Boxing and BJJ, two of the world's most popular martial arts today, appear to be worlds apart, and they are. However, they share some surprising similarities.
Today, when MMA dominates the combat sports scene and acts as the measure for all styles, boxing and BJJ play an equally important role.
Both are highly specialized systems that concentrate solely on one component of combat. Vastly different, but equally crucial for success in the cage.
In a one-on-one fight, BJJ wins most of the time since it is relatively simple to take down an unprepared boxer, and once into grappling range, the boxer is at the mercy of the grappler.
Of course, you can't predict every possible scenario. Still, we've seen time and again, especially in MMA, that if a fighter lacks, at the very least, average grappling ability, he is doomed once the battle hits the ground.
To develop a complete skillset, you definitely need both, but if you are wondering which one to pick first or dedicate yourself to, this article should provide some clarity.
What Is Boxing?
I don't think anyone reading this article may be unfamiliar with boxing, but here is a short introduction to the Sweet Science.
People have been trading fisticuffs and wrestling since before written history, and our earliest concrete evidence of competitive fist-fighting dates back to at least 3000 BC.
Boxing was a key component of the ancient Olympics and was also prominent during the Roman Empire. During these ancient days, the sport was much more brutal, as were the times, and boxers wore "gloves" made of hard leather, which could studded or even spiked with metal during the Roman gladiator games.
The goal of boxing is to knock out or outpoint your opponent using only your fists in competition with multiple timed rounds. The only strikes allowed are punches with the padded part of the gloves to the head above the waist.
Boxing has the most restricted ruleset amongst modern combat sports, which can be viewed as a downside, but it also makes boxers the best punching specialists by far.
Taking away most of the human body's arsenal encourages fighters to elevate what they can use to its pinnacle.
Boxing footwork, mobility, punching, and strategy are superior to any other martial arts that contain these elements.
What Is BJJ?
BJJ is a martial art that focuses solely on grappling and allows no strikes. Ground fighting is the specialization of jiu-jitsu, although standing wrestling is a part of the style.
The goal of BJJ is to control the opponent using leverage and body mechanics, ultimately applying a joint lock or chokehold, forcing the opponent to submit or face serious injuries.
The original jiu-jitsu was a Japanese martial art, but its exact history remains somewhat controversial. A popular notion is that the samurai used it to supplement their sword battle abilities, but there are contradictory sources, so take this with a grain of salt.
What is well documented is the development of Judo by Jigoro Kano, and judo is what BJJ sprang from.
Mitsuo Maeda, a direct disciple of his, traveled to Brazil in the 1920s and started spreading his judo and jiu-jitsu skills.
While he is not the sole person bringing his grappling skills to Brazil, his contribution is the most well-documented and likely the largest.
The now-famed Gracie family learned from him and shaped the martial art into what we know today as Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
While the Gracies were far from the sole originator and developer of this fighting style, their role in spreading and popularising BJJ in Brazil and worldwide is unrivaled by any other lineage.
BJJ has two distinct branches. The first is traditional jiu-jitsu, created for self-defense and mostly intended for use against untrained attackers or fighters from different styles.
Practitioners learn how to handle and incapacitate larger and aggressive attackers, as well as protect against all potential threats in a real-world setting.
In contrast, sports jiu-jitsu is significantly different. Competitions are grappling only, with no strikes permitted, and are regulated by a plethora of rules, just like most other combat sports today.
Key Differences Between Boxing and BJJ
Rules
Given their drastically different nature, boxing and competitive BJJ rules are completely different.
Here is a brief overview of the most popular rulesets of each. For jiu-jitsu, there are now quite a few different rulesets, but generally, the points below are valid for all of them.
Rules and Objectives Of BJJ
- The main goal is to submit the opponent. This can also be done from inferior positions, but the chief strategy for most of BJJ is to obtain a dominant ground position.
- A match can be won by submission or on points earned by getting into a dominant position or reversing a bad one.
- Submissions include joint locks, chokes, strangulations, and other positions painful enough to elicit a tap.
- The timing of the matches usually varies between 4 and 10 minutes, but on the professional level, this can extend to 20 minutes or even to no time limits where only a submission can end a match.
- No strikes are allowed.
- Matches are contested on an open mat area but within certain boundaries.
Rules and Objectives of Boxing
Boxing rules do not vary as much and are generally the same for all organizations and countries, except for a few minor tweaks and differences between amateur and pro boxing.
