BJJ is more effective than boxing for self defense because you will be more in control throughout the fights. Using BJJ, you can control the opponent’s body and take them down for a chokehold. This is even easier if the opponent is not trained for martial arts.
Boxing is easier and also good for self-defense because it teaches you how to block an attacker and fight them if necessary. Boxing also improves fitness, strengthens motor skills, and mentally prepares you for a fight.
That said, BJJ is still the better choice for actual self defense. BJJ teaches you how you can control the opponent with leverage and body mechanics and finally back down your opponent with a chokehold or a joint lock.
If you have no martial arts experience, then learning either boxing or BJJ will help improve your self defense techniques. Though boxing is easier to learn and less technical than BJJ.
In this article I will be discussing and comparing Boxing Vs BJJ in detail – including the following topics:
- Easier To Learn
- Style Difference
- More Effective (self defense)
- Safer To Learn
- Better For Exercise
- History
- More Popular
- Conclusion
Table of Contents
Boxing Vs BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)
| Boxing | BJJ | |
| Learning curve | Easier | Harder |
| Fighting style | Striking | Grappling |
| Self defense | Less effective | More effective |
| Safety | Safe to learn | Safe to learn |
| Workout intensity | More intense | Less intense |
| Popularity | More popular | Less popular |
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which Is Easier To Learn?
Boxing is considered to be easier than Brazilian jiu jitsu to learn for beginners, whereas the Brazilian jiu jitsu is more of a competitive martial arts type.
It takes 2-3 years to get your blue or green belt and become an intermediate at Brazilian jiu jitsu. While on the other hand you can learn the basics of boxing within a year.
Boxing is easier to learn because it usually takes less time to learn the basic movement of your arms, legs, and body but it doesn’t mean that you can become a professional or expert boxer in a year.
Boxing might sound easier but it is considered to be a more physically demanding sport than Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This is due to the fact that boxing requires you to use your whole body while grappling in BJJ typically only uses your arms and hands.
Additionally, boxing moves faster than BJJ and requires a higher level of athleticism compared to the grappling art. This makes it more difficult for someone who is new to boxing to learn the basics of the sport and become proficient in using punches, kicks, and other strikes.
Learning BJJ is a process that takes more time because BJJ is based on a compilation of traditional and modern jiu jitsu techniques. Progress takes 2-3 years from a white belt to a blue or green belt which is quite a long period for beginners.
However, once a person has mastered the basics of boxing, they can begin incorporating grappling techniques into their game which can make them even more efficient on the ground. Ultimately, it depends on each individual’s fitness level, training regimen, and goals whether Boxing or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is easier for them to learn and use in a practical way.
If you are a beginner and you are thinking about choosing between BJJ and Boxing. Self-defense is your concern but you are not willing to put more time into the learning process then Boxing is the right choice for you. You can learn the basics and get good control over your body movement within a year if you keep practicing.
Practicing or learning boxing doesn’t require another person, you can simply practice Boxing at home with a punching bag or you can do shadow boxing. Both ways are highly effective for beginners and the more time you put into practice the more you will master the art of Boxing.
Boxing is easier to learn than BJJ (especially for beginners) because it’s less technical.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Style Differences
Boxing relies heavily on hand-to-hand combat. In boxing, two opponents square off against each other, with the goal of inflicting as much damage to the opponent as possible.
Jiu Jitsu, on the other hand, focuses on ground fighting and uses techniques such as joint locks and chokeholds to defeat an opponent.
However, despite its popularity among MMA fighters, Jiu Jitsu is less physically demanding than boxing and can be learned by anyone with some basic training in self-defense.
Boxing is the ideal fighting style if you are in a fight with multiple people because boxing gives you the advantage of striking opponents while you are standing on your feet. Being on the ground is the biggest disadvantage in such situations.
The boxing style teaches you to knock off opponents by delivering quick strikes while the BJJ or grappling style requires you to be on the ground.
BJJ is an effective form of self-defense, but it can be difficult to learn and can be dangerous if not practiced correctly.
Ultimately, it depends on which style of self. But Jiu Jitsu does take years to master and in the long run, can be quite an advanced martial art to learn.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which Is More Effective In Self Defense?
Despite its apparent simplicity, Jiu-Jitsu has been proven to be more effective in self-defense situations than boxing.
Studies have shown that Jiu-Jitsu practitioners are more resilient and can resist chokeholds for longer periods of time than boxers. In addition, Jiu-Jitsu allows practitioners to defend against multiple attacks at once, whereas boxing is limited in its effectiveness against.
Also, BJJ has a number of advantages when it comes to using its grappling techniques. For one, it allows fighters to control their opponents much easier than boxers can.
Secondly, due to the grappling nature of BJJ, fighters are more likely to land punches and kicks on their opponents, which can incapacitate them quickly.
BJJ also allows fighters to use their opponent’s weight against them, which can be very useful in winning a fight.
If we talk about a serious fight, BJJ has more potential in winning as ground specialty is the main thing BJJ is most popular about. As seen in many UFC fights, if a fight doesn’t have good grappling skills, he’ll be doomed in no time.
That said, boxing is also a good sport for self defense. Any boxer with some basics can defend themselves against attacks from regular persons without any martial arts background.
