’t include grappling techniques, the possibility is that you are likely to lose a fight if your enemy manages to throw you down which is what usually happens in street fights.

Teaching Process

Now that you know that BJJ and Wing Chun both entail relatively different styles of fighting, it is obvious that training and practice is also going to be quite different.

In BJJ training classes, first, your instructors will select the pairs according to the present practitioners’ physique, as all BJJ techniques involve two people. And, then the coache will demonstrate the techniques that you are supposed to perform. You will basically have to repeat those moves after them with your partner. 

As Wing Chun has 108 varieties of movements, initially the trainers proceed with the basic techniques at first. In this case, the trainer gives brief instructions to all the students present in the class at once.

Again, both of the two teaching processes use drilling as the means of practicing and brushing up students’ learnings. During the assessment period, instructors evaluate the students’ performance and following that, help them by correcting and improving their form.

How Long Does It Take to Learn? 

BJJ is thoughtfully designed to be learned within the shortest possible time compared to other standard martial arts, at least when it comes to self-defense. To learn the very basic techniques of BJJ, it would take up to one to one and a half years of practicing – depending on the number of classes you attend per week.

In comparison to that, Wing Chun requires a longer time duration. Although its techniques are said to be easier than BJJ’s; yet with having such a whopping number of movements, it only makes sense that it’s going to take longer to learn.

If you happen to be very keen and intend to be very regular with your training, then it might take about three years of time, or otherwise, the duration would be stretched to five years or more.  

Risks Involved

If you start digging around about the potential risk BJJ brings, you will be surprised to find that in relation to accidents, it a very safe sport overall. Although, minor injuries during practice can occur, for instance, elbow, or knee sprain. 

But when it comes to Wing Chun, the injury risk is more apparent as it involves varieties of techniques including different types of kicks, punches, push-backs, and similar moves. These moves are likely to cause injury if you lose your focus even for a jiffy.

Benefits of BJJ

While learning BJJ techniques can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, yet the plethora of benefits make it worthwhile. Not only does it help you learn self-defense, but it also comes with myriads of other benefits. Given how easy it is to get in shape with BJJ, you would never want to hit the gym ever again. 

Moreover, if you are too caught up in your work schedule and seem to have a really hard time there, BJJ can alleviate your stress too. In fact, doing BJJ regularly not only helps relieve stress but also restores your energy and boosts up your working spirit. You’ll find yourself more enthusiastic and focused than before. 

Benefits of Wing Chun

For anyone who wants to learn powerful self-defense skills while enhancing their health, fitness, and well-being to a great degree, Wing Chun works like a charm for them. If you want to burn your calories off without feeling the hard work, while developing a skill for life, Wing Chung is the way to go. 

It will improve your health in a way that’ll make you feel good from the inside and strong on the outside. You will discover a powerful mental endurance that you never knew you had. You may not even realize it at first, but soon you will see a great deal of improvement in your focus and strength. Your life will change for the better and your productivity will take you to a whole new level.

BJJ vs Wing Chun: Pros and Cons Overview

This section is to let you know the specific pros and cons of the two art forms – BJJ and Wing Chun. Skim through them carefully to check out all the benefits and disadvantages to decide which one would be the best for your self-defense training. 

Pros of BJJ

• Allows you to overpower your opponents with a stronger physique
• Enables women to defend themselves from any iffy situation
• Allows you to de-escalate a situation while avoiding violence and blood-shed, for example with rear-naked chokes and armbars
• Helps to lose weight and gets you into a better shape
• Prevents the possible risks of chronic illnesses
• Releases all your physical and mental stress 

Cons of BJJ

• Doesn’t include any techniques that allows you to fight multiple attackers
• Does not necessarily include any techniques that allow you to fight armed attackers
• Cannot be drilled without a partner (Should actually be a pro because partner training leads to more realism in practice)

Pros of Wing Chun

• Enables you to fight multiple attackers
• Strengthens your muscle’s tone and endurance
• Drilling a variety of techniques extends your flexibility
• Enhances your health and nerve system 

Cons of Wing Chun

• Comes with numbers of potential health risk s
• Only teaches you to defend Wing Chun attacks
• You’ll lose the fight instantly if your enemy happened to grapple you

Final Words

This article is dedicated to those who are planning to dip their toes in self-defense lately but got stuck into the dilemma of whether to go with BJJ or Wing Chun. Aside from being just a sport, BJJ and Wing Chun both are hailed to be a great solution for self-defense. Both of them fairly own their distinct techniques and advantages, however when it comes to street-readiness we would recommend BJJ due to the nature of street-fights ending up on the ground more often than not. 

