Martial arts offer a path to fitness, discipline, and self-defense. But when faced with two iconic styles like Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu BJJ, which one is right for you? Let’s dive into their origins, techniques, and benefits to find out.
What is BJJ?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling martial art and combat sport emphasizing overpowering opponents on the ground using technique, leverage, and body mechanics. BJJ is noted for its methodical approach to ground fighting, which uses various positions to set up fight-ending submissions.
As the name implies, BJJ originated in Brazil, and the most significant contribution can be accredited to the famous Gracie family. Mitsyuo Maeda, a Japanese judo and jiu-jitsu instructor, traveled to Brazil in the early twentieth century to instruct students and compete in challenge matches.
His most renowned students were brothers Helio and Carlos Gracie, who absorbed Maeda's skills, focused extensively on ground fighting methods, and gradually developed the style known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
BJJ has been refined and polished over a century of training focused on live sparring and no-holds-barred fights.
With the birth of modern MMA, jiu-jitsu received widespread prominence and is today one of the central pillars of mixed martial arts.
It is essential to distinguish between the different types of BJJ that are popular today in order to better appreciate their advantages and disadvantages when compared to Taekwondo.
The original martial art, now commonly called self-defense jiu-jitsu, emphasizes the most effective and safe techniques for defeating an opponent in a fight with no rules.
BJJ for MMA is similar in terms of striking, but there are some modifications to address the absence of a gi and the inclusion of other variables, such as MMA gloves and the cage.
The most popular variant nowadays, however, is sports BJJ. This type of jiu-jitsu is grappling only and is one of the most widely practiced martial arts with an ever-growing community.
What Is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean striking martial art and an Olympic sport. It is a fast-paced striking style that relies nearly entirely on kicks. Taekwondo kicks are fast, powerful, and varied, with some truly impressive jumping and spinning attacks being the most defining characteristic of the style.
The term "taekwondo" comes from the Korean words "tae," meaning "foot," "kwon," which translates as "fist," and "do," meaning "way." Together, the phrase might be interpreted as "the way of the foot and fist."
Taekwondo was developed in the 1950s as a fusion of many Korean martial systems practiced throughout the generations.
The first recognized taekwondo school was formed in Korea in 1955, and the martial art grew in popularity worldwide over the next few decades, particularly after it was added as a demonstration sport to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The sport has been a full Olympic event since the 2000 games.
Today, there are two types of Taekwondo: the Olympic sport known as Olympic Taekwondo and the ITF.
Aside from popularity, the biggest distinction is that ITF allows punches to the head but not full-contact strikes. At the same time, Olympic Taekwondo has these two rules reversed- head punches are banned, but full-contact strikes are permitted.
Key Differences Between BJJ and Taekwondo
Rules and Objectives
Key features and rules of sports BJJ
- Sports BJJ is a grappling-only competition, and no striking is allowed.
- Matches can be won through submission or points.
- Submissions are painful joint locks, chokes, strangulations, and other positions forcing the opponent to tap.
- Points are scored for completing takedowns and sweeps and gaining dominating positions such as mount, back control, side control, and knee to belly.
- Match lengths range from 5 to 10 minutes to 20 minutes in some pro events.
- Matches are contested on open mats
Key features and rules of Olympic Taekwondo
- Striking only, no grappling.
- Only punches to the trunk protector are permitted; no punches to the head.
- The rules allow full contact striking
- A contest can be won by knockout or more frequently on points
- A match consists of 3 rounds of 2 minutes each.
- Punches to the body score 1 point, whereas kicks score more depending on the target and quality. Kicks to the head are more effective than kicks to the body, and spinning kicks outperform conventional ones.
Techniques
BJJ Techniques- Human chess
Positions and submissions are at the heart of BJJ. Jiu-jitsu takes pride in being a precise art emphasizing technique rather than strength and power.
This is accomplished through a variety of positions, each of which allows for different submission holds and control of the opponent.
The guards are the most distinctive positions in BJJ, as they are utilized to defend and control the opponent while being on the bottom, which is usually considered a terrible position in fighting.
Unlike other grappling sports where being on your back means you've lost, BJJ guards play a key role in the game and are not only for defense but also provide the opportunity to finish a fight while being on the bottom.
Here is a brief rundown on the available techniques of BJJ in a more streamlined format:
- Positions- Guards, side control, mount, back mount, and turtle. Each position further has some variations.
- Guard passing- These techniques involve passing the opponent's guard and gaining a dominant position, such as side control or mount.
- Sweeps and reversals- Techniques that allow you to reverse a position from bottom to top.
- Submissions- The fight-ending techniques include joint locks, air chokes, strangulations (blood chokes), and spine and neck cranks.
