With so many styles of martial arts on offer to learn, why is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) rated as the most effective style of martial art in the world and dominates against other striking styles of martial arts such as karate, boxing?
Reason, it’s the way BJJ applied compared to these other styles.
Below are a number of reasons why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is better than such striking styles of martial arts such as karate and boxing:
- It’s widely known and accepted that over 90% of fights go to the ground. Once on the ground, the striking power from a kick or punch is lost because you don’t have the footing, space and distance to deliver these strikes effectively. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu relies on technique and leverage to apply joint locks, manipulate joints or to choke their aggressor.
- Stand up striking styles of martial arts (karate & boxing) rely on the power of the strike to defeat their aggressor. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu relies on technique, timing and leverage of joints and chokes to defeat their aggressor. Hence why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is great for a smaller person. They don’t have to stand up and go toe – toe with their aggressor because they wouldn’t be able to match the power of the strike. On the ground, the strength and power of a strike don’t exist. Leverage and technique do.
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an ever-evolving style of martial art compared to other styles such as karate and boxing. Meaning the art of Jiu Jitsu continues to evolve and find new ways to control and submit your aggressor whereas others striking styles have remained the same. The possibilities and techniques used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to control or submit your aggressor is like comparing the combinations of a rubik’s cube to a game of noughts and crosses.
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a combination of 3 martial arts (Judo, wrestling and grappling), whereas boxing and karate are one style.
- During training, boxers and karate students wear protective equipment to protect their hands and legs. The downside of this is none are available during a real fight and leaving them at risk of injury (especially to your hands). In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you train without the use of striking and therefore eliminate the risk of injury (to your hands) because you are using technique and leverage to submit your aggressor.
- Boxing requires space and distance to generate power to throw effective strikes. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu relies of no space to remove the effectiveness of these strikes to render them useless
- When it comes to competition, most other styles of martial arts are a one-dimensional style of martial art. Meaning you only get attacked front on. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on the other hand is a three-dimensional style of martial art whereby your opponent can attack you standing up or on the ground, from all sides of the body and every body part/body joint is a possible target in getting submitted by or choked.
- And lastly the 12th November, 1993. The date that changed martial arts forever. On this day, the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship 1 (UFC 1) was held to see which style of martial art was better when opposing styles were put up against each other in a fight. In the end, Brazilain Jiu Jitsu proved itself as the superior style of martial art as it dominated against every other style to win the event. How did BJJ dominate in this arena? Refer to our first point with over 90% of fights going to the ground and relying on leverage and techniques to beat one’s aggressor/opponent.