Share

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on twitter
Twitter

Your may also like

ABOUT US

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!

Recent Articles

LEGAL INFORMATION

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.

BJJ vs Krav Maga: Which one should you learn in 2021?

If you’re unsure whether you should learn BJJ or Krav Maga, then you’ve come to the right place. We can tell you that, by the end, we will have helped you get a better idea on both fighting styles.

We’ll discuss the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ and Krav Maga, basic rule differences between them, and belt system and progression differences as well. Also, we’ll focus on their training differences, equipment differences, and will explore which one is better for kids and women and for self-defense as well. So, without further ado, let’s dig into today’s discussion.

Jump to Section

The Differences between BJJ and Krav Maga 

In this section, we will walk you through the considerable differences between BJJ and Krav Maga, which clearly set them apart. To save up your time, we have only focused on the major distinctions and added them with bullet points below. 

Principles

In terms of principle, both BJJ and Krav Maga equally own quite distinct tenets. Whereas Krav Maga emphasizes targeting opponents’ weak points, BJJ emphasizes using the opponent’s body strength and weight against him. Both forms require fitness and flexibility to a certain extent, but BJJ is less concerned about the players’ size, weight, and strength. In fact, using BJJ techniques, an individual can take down nd submit a heavier or stronger untrained opponent, which is unlikely to happen by using Krav Maga techniques.

Techniques

The fundamental techniques of BJJ are based on ground fighting and graplling – once a practitioner takes his or her opponent down to the ground, he or she would get on top of the opponent’s body and hold him or her so that the person can’t move. Gaining an advantageous position always comes first in the ‘position before submission‘ led fighting philosophy of BJJ. BJJ techniques are then based on an almost chess-like possibilities of moves to finish an opponent, whether for self-defense or in competition.

On the other hand, the Krav Maga techniques are inspired by a combination of Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Wing Chun, and Boxing. It is said that Krav Maga has over 200 combat techniques. These are mostly – varieties of punches, kicks, and grappling techniques to zap the opponent’s weak points – eyes, temple, nose, jaw, ribs, joints of elbow, and knees, to name a few.

Objectives

Again, the objectives of BJJ and Krav Maga have their fair share of differences because Krav Maga is just a self-defense system, whereas BJJ is more ‘pure’ and traditional martial art. The basic objective of BJJ is to teach its practitioners the art of taking the opponent down by disabling their arms and legs joints, later immobilize the opponent by by applying weight as well as well as grips and thereby gain control over the situation.

However, BJJ consists of only of techniques that only allow you to fight with a single opponent. Whereas, Krav Maga techniques will let you fight with multiple attackers. Its objective is to teach its practitioners the techniques of defending themselves amid life threatening situations. Its training includes lessons on using knives, handguns, and even long guns for both defensive and offensive purposes.

Rules

Talking about rules, Krav Maga involves no rigorous rules except for the general etiquette of a training center. It expects you to follow rules such as maintaining a dress code, paying attention to instructions, not disobeying your trainer, not bringing your own personal brawls here, and not intentionally harming your partner. If you are found to engage with any of them, you will be fired.

In addition to these, BJJ occupies a couple of serious rules concerning the game, like as you are only allowed to make a submission via chokeholds and joint locks, then when your opponent taps to stop, you have to release the submission; and such.

How Long Does It Take to Learn?

When you are aiming to learn only the basics, BJJ takes precisely a longer time than the time needed for learning the selective techniques of Krav Maga. For instance, when you have average fitness and attend training classes regularly, grasping the basics of Krav Maga would take only 4/5 months, whereas BJJ would take almost 1/2 years.  

Then again, when you are training for belts, e.g. black belt so to say the highest belt would require more or less 3 years of consistent training for Krav Maga. The time period would extend to 10 years, when you want to achieve the black belt in BJJ.

