
When it comes to martial arts in Brazil, BJJ often takes the spotlight. However, it's far from the only native martial art that thrives in this culturally rich country. Among the many, Capoeira stands out, blending dance, acrobatics, music, and combat into a mesmerizing art form.
At first glance, BJJ and Capoeira seem worlds apart. One focuses on ground fighting and leverage, while the other thrives in rhythmic movements and fluid kicks. Despite these differences, their shared history and occasional clashes make them fascinating subjects for comparison.
So, how do these two martial arts stack up against each other?
What Is BJJ
BJJ is a grappling-based martial art that prioritizes effectiveness, control, and real-world application. It’s renowned for its intricate ground techniques and submissions, including chokes and joint locks. The art is built on the principle of overcoming opponents using leverage and technique rather than brute strength.
BJJ emerged in the early 20th century when Japanese judoka Mitsuyo Maeda introduced judo to Brazil. Under Maeda's mentorship, the Gracie family developed a unique system emphasizing ground fighting.
In the 1990s, BJJ gained global recognition when Royce Gracie dominated the early UFC tournaments, showcasing the art's effectiveness in real fighting.
Today, BJJ is a staple of mixed martial arts and boasts millions of practitioners worldwide. Its competition scene, with both gi and no-gi formats, continues to grow, solidifying its place as one of the most influential modern martial arts.
What Is Capoeira
Capoeira is a dynamic fusion of martial arts, music, and culture. Characterized by fluid, acrobatic movements, it blurs the line between combat and performance.
Practiced to the rhythm of traditional instruments and call-and-response songs, Capoeira is both a celebration of Brazilian heritage and a physical discipline.
The roots of Capoeira trace back to the African slaves brought to Brazil during the colonial period.
They disguised their combat training as dance to avoid punishment from their oppressors. Over time, Capoeira evolved into both a fighting art and a cultural expression.
During the 19th century, Capoeira was associated with street fighting and crime, leading to its ban. It wasn’t until Mestre Bimba established the first official Capoeira school in 1932 that the art was legitimized.
His structured teaching system, called Capoeira Regional, blended athleticism and self-defense with the traditional dance elements, creating the form most widely practiced today.
Key Differences Between BJJ And Capoeira

Capoeira and BJJ are quite distinct and would probably never be compared if they didn't emerge from the same place. As a result, the two styles have collided numerous times, making their comparison and rivalry inevitable.
Techniques
BJJ Positions and Submissions
There are almost no crossing points between the techniques used in BJJ and Capoeira. The ground is the domain of jiu-jitsu, where the principles of positioning, leverage, and body mechanics are employed to dominate the opponent on the ground.
BJJ has a wealth of techniques, but they can be generally categorized into a few groups:
- Positions: guards, side control, mount, back mount, turtle, leg entanglements. Each of these positions has variations, but they can usually be categorized into one of the main groups
- Guard passing- These techniques involve passing the opponent's guard to obtain a dominant position, such as side control or mount.
- Sweeps and reversals: Techniques for inverting a position from bottom to top.
- Submissions- Common fight-ending methods include joint locks, air chokes, strangulations (blood chokes), and spine and neck cranks.
Capoeira- A dance of kicks
Capoeira techniques encompass a variety of acrobatics and kicks, with a focus on the interaction of kicks and their evasion. Push kicks, crescent kicks, sweeps, and unique movements such as the L-kick and scorpion kicks are emblematic in Capoeira.
Movements like the Ginga (swaying stance) create a rhythmic flow, while acrobatic kicks like the media lua de compasso and martello demonstrate Capoeira's unique style.
All of this is done rhythmically, with specific stances and dance-like movements.
Competitions and Rules
In general, Capoeira is a game, not a sport, and there are only a few competitions with judges and winners. So, before we get into any rules, let me explain what a capoeira game or match looks like:
Capoeira is performed in a circle called a roda, where two capoeiristas perform movements of attack and defense in a rhythmic exchange.
