Boxing vs. Jiu-Jitsu
Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu are two different martial arts disciplines with distinct philosophies, technique sets, and rules. Both styles offer practitioners a wide range of physical and mental benefits while offering them an effective means of self-defense. However, when it comes to which style is better for a particular situation or confrontation, the answer may depend on many factors.
In this article, we’ll compare the two disciplines in order to help you decide which one is best suited for your needs.
Table of Contents
What’s the Difference Between Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu?
The major differences between boxing and jiu-jitsu are the technique utilized in combat. Jiu-Jitsu is based on manipulating the opponent’s force against oneself rather than simply confronting it.
Jiu-Jitsu uses a variety of techniques to defeat an opponent, including throwing, takedowns, leg sweeps, pins, joint locks, chokeholds, strangulation, gouging, biting, hair grabbing, disengagements, striking, and kicking, as, on the other hand, boxing is strictly focused on striking and using punches to incapacitate the opponent.
In addition, jiu-jitsu (advanced level) makes extensive use of traditional Japanese weapons, such as knives, weighted chains, knuckle-dusters, and so on.
Which Is Easier to Learn?
Any individual can learn both Jiu-jitsu and boxing, but it’s just fair to say that you can become proficient with a few months of boxing training, well enough to handle yourself in a fight.
Would you like to know how to master Jiu-jitsu? Then you must use your guard against your opponent, overthrowing the opponent without being taken down yourself.
Further, you must learn the different submission methods and use all the potential of leveraging your adversary’s own weight. All that may take you a few years to master.
With the British method of jiu-jitsu, you will also understand how to throw effective and strong punches. However, another vital skill developed in boxing is the capability to read the move of your opponent to prevent the blows: by continuously moving around the ring and making fast head moves, evasions, and deflections. Still, you will not be learning much about grappling techniques and kicks.
Meanwhile, jiu-jitsu will teach you only the fundamentals of deflecting and throwing punches, and distance control will not be a thing you will hear much in jiu-jitsu training.
Is Jiu-Jitsu Better Than Boxing?
Jiu-jitsu works better when it comes to impromptu fighting conditions. It’s typical in street fights where you use grappling with bringing the opponents to the ground. This martial art came into existence to protect yourself from a potential attacker.
Learning jiu-jitsu offers you an opportunity to curb the distance from the opponent and let yourself get rid of an attack.
A vital point, which makes boxing fall behind jiu-jitsu when it comes to self-defense is that boxers mainly depend on first strikes. Even a beginner can overthrow you with thoughtless punching.
Is Jiu-jitsu Safer Than Boxing?
Unlike other styles of high-impact martial arts, jiu-jitsu is a lot safer than boing. There’s no striking in this style of martial art, so there’s a smaller chance for serious injuries such as broken noses, head trauma, and others. That makes the injury rate lower than in boxing, judo, mixed martial arts, and others.
However, keep in mind that jiu-jitsu is a lot safer than most other forms of martial arts, but it does not indicate people do not get injured.
Boxing vs. jiu-jitsu for self-defense
If you had to pick between jiu-jitsu and boxing in a one-on-one encounter with an attacker, what would you pick? It’s more likely better to know jiu-jitsu. It is an excellent fighting style that excels at a one-on-one fight and enables you to protect yourself from someone bigger than yourself.
An attacker who is not familiar with jiu-jitsu will be out of their element, especially through the use of takedown techniques, joint holds, and grappling. Further, many untrained attackers will know how to throw punches and have put no thought into ground fighting.
Jiu-jitsu falls on their face when dealing with numerous attackers. Indeed, you may get one of them to the ground to choke them out but dripping to the ground when there are other attackers is not a good idea.
That’s where boxing would offer you a better chance. It will protect you against numerous attackers by letting knockout punches be delivered in short succession. Boxing will offer you more chances to defeat all of them, given you are a similar size to your opponents.
Boxing vs. jiu-jitsu for a street fight
Boxing lessons will not teach you methods to grapple. If you have to face a sudden street fight, only using your fists won’t be enough to defeat your opponent. Further, you also don’t learn how to throw kicks in boxing, which is a deficiency when we talk about self-defense measures.
Throwing kicks at moments of attacks could be a lifesaver, but boxing doesn’t make you learn that. In extreme scenarios, you might get your hand broken while hitting your head’s opponent. That has been the case even with expert boxers who have suffered from serious hand injuries.
Jiu-jitsu doesn’t depend on striking, such as boxing, but it makes you learn how to grapple, offering you a big advance when you have to encounter an instant fight. That can help you defeat your opponent without hurting them.
Boxing vs. jiu-jitsu for fitness
When it comes to boxing, jiu-jitsu is an excellent workout. Its warm-up drills might look a bit like what is done in CrossFit classes. You need to do as many repetitions as you under a certain time, combined with exercise that builds coordination, balance, and localized muscles. There are sparring exercises too.
Nonetheless, are you searching for more intense cardio? The boxing could offer you a run for it. Boxing does not only involve sparring, but it has demanding and long warm-ups too.
Boxing vs. jiu-jitsu: equipment
During training, boxers wear boxing gear that includes: boxing gloves, protective boxing gear, such as headgear, mouthguards, hand wraps, etc, and boxing Apparel, such as professional boxing shoes, boxing shorts, etc.
The only drawback here is that none of those will be available during a real fight, leaving you at risk of injury, especially your hands.
On the other hand, in jiu-jitsu, there is the use of dedicated jiu-jitsu gear, such as jiu-jitsu gi, jiu-jitsu rashguards, jiu-jitsu mouthguards, jiu-jitsu gloves, and more.
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