Risk

It is said that BJJ brings zero risks of injuries. Although, during your practice, you may get minor injuries along the way. Elbow, ankle, wrist, or knee sprain are pretty likely to take place. However, it’s quite obvious that Krav Maga comes with more risks since its training involves a range of fatal techniques along with injurious weapons. 

Yet, getting wounded during practice is rare as all Krav Maga training centers are quite aware of its possible risks and equip all necessary safety measures. Nevertheless, unforeseen accidents may cause joint sprains, bone fractures, and similar unfortunate injuries.

History of BJJ and Krav Maga 

Let us share with you a brief overview of the history of both art forms that we are now talking about. Interestingly, both BJJ and Krav Maga encloses very discrete yet interesting origin stories.

History of BJJ 

So the story goes like this, during the Feudal period a few sporty Japanese fellas refined grappling techniques into a game which later came to be known as Jiu-Jitsu. These techniques were next followed by another combat sport, known as judo. A boy named Carlos Gracie came to Japan to receive his training in Judo (BJJ vs Judo comparison) and upon completing his training, he returned to his land Brazil. 

Around 1920, Carlos Gracie and his brothers began to modify the rules and regulations of the sport to turn it handy for their weak physique. Since then by persisting a series of severe trials and changes of decades we get today’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. So, even though many do not acknowledge the Japanese root, technically we can’t really deny the lineage, right?

However, Mitsuyo Maeda was the athlete who initially introduced this form of art to the world and spread it across the board. Now, you might be wondering, how it came to America! It was again a descendant of the Gracie family and his name is Carley Gracie. Carley Gracie came over to America and established the Carley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in 1972. This is how BJJ made its way to America.

History of Krav Maga

The person who devised Krav Maga as a self-defense system was an Israeli martial artist, named Imi Lichtenfeld. He was an excellent gymnast as well as a boxer and wrestler since his early life. He literally put all of his skills together into this self-defense system to teach people to protect themselves in practical life-threatening situations.

Imi Lichtenfeld first taught this combat system to a few people of Bratislava during the time of the late 1930s. At that time, the fascist groups along with other anti-Semitic parties came to power and started to enact violence on Jewish people.

His initial purpose was to make the local Jewish people erudite enough to protect themselves from the armored Nazi militia. This way, Krav Maga propagated and spread around the world as time passed. Later in 1983, a few close students of Imi established the Krav Maga Association of America and the journey of Krav Maga found its path to America.

Belt System and Progression Differences

Belts connote a practitioner’s rank based upon the skills so far he or she has gained. To pursue the belt of the next level, a participant has to earn 3 to 4 stripes – depending on the principle of the art form you are following. BJJ and Krav Maga occupy different belt systems and progression. Check them out from below –

BJJ Belt System and Progression 

The belt system and its progression in BJJ start from white to blue, followed by purple, brown, black, and finally the final rank of the red belt. White is what anyone gets right after joining a BJJ training course.

However, kids between the ages of 4 and 15 are only allowed to get white belts and their progress rewards come in the form of belt stripes. Once they hit 16, they get the opportunity to achieve further belts. Yet, again to jump from one rank to another, each practitioner must receive 4 pieces of stripes on their current belt. 

Of these 6 progress indicating belts of BJJ, the blue one is SAID to be the most challenging to achieve. Next, the black one is considered to be the hardest, and of course, it’s needless to say the red one, so to say the ultimate one is the trickiest and toughest one to get. Reportedly, it takes about 20 years of a person’s consistent practice; indeed it requires one’s perseverance at its best!

Krav Maga Belt System and Progression

Krav Maga’s belt progression also comprises 6 belts, but the colors and the rank aligned to it are not the same as BJJ. The sequence goes like this – first yellow, then orange, green, blue, brown and lastly the most cherished black belt.

Although the black belt is not the highest in BJJ, it is in Krav Maga. Here, no specific belt is awarded upon joining, instead, it provides its first ever belt yellow after the successful completion of Level 1. Here, practitioners need to attain 4 pieces of stripes on their current belt to level up from one rank to another.

Consequently, as you complete up to level 5, that can only open your door to the highest rank with almost 200 plus potent defense moves. Approximately, achieving the black takes 3/4 years of consistent practice of a practitioner of any age. Here is one of the things you must note down that, there is no age limit attached to Krav Maga, so regardless of your age, you can achieve higher ranks through your own performances.