Taekwondo techniques: Speed, power and acrobatics
Taekwondo is almost entirely centered around kicking. The only punches allowed in the Olympic ruleset and to the truck protector and they score the lowest of all possible strikes.
Low kicks are also banned in competition, leaving kicks to the body and head the only viable weapons. For this reason, taekwondo fighters are masters of side and roundhouse kicks.
However, the most characteristic strikes are the jumping and spinning techniques. Since the rules award flashy techniques the most, competitors are incentivized to use them, resulting in visually entertaining and fast-paced matches.
Equipment
Traditional Uniforms
One of the few similarities between BJJ and Taekwondo is that they require traditional uniforms. The BJJ gi consists of a thick cotton jacket with long sleeves and trousers, with a colored belt representing rank.
The taekwondo uniform is known as a dobok. The gi and dobok are derived from the Japanese kimono, but the two uniforms' material, thickness, and design are quite different.
No-gi BJJ
Brazilian jiu-jitsu has another substyle known as no-gi, which, evidently by the name, does not use the gi.
Instead, grapplers wear skin-tight rashguards and BJJ shorts. The rashguard is essential for safe and comfortable BJJ training because it protects the skin from mat burns from friction with the mats, other people's bodily fluids, and skin diseases.
BJJ shorts are essentially the same as MMA shorts. They are light, flexible, with side slits to allow full mobility and do not have pockets and metal and plastic parts.
As for protective gear, the only mandatory piece in BJJ is the mouthguard.
As with any other demanding hobby and sport, jiu-jitsu fosters a sense of belonging in its practitioners, and many want to represent their style outside of the gym as well. This is where other apparel comes into play.
The market offers many comfortable and cool-looking BJJ hoodies and BJJ t-shirts, often with club and team insignia. Grapplers can wear these in everyday life or when doing strength training, showcasing affiliation, or simply their love for the art.
Taekwondo gear
On the other hand, Taekwondo requires an extensive list of protective equipment used in tournaments which includes:
- Head guard
- Mouthguard
- Chest guard called a hog
- Shin pads and foot socks
- Hand gloves
- Forearm guards
High-level taekwondo tournaments use electronic hogus, foot socks, and head protectors, which accurately register hits and make scoring easier and far less disputable.
Belt System
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Taekwondo use a structured hierarchy system represented by colored belts, with each color indicating the wearer's rank. This establishes a clear hierarchy and specific goals for all practitioners.
While the fundamental ideas are similar, the system for awarding belts and the number of grades differs significantly between jiu-jitsu and Taekwondo.
Taekwondo: A Spectrum of Colors, A Faster Path to Progress:
The two largest taekwondo organizations, the WT and the ITF use slightly different belt systems. They both categorize practitioners into two groups: junior and senior. The junior ranks are referred to as "geup" and the senior levels as "dan".
The groups in World Taekwondo (the Olympic form) go from 12 to 1, and the colors that represent them are white, yellow, orange, green, purple, blue (jr. and sr.), brown (jr. and sr.), red, junior black belt, and finally black.
Then you start moving up the senior dan rankings, which are all black belts with stripes. The system is identical in ITF, but the groups are ten rather than twelve, with fewer colors.
To advance in rank the Korean martial art, you must complete a formal test in which you will perform predetermined forms, techniques, physical exercises, and sparring rounds appropriate for your rank.
These tests are frequently given several times per year, and if you train consistently, you can quickly advance up the ranks.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: A Grueling Climb Through Five Rigorous Ranks
BJJ has fewer belt colors than Taekwondo, and how they are obtained differs significantly.
The BJJ ranking system has only five belt colors: white, blue, purple, brown, and black.
Then, once you've earned your black belt, you can begin to work your way up a degree system that goes all the way to ten, similar to the dan system in Taekwondo, Karate, and other martial arts.
There are no formal tests or specific requirements for BJJ practitioners to fulfill before getting a higher-ranked belt. Promotions are exclusively chosen by the instructor.
There are some broad criteria you must follow at each rank, but they might vary from gym to gym, and most instructors prioritize conceptual and behavioral growth above perfecting specific techniques.
This style of promotion, combined with the mindset of the early masters, makes the BJJ system one of the most difficult to climb through, with most people spending years at one rank before getting promoted to the next.
Competitive Scene
Taekwondo and BJJ's appeal is in no small part due to their well-developed competitive scenes and emphasis on sport.
While this erodes practicality by shifting the focus from all-around combat to finding ways to win under a specific set of rules, competitions provide practitioners with specific goals, a pressure testing ground, and attract the interest of casual spectators.
BJJ started as a sport in Brazil in the 1970s, but it really took off in the 1990s when it spread in the United States.
