Having the skills and confidence to defend yourself and your loved ones is something many people desire. Many styles and systems claim to be the best, but few live up to the hype. BJJ and Krav Maga are frequently chosen by people who want to learn self-defense but have very different approaches and training methods. So which one is better?
Krav Maga is a self-defense method with no sports element, whereas BJJ is a martial art and grappling combat sport. Despite this, BJJ is better for self-defense because the training includes daily sparring and training against resisting opponents, whereas most Krav Maga schools focus only on pre-arranged drills.
But this short statement is far from exhaustive, and there is much detail to go into for both BJJ and Krav Maga, so let's dive in and see what these popular styles have to offer.
What is BJJ?
The grappling art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is highly technical and intricate, using techniques, body mechanics, and the concepts of leverage to control and submit opponents on the ground.
The central tenet of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that by using superior positions and techniques like joint locks and chokeholds, a smaller, physically weaker person can effectively defend themselves against a larger, stronger opponent.
BJJ is great at close-quarters combat because, unlike other martial arts, it focuses solely on grappling and positional dominance rather than striking.
BJJ began to take shape in Brazil after judo and jiu-jitsu expert Mitsyuo Maeda relocated to the South American nation in the 1920s to compete and teach, and his most influential students became the Gracie family.
By concentrating on the ground game instead of the standup wrestling and judo focus on, they created their own style that eventually became known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Of the many martial arts that are practiced today, BJJ is among the most popular. The art was initially created for self-defense and no-holds-barred combat but gradually evolved into the grappling-only style we know today.
What Is Krav Maga?
Krav Maga is a close combat system developed for the Israeli military that has evolved into one of the most popular civilian self-defense styles.
Krav Maga emphasizes efficiency and aggression while attempting to teach people practical skills as quickly as possible.
Krav Maga, which translates as "close combat" in Hebrew, dates back to the 1900s. Imi Lichtenfeld created it in Czechoslovakia pre-World War II. Imi was a skilled wrestler, gymnast, and boxer with extensive competitive experience.
He was forced to use his skills in real life to assist the Jewish community during a time when they were persecuted and targeted.
Imi immigrated after WWII ended and Israel was established, and he was instrumental in developing the military fighting system known as Krav Maga.
The system created for lethal use gradually spread to the civilian population, and the style transformed to be more appropriate for real-life scenarios, eventually becoming highly around the world.
Key Differences Between BJJ and Krav Maga
Rules and Objectives
Key features and rules of sports BJJ
- BJJ is a grappling sport with no striking allowed
- The goal of BJJ competition is to win through submission or positional superiority
- 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. The number of banned and permitted submissions varies by ruleset and skill level.
- Matches are contested on an open mat, similar to wrestling
- There are various rulesets like gi, no-gi, and submission only
Key features of Krav Maga
- Krav Maga does not have a sports element and thus no rulesets
- The style is entirely focused on real-life application
- The mindset taught in Krav Maga is all-out aggression and maximum efficiency
- There is huge variability in what schools teach
Techniques
BJJ has an extremely diverse set of techniques. Standup wrestling is part of BJJ matches, with takedowns and throws derived straight from wrestling and judo.
However, BJJ's expertise is ground grappling, and there is an almost endless number of techniques. They fall into a few major categories:
- 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.
Krav Maga does not have its own set of techniques as it's more of a system rather than a style like other martial arts. Since there are no rules, everything from all aspects and ranges of combat can be used.
This includes all kinds of strikes to all targets, including the eyes, groin, and neck, which are usually off-limits in martial arts. Wrestling and grappling techniques from many martial arts are also used in Krav Maga for close-range fighting.
What further distinguishes Krav Maga from martial arts like BJJ is the weapons training. All Krav Maga schools also teach offense and defense with common weapons for a street fight like knives, bars, sticks, and guns.
Equipment
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is traditionally practiced while wearing a BJJ gi. The gi is made of a heavy cotton top and pants. This uniform may be gripped and manipulated during wrestling.
As far as protective gear goes, you'll usually only need a mouthguard.
BJJ's alternative style is known as no-gi, and many people now refer to it as submission grappling. No-gi uniforms include a BJJ rashguard and BJJ or fight shorts.
The rashguard is not mandatory like the gi is in traditional BJJ, but it is highly recommended. A rashguard is a form-fitting garment usually made of synthetic materials.
The rashguard protects the skin from friction with the mat and skin-to-skin contact. Good rashguards are made of materials that provide an extra layer of protection from skin infections, which are all too common in grappling styles.
Another advantage of rash guards over ordinary t-shirts is that the elastic and tight body fit keeps the rashguard out of the way during grappling, reducing the possibility of a finger or toe becoming entangled.
BJJ shorts provide the best experience in combat sports. They are light and elastic and are meant to not restrict movement in any manner while minimizing the chance of injuries.
The required equipment and clothing can vary depending on the type of Krav Maga classes you attend.
Some schools demand that you wear a uniform, usually a club t-shirt and loose pants, but most places have no "dress code" for training, and any type of athletic clothing will do, with MMA gear being the most comfortable choice.
For protective equipment, the list is similar to what you will use in MMA. Again, depending on the school and the sparring policies, you may not need everything listed below or need more protective equipment like elbow and knee pads.
Here is what you will need for Krav Maga in the general scenario:
- Boxing gloves
- MMA gloves
- Shin Guards
- Headgear
- Groin guard
- Mouth guard
- Athletic clothing (ideally rashguards and MMA shorts)
- MMА shorts
Krav Maga does have weapons training, which includes various mock guns, knives, and sticks, but the gym almost always provides them, so they are not something you will need to buy yourself, just like you don't bring your own punching bag if you train boxing.