The movements are accompanied by music played by a small ensemble of traditional instruments. The music also includes call-and-response songs that convey Capoeira's history, philosophy, and ethics.
The World Capoeira Federation (WCF) is one of the few organizations that has established formal rules for Capoeira competitions. In WCF events, practitioners perform under a points-based system where judges evaluate factors like:
- Technique: How well the movements are executed.
- Creativity: The originality and flow of the performance.
- Strategy: How well the competitor interacts with their opponent.
- Music and Rhythm: Staying in sync with the accompanying music.
These matches typically have light-contact rules, and competitors must maintain continuous movement, showcasing their agility, creativity, and technical skills.
On the other hand, BJJ is one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet, with a well-developed competition scene. There are various rules depending on the organization, uniform, and level of competitors. Here are the key points of BJJ competitions:
- Grappling only, no striking is permitted
- The goal of BJJ competition is to win by submitting the opponent or outscoring them
- Points are awarded for completing takedowns, reversing positions, and securing dominant positions like side control, mount, and back control
- Submissions include chokes, strangles, and joint locks. Depending on the ruleset and level of competitors some techniques are banned, with higher-level matches having fewer restrictions
- Matches are contested on an open mat with borders
- There is a distinct difference in the rules for gi and no-gi. In the gi, you can grab the uniforms and use them in grappling, while in no-gi, holding the clothing is banned
Equipment
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is typically performed while wearing a gi, similar to judo and karate kimonos. The gi consists of a thick cotton top and pants. The gi can be grabbed and manipulated during grappling.
In terms of protective gear, a mouthguard is usually the only thing you would need for BJJ practice and competition.
The alternate style of BJJ is known as no-gi. No-gi uniforms consist of a BJJ rash guard and BJJ shorts.
The rashguard is not mandatory, like the gi in traditional BJJ, but wearing one is superior to all other types of shirts you can wear for the purpose.
A rashguard is a form-fitting long or short-sleeved shirt, typically made of polyester mixed with a small percentage of an elastic synthetic material.
The rash guard shields the skin from friction with the mat and skin-to-skin contact. High-quality rash guards are made of materials that offer an additional layer of protection against skin infections and allergies.
BJJ spats are the lower body version of the rash guard to protect the legs.
Another advantage of rash guards over regular loose BJJ shirts is that the elastic material provides a tight body fit that minimizes the chance of getting a finger, a toe, or a limb entangled in the fabric.
BJJ shorts are generally the same as MMA shorts and provide the most comfortable fit for fighting. They are light and elastic, designed to provide full mobility in the legs and hips.
Capoeiristas also wear a uniform, albeit the details are not as strict as in BJJ since it doesn't play any role in the performance outside of providing comfortable movement.
The outfit consists of stretchable polyester pants known as abadas. On top, capoeiristas commonly wear a T-shirt with their training group insignia.
Capoeira requires no protective equipment, although wearing a mouthguard is always prudent.
BJJ vs Capoeira For MMA
There is little argument over which of the two systems is more effective in mixed martial arts.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a highly competitive sport, and daily training focuses on learning how to use the techniques in live sparring and competition against a fully resisting opponent, which is the primary factor in deciding how effective any martial art is in a fight.
While BJJ was once the king of MMA, it is now only one aspect of the overall game. Jiu-jitsu is a required skill for all fighters, but it is insufficient for success in mixed martial arts alone.
Even so, to this day, only wrestling has produced more MMA champions than BJJ, demonstrating the style's effectiveness.
Capoeira, on the other hand, is traditionally performed like a dance. Although the moves and kicks are powerful, landing one successfully in a fight is a rare and spectacular achievement.
Still, a capoeira-style kick can be devastating. The momentum built from the movements makes the kicks crushingly powerful, and there are more than a few MMA and kickboxing fights where capoeira kicks have produced highlight knockouts due to their power and unpredictability.