The resulting rise in the number of practitioners, organizations, and locations where you could train and compete has been phenomenal, and numerous countries on all continents now have a BJJ competitive scene.
On the highest end of the scale, traditional gi BJJ is still strictly governed by the IBJJF, whereas the ADCC is considered the peak of no-gi submission grappling.
Over the last decade, a new type of professional-level event has emerged, with a structure comparable to MMA and boxing.
Organizations such as Polaris, Metamoris, EBI, WNO, and others are bringing submission grappling to the forefront of combat sports, and the sport is on the verge of becoming mainstream.
Taekwondo, on the other hand, is a significantly older sport, having been a complete Olympic event since the Sydney 2000 games.
As a result, the sport is extremely popular and competitive, and some countries provide government funding for national teams similar to boxing and wrestling.
Taekwondo lacks a professional competition scene, but it thrives as an amateur sport, with numerous continental and international championships building up to the Olympic Games.
While their competitive formats highlight different skills, their application in real-world combat sports like MMA adds another layer of comparison.
BJJ vs. Taekwondo For MMA
While BJJ is no longer the dominant force in modern MMA, it is still an important component of the game.
According to famed MMA instructor Firas Zahabi, you may not win by submission in MMA, but you will almost certainly lose by one if you do not know BJJ. Based on that logic, BJJ is far more important than Taekwondo for MMA.
Groundwork is an essential aspect of fighting, and jiu-jitsu is often regarded as the best ground fighting system.
Taekwondo also is not without success in the cage. Many top-level fighters have used their incredible flexibility, athleticism, and range management developed in Taekwondo to succeed in mixed martial arts.
Still, Taekwondo is much more limited and situational for MMA, than BJJ, which remains a cornerstone of every fighter’s skillset.
BJJ vs Taekwondo For Self-Defense
BJJ: S-tier self-defense martial art
As a martial art intended for self-defense and tested numerous times against real opponents, BJJ is a clear winner in terms of self-defense application.
A core tenet of BJJ is that by using superior skills, a smaller and weaker person can defeat someone with much more formidable physical qualities, making BJJ an excellent self-defense tool for a very broad group of people.
Another reason BJJ is so popular as a self-defense system is because it equips you with the skills to dominate or submit a person without causing serious injury, saving you the legal trouble you are likely to face if you knock out someone on the street.
BJJ also has some real-life application flaws, which have been repeated to death but still deserve mentioning. First, going on the ground in a street fight is rarely a good idea because the opponent may have friends who you are left defenseless against while entangled.
Secondly, the complete lack of striking in sport jiu-jitsu leaves grapplers vulnerable to punches and kicks. Yes, a grappler usually can take down their opponent, but some situations require more basic solutions like the trusty jab-cross combination.
Taekwondo: Highly situational practicality
Taekwondo, on the other hand, has certain self-defense applications, but its value is very situational.
The lightning-fast kicks and ability to quickly cover distance may be ideal for a fight in a wide-open area where a swift attack and equally fast escape is the best solution.
However, relying on head kicks for street confrontations is not a good idea, and Taekwondo's lack of meaningful punches and any grappling leaves too many gaps for the style to be considered a good all-around self-defense tool.
BJJ vs Taekwondo: Which is Better for You?
I would suggest most people reading this post to pick BJJ for multiple reasons.
The martial art is very effective for self-defense and can serve as a transition to MMA, both of which are big pros if you are after learning practical fighting skills.
The BJJ community has also grown immensely thanks to the welcoming nature of the style. It requires less physical attributes than most others and people at all ages and fitness levels can and enjoy training BJJ.
In the typical BJJ academy, you will see kids, working people of all ages, and even some in their retirement years, something highly unlikely to see in a boxing or MMA gym.
BJJ is somewhat unique in another way. It allows daily live sparring and even full power rolling without being busted or beaten like in striking martial arts.
This is not only the fastest way to develop applicable skills, but it's also more engaging compared to repeating pre-arranged drills.
Taekwondo also has its merits and is an excellent style for some people. The curriculum is perfectly organized for kids, and the style is perfect as a first martial art.
It's fast-paced, dynamic, and engaging while being relatively safe. It teaches many of the traditional values typical for martial arts, which is why many parents choose it for their children.
However, getting in as an adult is not as easy. You will need a lot of speed, dexterity, and mobility, and if you haven't developed those earlier in life, starting Taekwondo in your 30s or even 20s will not be easy.
In conclusion, both martial arts have advantages and flaws, but BJJ is more practical and easier to get into (but harder to master), and nowadays, it's more readily available with more and more gyms all around the world.
Ultimately, whether you choose Taekwondo's explosive kicks or BJJ's methodical grappling, the journey in martial arts is about growth, perseverance, and self-discovery. Why not try both and see which suits you best?
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