Training and Practice
There is a distinct difference between the training methodologies of jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga, which determines their actual effectiveness and practicality.
BJJ: Rolling for mastery
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training is centered on mastering grappling techniques and understanding the principles of leverage and control.
A typical BJJ session begins with warm-ups, followed by drills to practice specific techniques, and concludes with live sparring, referred to as "rolling."
While there are different approaches to positional sparring and drilling techniques, every BJJ academy usually has live sparring every session, and the overall class structure is similar wherever you go.
This hands-on approach allows practitioners to apply learned techniques against resisting opponents in a controlled environment.
This is how the art evolved so quickly to dominate most other styles and how it continues to evolve rapidly.
The live training and rolling against a fully resisting opponent on a daily basis is the quickest way to learn how to apply the techniques in competition or in real life.
Krav Maga: Some hits and many misses
On the other hand, Krav Maga training is not as streamlined as in BJJ. Krav Maga does not have a set curriculum, techniques, or competitions, so every school is free to do what the instructor pleases and can still be labeled as Krav Maga.
This has led to the creation of countless Krav Maga academies, which have very little in common with each other. You may come across a school where the instructor may have a background in aikido background, kickboxing, or karate, or if you are lucky, he may have MMA experience.
The training methods will reflect the instructor's background and skillset.
The vast majority of Krav Maga schools do not have live sparring or it's very limited or pre-arranged.
From what I've seen, the training often resembles MMA training with striking drills, grappling drills, and a lot of pad work and heavy bag training, but without the sparring.
There is also weapons training, such as knife defense and gun disarming. Also common are drills of responses to common attacks in muggings and assaults.
However, I've seen videos of some rare Krav academies which look impressive. They employ live sparring in training, and ideally, the sparring is done in a way more reminiscent of real fighting and not a sporting contest.
But what sets the wheat from the chaff is doing situational live sparring. This means simulations of common real-life scenarios such as fighting against multiple opponents in close quarters, less-than-ideal lighting, and many others.
BJJ vs Krav Maga: Effectiveness in Self-Defense
Despite the sole intention of Krav Maga to be the ultimate self-defense system, BJJ is much better in real-world practicality.
In reality, Krav Maga isn't particularly effective for self-defense. The issue comes from the training methodology. The only way to learn how to fight and utilize your skills against a resisting opponent is to frequently test your skills against a resisting opponent.
Without sparring, training against real resistance, and being punched, kicked, and choked, you will never be able to respond adequately when these things happen in real life.
Most Krav Maga schools do not practice sparring or pressure testing. Many also teach genuine nonsense that, if used against a real knife or gun, will get you killed quite fast.
If we are honest, even with proper training, the chances of getting out unharmed if assaulted with a weapon are razor-thin.
But even in unarmed fighting, Krav Maga does not provide proving grounds for the techniques and tactics it teaches. With no reality check in competition or sparring, every technique and strategy can seem effective.
While many Krav Maga schools lack sparring, some elite institutions offer situational live training, making it a powerful choice for self-defense when taught effectively.
These select few places that do regular sparring and extensive situational scenarios can be considered the best places to learn self-defense.
BJJ was also created for self-defense, and the traditional tactics and approaches work excellently. Using technique and body mechanics through grappling is the best way a smaller person can overcome a physically much stronger opponent.
Modern sports jiu-jitsu is definitely not as effective since the lack of striking has created a very different approach that is hardly applicable to situations when striking is allowed.
Even so, an experienced BJJ practitioner is well equipped to handle many situations and most potential attackers, even if the style has some flaws like the lack of striking and the danger of going to the ground in a street fight,
If you are really focused on learning BJJ for self-defense, you should look for academies offering self-defense-focused classes. These classes are not too common but are much better suited for the purpose than regular jiu-jitsu classes focused on competition.
BJJ and Krav Maga For MMA: Sports vs Combat
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has carved out a significant space in the world of competitive sports. Its focus on grappling, submissions, and positional control has made it a cornerstone of MMA and has a very well-developed competitive scene as a separate sport.
The structured rules in BJJ tournaments prioritize technique, strategy, and sportsmanship, creating an environment where practitioners can test their skills in a controlled, respectful setting.
In stark contrast, Krav Maga is not a sport but a combat-focused system designed for real-world self-defense.
Training in Krav Maga is tailored to prepare practitioners for unpredictable scenarios, such as multiple attackers or confined spaces, where quick thinking and decisive action are critical.
The absence of competition limits the appeal and popularity of Krav Maga for many people who want to engage more fully with their chosen style.
On the other hand, others prefer the real-life focus and do not want to dedicate their time to mastering a style limited by rules, even if it's proven to be a practical one.
Should You Do BJJ Or Krav Maga?
Choosing a martial art to dedicate to is always a personal choice that has to be made after careful consideration of the available options and how they relate to your individual preferences and circumstances.
But I believe BJJ is the better choice in most cases. The only scenario where Krav Maga is better is if you have access to a legitimate school where the training methodology will develop realistic fighting skills.
If you can attend such a school and your priority is self-defense, Krav Maga is the right choice.
BJJ surpasses Krav Maga in all other cases. It is a well-developed style with specific techniques and universal approaches everywhere you go.
It has one of the strongest communities in all martial arts, and the style is the most welcoming to people from all walks of life and at all physical levels. And in most cases, it is actually more effective for self-defense.
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