- The ultimate goal of boxing is to knock out the opponent or damage them enough so they can’t continue.
- Only punches with a closed fist to the head and above the waist are allowed. The back of the head and the kidneys are prohibited.
- Judges are scoring individual round. If no knockout occurs by the end of the allotted rounds, the judges scorecards determine the bout's winner.
- Boxing matches are contested in a square space called a ring.
- The rounds are 3 minutes each with 1-minute rest in between
Equipment
As with any sport, BJJ and boxing have specific equipment requirements for any practitioner to train and compete comfortably and safely.
Boxing is a high-impact sport, so most of the equipment is protective. The gear you would need to train in boxing includes:
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Boxing gloves (optionally different pairs for sparring and heavy bag/general training)
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Mouthguard
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Groin guard
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Headgear
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Hand wraps
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Shoes (basic trainers work, but boxing shoes are vastly superior)
- Comfortable clothes and ideally boxing shorts
BJJ does not involve striking, so there is much less protective gear to worry about. However, the uniform you need to wear is more specific. Traditional BJJ is practiced in a uniform called a gi, derived from the traditional Japanese kimono.
The BJJ gi consists of a heavy cotton top and pants. Outside of this, the only real protection you need is a mouth guard, but some people also use knee, elbow, and ankle sleeves.
In recent years, the no-gi version of jiu-jitsu has become increasingly popular, and more people likely train no-gi than gi BJJ.
As you might expect from the name, the gi is omitted and is replaced by another uniform, which includes rashguard and BJJ shorts, similar or identical to MMA and kickboxing shorts.
The BJJ rashguard is not mandatory but is highly recommended for a few reasons. A rashguard is a form-fitting shirt usually made from synthetic materials.
The purpose of the rashguard is to protect the skin from friction with the mat and skin germs, all common because of the extremely close-range nature of BJJ.
BJJ spats offer the same protections for the legs.
Another benefit of rash guards over regular t-shirts is that the attire's elastic and tight body fit ensures the fabric does not interfere with the grappling, and the chance for an accidental injury (like an entangled toe or a finger) is minimal.
Unlike the traditional gi, which can be grabbed and used during wrestling, in no-gi, you are not allowed to use and manipulate the clothing in any way.
Fight shorts also provide the best performance for grappling by being flexible and elastic enough to allow full mobility and by lacking pockets and any plastic and metal parts that can cause damage.
Techniques
Boxing has a very restricted set of allowed techniques, but don’t let this fool you into thinking the sport is simple.
There are only three main types of punches: straights, hooks, and uppercuts, and each has some slight variations based on range and use.
The small number of attack weapons means other strategies become highly important. Footwork, distance management, and timing are essential in boxing, even more so than in other striking arts.
Boxers are famous for their expert use of footwork, tactics, and ring craft in both offense and defense, turning high-level boxing into a supremely technical spectacle.
Yet again, BJJ sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. The amount of techniques is nearly limitless.
Starting on the feet, you will find all sorts of takedowns and throws, usually borrowed from wrestling and judo.
The ground is where BJJ truly shines, and the techniques there can and have filled up entire books, so encompassing them in a short publication like this is impossible. However, the main categories of ground techniques can be roughly separated like this:
· Positions - The main positions are guard (with an ever-increasing number and complexity of guards), side control, mount, back mount, and turtle. Each of them requires an entirely different skill set when you are on top or bottom.
· Guard passing - Techniques to overcome the opponent's guard and end up in a more dominant position like side control or mount.
· Sweeps and reversals - Techniques that allow you to reverse a position where you are on the bottom of an opponent and end up on top
· Submissions - These include joint locks, chokes (air chokes), strangulations( blood chokes), and spine and neck cranks. The list here is endless. Basically, every position you can put your opponent in that forces them to tap is a viable submission when in line with the rules.
Boxing vs. BJJ for Self-Defense
Both martial arts will be extremely useful for self-defense. Many believe BJJ provides the greatest self-defense skill set, but I disagree.
The realm of BJJ dominion is ground fighting, and this approach has obvious flaws in many situations.
First of all, crossing the striking distance and taking the opponent down is often more complicated than it sounds, especially if they have even a modicum of wrestling prowess.
Furthermore, the more obvious drawback of getting on the ground with an opponent is that you become almost defenseless against more attackers, and there is the possibility that the opponent has a bladed weapon.