Class/Training Differences

Now, as you know that both of the forms are relatively different from each other, hence it is very obvious that they entail separate training processes and systems. Even technically both of them mandate different gears as their techniques, modules, and moves are also vastly different. For your better understanding of the training sessions, a comparison is drawn below with all the pertinent information that you might need to know before joining a course.

What Will Happen in the First Class?

First, you will have to sign up for the course you want to enroll in. The paperwork is roughly the same for all training centers, after that, as you walk through the door you’ll find your future fellows and instructors. 

A staff will accompany you to give a tour around the place and take you to your locker where you can hoard up your daily necessities. However, if you are there for Krav Maga training, then the staff will introduce you to the equipment and safety gear that you must need to purchase and carry in the upcoming classes.

Otherwise, if you are there for BJJ training, you really don’t really need a lot of safety gear except an elbow and knee pad. The thing that is most important in the first class of BJJ is you must select a partner from the class as all BJJ techniques require the involvement of two people.

The Teaching Process

The teaching process is clearly contrasting as you have already read BJJ techniques always require the involvement of two people, whereas Krav Maga initially teaches individually. At the beginning of BJJ training, instructors will demonstrate to you the actions to overpower your opponent.

You’ll have to repeat after them to grasp the techniques while doing them in a pair. Whereas, in the first phase of Krav Maga training, you will get to learn primary knacks and techniques of kicking, punching, boxing etc. Gradually, you will be taught to apply those fighting techniques to a partner. 

In both classes, drilling is the main process of how the practitioners will hone up their skills. And, the instructors will be there to facilitate their performance by correcting and fixing their wrong approaches or postures.

Dress Code

For BJJ classes, you need to get yourself  Gi of your own size. Gi is basically a uniform inspired by the Japanese Kimono that is specially designed for BJJ. It typically consists of a thick cotton jacket, a pair of drawstring trousers, and a belt referring to the practitioner’s rank.

On the other hand, for Krav Maga classes there is no specifically fixed dress code, but it best put on comfortable clothes. It could be gym shorts, sweat pants, yoga pants, a simple shirt, or cut off, anything that would let you move comfortably. 

Here, one thing you need to keep in mind for both cases – whether you are picking your Gi or the outfit for Krav Maga, make sure the dress is not that loose which is likely to fall off again and again. Also, the dress should not be that much of close-fitting which would make you suffocated or cause you extreme sweating.

Warm Up Style

Before starting your everyday workout, warming up is extremely beneficial as it prepares your muscles ready for the physical exercise you are about to perform. It truly reduces the possible risk of injury by improving your muscles’ blood flow and loosening your joints.

As BJJ and Krav Maga covers different styles of techniques, so according to their moving styles, their warm up styles are also poles apart. BJJ’s warm up styles mostly include running laps, forward and backward breakfall, push-ups, and shrimping.

Whereas with myriads varieties of moves, each class of Krav Maga, can ask you to perform different warm up exercises. Yet, mostly these are very common exercises like lunges push ups, sit-ups, or other weight-lifting exercises.

BJJ vs. Krav Maga Direct Comparison

We have organized this section with the pros and cons of the two art forms, BJJ and Krav Maga. Skim through it to identify their benefits and flaws on your own. Certainly, this will help to come to a decision on which one to pick.

BJJ Pros

• Teaches you to defend yourself on and off the mat
• Allows you to overpower opponents of heavier or stronger physique
• Helps you in losing weight and to get you in a good shape 
• Reinforces your stamina and boosts your confidence
• Relieves your stress and fatigue 
• Inspires you to follow a healthy lifestyle
• Comparatively, inexpensive and perfect for people of all ages

BJJ Cons

• Does not teach you to fight with multiple attackers
• Does not teach you to defend yourself against armored opponents
• Takes relatively more time to learn
• Cannot be practice without a partner

———————

Krav Maga Pros

• Makes you prepared for real life street fights
• Let you ace the floor against multiple attackers
• Teaches you to wield weapons for both defensive and offensive purpose
• Makes you competent to defend yourself in front of armored opponents
• Encourages you to eat healthy food and follow a healthy lifestyle
• Practicing of a wide range of techniques expands your flexibility
• Attending each class burns tons of calories and helps you in losing weight
• Apparently, builds muscle tone and fetches you a buff physique
• Enhances your working spirit and improves your confidence

Krav Maga Cons

• Relatively expensive as the training covers a large number of movements
• Likely to occur accident even if you lose concentration for a sec
• Can seem intimidating for people with weak hearts as it teaches real-life fighting techniques

Which is Better to Learn for Self-defense?

