Asking the age-old question of which martial art is the best can be a drawn-out topic and silly in many ways but nonetheless, it is important. Especially since we train, we want to examine ourselves and see how far we can push our bodies. In this article, we will examine Judo vs Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and help you decide which is more effective.
Judo vs Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Which is More Effective
Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are the two most popular martial arts on the planet. Although they may share many things in common, in many ways the two martial arts are very different when you look deeper into grappling sports.
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is more focused on groundwork and grappling much like wrestling. Judo, in comparison, emphasizes throws and takedowns and requires an entirely different set of skills to master.
Judo vs Brazilian Jiu-jitsu can seem like a silly topic to most because comparing two martial arts to one another is like comparing apples to oranges, the philosophies and styles are completely different and the reasons someone trains are entirely different. When you try to examine which martial art is most effective in a real-world situation or for clarity on which you should train it is important to examine the things we will speak about in this article.
Judo For Self Defense
Clearly, the focuses of the two martial arts are completely different. Judeka like many BJJ practitioners trains in multiple martial arts to hone their skills. Being that Judo is an Olympic sport it should not go unnoticed that Judo is much more widely practiced than Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (for now).
Judokas’ main objective when competing against someone is to get them on their back with a flashy, unpredictable takedown or throw. The goal is to unsettle your opponent rather than overcome them.
In Judo, you are in the standing position almost all the time unless you find yourself losing the match in which case you are on your back. Judo is a good way to work on your stand-up game (without adding striking to the mix) and teaches its practitioners how to effectively get someone off-balance and to the ground. For this reason, many people believe that it is a solid choice when it comes to using martial art for self-defense purposes.
The likelihood that you find yourself in any kind of altercation is very slim to begin with but looking deeper it may be safe to say that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the better of the two for a situation that needs to be handled, let’s examine further.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu For Self Defense
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art that mainly focuses on joint locks and ground control over an opponent. Many critics of the sport say that BJJ lacks in its ability to teach its practitioners how to properly strike and lacks in teaching takedowns.
While some of the criticism is valid, we believe these claims are mostly hearsay in today’s world. The majority of Brazilian JIu-Jitsu schools teach their students’ wrestling techniques and many who take on the sport, to begin with, trained in wrestling at some point in their life.
Many situations that call for a breakup or break out of a fight end up on the ground and this is where Brazilian Jiu-jitsu really gets to shine vs Judo.
When you train Brazilain jiu-jitsu you are constantly getting live looks in the form of sparring of someone who is actively resisting you and trying to advance themselves in a position that makes you submit.
While your stand-up game could be lacking a bit if you have never thrown a punch in your life (not many people can attest to this) Brazilian jiu-jitsu has proven to be the most effective martial art.
Takedowns vs Ground Work
Having both the ability to take a resisting opponent to the ground and have your way while on the floor are two important skills one must master if they are looking to protect themselves in a situation where self-defense techniques are needed.
For this reason, we believe that it is wise to have a wide range of martial arts training under your belt. It never hurts to be well-rounded and only improves your game in both respective sports.
The Future of Martial Arts: Judo vs Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Right now, people can argue that judo is more widely accepted because of its presence as an Olympic sport but the rise of Brazilian jiu-jitsu should not go unnoticed. BJJ is the fastest-growing and most popular Martial art in the world thanks to people like Joe Rogan and the UFC bringing it to the masses.
No-Gi BJJ will dominate the grappling competition world in the United States. Most Judo clubs will have 10 to 15 people on a mat at a time while most BJJ schools have 20 – 30 or possibly a completely packed house!
Can BJJ Beat Judo?
BJJ practitioners may be more effective on the ground but Judeka’s are still better off if they are standing. Judokas are more adept at ground fighting than BJJ Practitioners. More often than not, Judo’s moves can be superior to BJJ techniques in a fight.