With that said, jiu-jitsu is an extremely capable martial art for self-defense, as evidenced by countless videos and reports.
Having the ability to control someone on the ground is invaluable in most situations and gives you the ability to control someone much stronger and disable someone without causing severe damage, which then gets you into even more serious legal woes.
A few words about sports BJJ are also in order. The traditional version of the art is intended to be used in no rules scenarios, and the strategies reflect that. But in sports jiu-jitsu many of the positions and tactics can be called masochistic if the other guy can punch, kick, stomp, or elbow.
As for boxing, it has also been proven to be a deadly effective skillset for street situations. Punches are the fastest and the most risk-free strikes you can use, and boxers are naturally the most proficient punchers you may have the bad luck of facing.
But there is also a critical flaw- a lack of grappling skills. We've all seen what happens when a grappler can do once they get a hold of an untrained person, and it's not pretty.
All of this is to say that both have been proven without a doubt as effective fighting systems even in no-rules situations, but they also have limitations, so the best solution is to have at least some proficiency in both.
Boxing vs. BJJ for MMA
MMA is an entirely different game, with boxing and BJJ being essential components. The notion of BJJ's absolute superiority was destroyed decades ago after the first few editions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship when fighters learned how to defend against it, and once proficient grapplers from other styles entered the scene.
Even MMA fighters who specialize in submissions must acquire and apply a variety of additional abilities in order to successfully use their BJJ skills in the cage.
Boxing is also a good foundation for MMA, but it is not sufficient on its own. The flaws are many, and as essential as the style is for modern MMA, it must be heavily adapted.
Unlike more specific styles like Tae kwon do or karate, boxing and jiu-jitsu are mandatory subjects for every MMA practitioner, from the absolute novice to the seasoned pro.
Is Boxing Safer Than BJJ?
Any sport carries the risk of injury, but the inherent nature of fighting makes combat sports particularly dangerous. However, between these two, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the safer option.
Boxing will mostly spare you limb and body injuries, but the head is the main target, so you will inevitably get punched a lot.
And brain trauma is the most dangerous and life-altering injury you can get, and the chance of suffering from any brain damage is immensely higher in boxing.
This doesn't mean you will have CTE, get dumber, or anything of the sort if you train boxing.
The vast majority of practitioners and even pros do not receive lasting brain damage. But the danger is there, and every boxer, even casual hobbyists, must research the topic and make an informed decision about whether boxing is for them.
On the other hand, BJJ does not involve striking, so your brain is safe from harm, with an occasional head clash or an elbow or knee bump being the only danger for your head processor.
But make no mistake about it, BJJ is HARD on the body. As much as people like to label it "gentle art," once someone triangles with all of their force or tries to rip your shoulder out with a kimura, you'll quickly realize the gentle part is a beautiful lie.
The point of BJJ is to dominate the opponent, pin him to the ground and put their limbs in positions they are not designed to go.
BJJ needs extreme flexibility and strains the entire body. In that sense, you will most likely sustain far more injuries, both in number and variety, than if you trained boxing.
Boxing vs. BJJ: Who Would Win?
To summarize the initial claim, BJJ usually defeats boxing one-on-one. This is best demonstrated by the famous Renzo Gracie quote: "A boxer is like a lion, the greatest predator on land, but you throw him in the shark tank, and he's just another meal."
These theoretical fight assumptions usually get people mad, but the evidence of numerous street fights and an equal number of MMA matches point towards the superiority of grappling over striking, at least while these are the only skills the two combatants possess.
Choosing Between Boxing and BJJ: Which Is Right for You?
There is no clear-cut answer to this question. Each person will gravitate towards one or the other based on many factors, such as preference for striking or grappling, age, physical profile, cultural influences, convenience, etc.
The fact is that BJJ is more friendly to a much broader profile of people. There are people of all ages, both men and women, who can enjoy jiu-jitsu, and the BJJ gym culture is more welcoming.
Boxing remains more of a young man's sport, but this notion has been less and less true as more middle-aged people strap on the gloves and let out steam after work.
This article should give you a good introduction and food for thought about whether boxing or BJJ is a better fit for you. Whichever you choose, you will gain immense value if you train with intention and dedication.
One last piece of advice for those seeking a more complete fighting skillset is cross-training in both.
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