When it comes to self-defense, BJJ and Krav Maga are almost neck to neck. Both art forms have gone through several courses of development with self-defense in mind. Yet, the two share considerable distinctions that make them preferable for different stripes of learners. 

If you want to avoid any possibilities of physical harm and also budget is a concern for you, then BJJ is your call. Also, for those who are small in size, or happen to have lesser weight or strength, again for them BJJ is relatively the better art form to learn for self-defense. 

On the other hand, when you are rooting for grasping the basics of self-defense techniques within a short period of time, Krav Maga may be your next choice. Age is also not a factor for Krav Maga, just when you are ready to face real-life challenges along with the risk it carries, you can start over your training session. 

Even though both of the art forms will teach you basic self-defense to stand for yourself on and off the mats, yet BJJ is less likely to come in handy in street fights when your opponents are multiple and armed. Unlike BJJ, Krav Maga teaches its learners to wield weapons for both defensive and offensive purposes.

So, to sum it up, people with a weak physique or those who aim to master the self-defense program being on a cost-effective budget are better off with BJJ. Conversely, those who desire to learn all the defensive techniques quickly or want to ace the street fight scenarios should kick off their self-defense learning journey with Krav Maga.

BJJ vs. Krav Maga for Kids

One of the trending questions on the planet right now is – BJJ or Krav Maga, which one is the best for kids? To our best research and understanding, we have found that both of the art forms are excellent in their own way. Placing one over another is arbitrary and depends on individuals’ comfort and preference.

If you prefer the non-violent art form for your little one, BJJ should be your choice. Yet again, if you see your kid being an expert in wielding weapons like knives, swords, handguns, and long guns; you must go for Krav Maga training. Aside from that, if you want to train your kid for competition then you have to move forward with BJJ. Because, Krav Maga is only a self-defense system and has no competitive bouts, tournaments, or any sort of competitions happening around the world.

Perhaps you know that BJJ can also be chosen as a future career option where practitioners will have to take part in the competitions. Thousands of BJJ competitions are taking place every day across the world, and by participating in such BJJ competitions one gets the opportunity to make around $20,000 to $50,000 at a professional level.

So, if you want to open up this career opportunity for your kid while making him or her skilled in the self-defense system as well, BJJ is the sport you must choose. In opposition, if this is not your intention and you just want your kids to be capable of pulling off all possible assault or life-threatening situations all by themselves – that they may come across in their life ahead, then Krav Maga would be the best choice for you.  

BJJ or Krav Maga for Women

Women have always been the victim of bullies, physical and sexual assault, molestation, and a lot. This is high time women should giddy-up and dip their toes in self-defense to defend themselves from such iffy situations. In deciding which self-defense is better for women, we would emphasize on grappling techniques.

When you will be able to grapple your attacker, he will not get any chance to harm you. However, both BJJ and Krav Maga teaches grappling techniques, yet with BJJ you will be drilled in overpowering your opponent with a stronger physique.

This drill will come in handy if you ever happen to confront any sexual assault. Again, if you want to conquer the street fights as well where the attacker might be armed with harmful weapons, then you should enroll yourself for Krav Maga training.

Final Words

This article is dedicated to those who were in a dilemma whether to choose BJJ or Krav Maga to ace themselves in self-defense. For their convenience, we have broadly deliberated all the important aspects of BJJ and Krav Maga in this article. We can vouch that, reading this will help you decide. Both – BJJ and Krav Maga are cherished for decades to this modern time. So, whichever you choose, you are in luck.

Share

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on twitter
Twitter

Your may also like

ABOUT US

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!

Recent Articles

LEGAL INFORMATION

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.

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!

Jump to Section

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.

Share

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on twitter
Twitter

Your may also like

ABOUT US

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!

Recent Articles

LEGAL INFORMATION

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.