However, the only way Capoeira can be implemented in MMA is by a fighter well-trained in all aspects of MMA fighting, not by using it alone.
BJJ vs Capoeira For Self-Defense

The story regarding self-defense effectiveness of the two styles is identical to that of MMA. Jiu-jitsu is one of the best self-defense styles, thanks to the training methods emphasizing daily training against live resistance and its techniques and strategies.
BJJ prides itself on teaching practitioners to overcome great strength and size disadvantages through technique and leverage, which few styles can offer and perhaps none to the same extent.
Another sometimes overlooked benefit of jiu-jitsu for self-defense is the ability it gives you to subdue an attacker without necessarily harming them.
Unlike striking, where you must hurt the opponent to stop him, BJJ allows you to control and dominate without dealing damage, if that's what you want.
Capoeira is quite ineffective for real life fights on its own. There is no sparring or practicing against resisting opponents, and the entire game is more like a dance than a fight.
Nonetheless, capoeiristas have excellent distance management skills, are quick, powerful, and agile, and can handle most untrained people with some adjustments to the style and sparring.
After all, Capoeira has been used for real fighting not too long ago, so the potential can be uncovered with the proper training methods.
Who Would Win A Fight Between BJJ and Capoeira?
Currently, a BJJ practitioner would undoubtedly defeat a capoerista for all the reasons already outlined in the MMA and self-defense application sections in the article.
Unlike other stylistic style comparisons, there is plenty of historical real-world rivalry between these Brazilian styles.
In the early 20th century, BJJ and Capoeira competed fiercely for dominance in Brazil's martial arts scene.
As the Gracie family was refining BJJ, Capoeira was transitioning from its roots as a street-fighting art disguised as dance into a more formalized practice.
The two arts clashed frequently, usually in Vale Tudo matches, a precursor to modern MMA. In these no-rules fights, BJJ’s grappling often overwhelmed Capoeira’s striking, solidifying BJJ’s reputation for practicality.
However, Capoeiristas occasionally shocked their opponents with devastating, unpredictable kicks, proving the art’s effectiveness in certain scenarios.
Outside the ring, their rivalry extended into street fights and public challenges, fueled by cultural and philosophical differences.
By the mid-20th century, the rivalry faded as Capoeira embraced the artistic development and BJJ became a global combat sport. Today, the two arts coexist with mutual respect, often complementing one another.
Mixing BJJ And Capoeira
While Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Capoeira were fierce rivals in the past, today they can beautifully complement one another.
Practicing both arts allows practitioners to develop a unique skill set that blends Capoeira's athleticism, rhythm, and agility with the practical and efficient techniques and strategy of BJJ.
Capoeira enhances a BJJ practitioner's mobility, body awareness, and ability to manage distance, while its emphasis on rhythm can help improve fluid transitions between positions.
Conversely, BJJ provides Capoeiristas with realistic fighting skills, teaching control, submissions, and handling physical resistance and aggression.
This combination has been embraced by many, with athletes like Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles using Capoeira to refine their creativity and movement on the mats and advocating for the symbiosis of the two arts.
Similarly, children in Brazil often begin with Capoeira for its playful and cultural elements before transitioning to BJJ for its structured combat focus.
By training both, martial artists can gain a more complete and versatile skill set. Whether for competition, self-defense, or personal growth, blending these arts creates a unique balance of strength and creativity.
BJJ vs Capoiera: Which is Better?
The answer depends on your goals. For practicality and combat effectiveness, BJJ is the clear winner. It’s a proven system for self-defense, MMA, and competition.
However, if you’re seeking a martial art that celebrates culture, music, and movement, Capoeira is an unmatched experience.
In the end, why choose one? If you have the opportunity, try both and embrace the rich heritage they represent. Together, BJJ and Capoeira embody the spirit and artistry of Brazilian martial arts.