Which Martial Art Is Better for Self Defense… Judo or BJJ ?

This question comes up so often and is very polarizing. Everyone has an opinion based on their own experiences.

I have been fortunate enough to train both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with some incredible instructors.

I don’t believe that there is a single right answer here.

Should you train BJJ or Judo?

It depends on the specific gym, the instructor, the other students, and the individual that is thinking about training.

These probably matter much more than the art itself in this case… and because a wide variety exists in all these variables and what may suit you may not be the best for many others.

It depends a lot on you because if you don’t like the training or are training at a place where you are often injured due to poor safety standards then you won’t get good enough to use the techniques in a self defense situation.

Judo for Self Defense

My Judo instructor, the late Vince Tamura, was very ‘old school’ and taught his family’s style of jujitsu as well as Judo in a pretty well rounded curriculum that still predominately focused on competitive Judo for the most part.

I don’t think the self defense techniques were all that necessary to allow any of the Judoka I trained with to defend themselves against an attack.

The throws, conditioning, and the groundwork would give you a huge advantage in a fight over an opponent that likely knows nothing in the grappling area either stand up or ground.

There is a little less variation in curriculum between Judo schools, but it’s still very variable depending on the coach.

Judo tends to really stand out in the clinch/throwing department.

There’s more to Judo than throws though as I mention below.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for Self Defense

Restating the idea above, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu may be the best art for you.

It depends.

As far as self defense goes, the greatest danger is when you are in close combat – not when you’re throwing punches at each other while at a distance.

If you aren’t in the clinch already you are likely able to get away in most situations… or you can very likely get there quickly.

In close combat, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner is going to have a huge advantage over the average person.

The specific Jiu Jitsu school curriculum does matter to some degree.

If the training is too focused on competition techniques without covering basic foundational Jiu Jitsu techniques then it might not be quite as effective… even so, the average sport focused BJJ practitioner will have a big advantage in close combat over most attacks.

If there are no clinch or takedown techniques it might not be ideal for self defense.

I haven’t done a formal  survey of BJJ schools, but I would guess the vast majority teach some stand up grappling to varying degrees.

Judo or BJJ for Self Defense

The reality is that both martial arts are likely to help someone be able to defend themselves for a variety of reasons.

• These are both grappling based martial arts that will give you skills in close range combat where the vast majority of the public have no technical skills.
• Both martial arts are generally trained against a resisting opponent giving the practitioners a more realistic type of training where the practitioners have to develop strategies that work in a real situation.
• These arts tend to push your fitness, conditioning, and balance which will give you an advantage over the vast majority of people that do not train and are out of shape.
• Both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will help practitioners develop mental toughness and perseverance through constant challenges that will help you in a self defense situation when things may get tough.

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu

Texarkana is a small town. We don’t have a separate Judo gym here.

My own gym, Texarkana Jiu Jitsu, trains a good amount of Judo in our Jiu Jitsu class.

At my school, Texarkana Jiu Jitsu, we spend a significant amount of time on takedowns in our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes although not as much as the average Judo school.

This time is vastly more than the individual you are likely to fight in a self defense situation has in stand up grappling… and more than the average BJJ school.

The ground matters, a lot, particularly for women’s self defense who in the worst scenario will be put on their back against likely a bigger, stronger male… but the ground matters for everyone that gets in a fight.

Mostly to be able to get up or sweep from the bottom, as well as being able to dominate in the top position.

Coach Marc Hagebusch