We also have to take into consideration the overall experience and skills of a fighter. Experienced boxers can easily take out amateur BJJ practitioners.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which Is Safer To Learn?
Boxing is safer to learn and practise because you can always practise alone through shadow boxing and punching bags. Whereas Jiu-Jitsu practice has a higher chance of injury due to the chokes and submission techniques.
When not careful, Jiu-Jitsu practitioners can suffer minor or major joint injuries. Though these are rare – especially if experienced instructors are present.
Though, when it comes to the actual fight or ring fight, boxing is more brutal and less safe than Jiu-Jitsu.
Boxing has an injury risk rate of 17.1 per 100 matches. While the BJJ on the other hand has an injury rate of 9.2 per 100. Competitive Boxing possesses the risk of Brain injury, body damage, eye injuries and head injury.
This is because boxers are trained to aim for the head – especially if going for a KO win.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which One To Learn First?
Learning boxing or jiu jitsu first depends on your personal preference. Both sports are very different from each other – boxing focuses on striking whereas jiu-jitsu focuses on grappling.
I personally started with boxing and did not regret it. Boxing training is intensive and cardio heavy – which is perfect to build the stamina and grit you will need in any martial arts.
That said, you should start with the sport that you are interested with. The passion will keep you going.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which Is Better For Exercise & Cardio?
Boxing is considered to be best for exercise and cardio workouts. Boxing adds a major impact on burning calories. You can burn as much as 1000 calories in a typical boxing session.
Boxing and Jiu Jitsu are two popular martial arts that have been around for centuries. Boxing is surely a great way to burn calories while learning. Boxing is thought to be easier to learn than Jiu Jitsu, but both arts have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Boxing is typically thought to be easier to learn because it uses more basic punches and kicks than Jiu Jitsu. However, Jiu Jitsu is more effective in a fight because it allows its practitioners to use joint locks and chokeholds on their opponents.
In a fight, a practitioner of boxing may find himself overpowered by an opponent who knows how to use Jiu Jitsu techniques effectively.
Ultimately, it depends on the individual what style of martial arts they feel most comfortable with. While both boxing and Jiu Jitsu can be effective for cardiovascular exercise and self-defense, Boxing the other hand is much superior for cardiovascular exercise.
In fact, many people learn and add boxing to their routine, just to stay fit and healthy.
Boxing is a fun exercise that burns around 1000 calories – which is highly effective for cardio. If you are trying to overcome obesity then I would highly recommend you to start boxing as exercise and do at least a 30 mins session per day.
You can gradually extend up to 1 hour or 1 and a half hours as well. Keep in mind that don’t force yourself over the limits and try to get as much comfortable as possible, your muscles will take time to stretch so be patient.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which Is More Popular?
Right now, Boxing might be quite popular in the United States. However, due to the recent surge in UFC and fighters like Charles Oliveira, Brazillian Jiu Jutsu is getting all the recognition it needs to shake the world with its deadly moves and self defense techniques.
If I were to talk about which one is more popular, I’d say that Boxing is more popular just because it has been around for hundreds of years. And BJJ seems like a very complex discipline of Martial Arts, that’s why people try to avoid it and hence, there’s not a lot of surge in its popularity.
Jiujitsu is currently less popular than boxing in the US – but it’s rising in popularity due to fighters in the UFC.
Boxing Vs Jiu Jitsu: The History
The History of Boxing
Boxing has a long and storied history that goes back to the late 1600s. It started from the ancient Greek history to early London fist fighting and today, it is one of the most popular form of fighting sports that anyone can learn and watch.
You’ll see everyone from professional players to YouTuber boxing rise up in the 21st century. It is a multibillion dollar commercial enterprise. From Mohammad Ali to Floyd Mayweather, our generation has seen a lot of awesome players that have rose from nothing to everything. Boxing helped them build their career and leave a legacy.
The History Of Brazillian Jiu Jutsu
Mitsuyo Maeda was one of the best groundwork expert in Japan and he left Japan in 1904 to visit a couple of countries and pass on his teaching that he learned from Kano Jigoro.
He accepted challenges from all types of wrestlers, boxers, and fighters. After arriving in Brazil in 1914, and people were very impressed by the talents and versatility that Jiu Jutsu gave them.
This is how Jiu Jutsu came into Brazil and became of the most popular fighting methods.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both martial arts are ideal for self defense in their own scenarios. Even if a lot of people agree on BJJ being the superior in self defense, I can’t totally agree with them.
The main area where Brazillian Jiu Jutsu shines is when an opponent is on ground. Hence, in order to take them down, they will need to do a lot of effort both in taking them down and then making the opponent submit.
Boxing is great for offense and defense but due to the main flaw being wrestling and grappling itself, many street fights with boxing abilities can get you on the ground instantly. However, the part that everyone loves about boxing is that your hands will be the fastest and the they are also pretty safe when you’re fighting.
For self defense, Boxing might be easier, however, for self defense, Brazillian Jiu Jutsu is more effective if we talk about actual techniques and making your opponents tap out. Both have their used cases but boxing is easier to learn and BJJ can take years into mastering.
