{"id":19644,"date":"2023-06-27T13:33:34","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T18:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rollingaroundbjj.com\/?p=19644"},"modified":"2023-07-01T11:54:04","modified_gmt":"2023-07-01T16:54:04","slug":"bjj-vs-krav-maga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rollingaroundbjj.com\/bjj-vs-krav-maga\/","title":{"rendered":"BJJ vs. Krav Maga (Which Is Better?)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu may not have much in common but are often compared because they are advertised as great self-defense systems. So how do they stack up to each other?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krav Maga is a system for self-defense without any sports element. It includes all forms of striking, grappling, and weapons use. It is a practically oriented system designed to teach you real-life hand-to-hand combat. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling martial art with a strong self-defense element in its traditional form, but today it\u2019s more popular as a highly competitive sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Krav Maga specializes in self-defense, efficiency in the real world is the most critical aspect of comparison. Still, we will look at all the important details differentiating BJJ and Krav Maga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What Is BJJ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling martial art focused on ground fighting and submissions. It has no striking in its sports version and limited striking in the original form, which was created for self-defense and no holds barred fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BJJ was adapted from judo, jiu-jitsu, and catch wrestling<\/a> which was brought as Kano Jiu-Jitsu in the 1920s to Brazil by a Japanese fighter named Mitsyuo Maeda. Maeda started teaching, and brothers Helio and Carlos Gracie, among other practitioners, gradually focused their attention on the ground fighting<\/a> element and created the style we know today as BJJ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rose to prominence after Royce Gracie of the Gracie family won the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993, defeating practitioners of various martial arts and showing the martial arts world the importance of grappling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, BJJ is governed by several big organizations with millions of practitioners worldwide and a well-developed sports scene. Some academies still teach self-defense, while others focus more on using jiu-jitsu in MMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What Is Krav Maga<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Krav Maga is a self-defense system established by the Israeli Defense Forces to train military personnel in hand-to-hand combat. Krav Maga employs instinctive techniques, fierce counterattacks, and a no-holds-barred mentality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imi Lichtenfeld, a boxer, athlete, and martial artist born in 1910 in Bratislava, Slovakia, invented Krav Maga. As anti-Semitism grew in the 1930s, Imi headed a group of Jewish boxers who safeguarded their neighborhood from violent anti-Semitic attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This battle experience taught him which martial arts methods were genuinely beneficial in a real-life fighting situation. This inspired him to create a fighting method known as “Contact Combat,” or Krav Maga in Hebrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imi finally fled Europe and settled in what would become Israel in 1940. He eventually became Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) School of Combat Fitness, where he taught Krav Maga until his retirement in 1964.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krav Maga is now taught not only to the IDF but also to law enforcement and civilians worldwide by organizations such as The International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF) and Krav Maga Global (KMG), amongst others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Differences Between BJJ and Krav Maga<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"krav<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Principles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than everything, Krav Maga is a set of principles rather than a regimented martial art. Here are some of the main principles as they are presented on the Krav Maga Worldwide website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Identify the immediate danger.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Use your body\u2019s natural reaction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Defend and counterattack simultaneously.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. When counterattacking, aggressively target vulnerable areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Techniques must be effective regardless of size or strength.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    All training and techniques in Krav Maga must follow these principles. The system was developed for military use, and even the civilian versions aim to deal with violent attackers as quickly and efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Brazilian jiu-jitsu uses the principles of mechanical advantage and leverage to assure domination on the ground. The core principle is first to obtain a dominant position from which it’s easier to control the opponent and then apply a submission. Submissions again use the principles of leverage and body mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The most important principle in BJJ<\/a> is maximum efficiency with minimum effort, which loosely means technique over strength and agility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/a>Techniques<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    BJJ<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Brazilian jiu-jitsu excels at ground fighting, and most techniques are performed on the ground. A key concept is positioning, meaning you must always aim to acquire a position from which you can control the opponent, like mount or back control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The unique aspect of BJJ techniques<\/a> are the guards, which are used to control and attack an opponent when you are on the bottom. In most grappling sports being on your back means you are losing, but in BJJ, the guard is a dangerous position offering many offensive options and is even preferred by many players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    BJJ uses submission holds to force opponents to submit or face dire consequences. BJJ submissions include chokes, joint locks, and other painful holds. Each can lead to loss of consciousness or serious joint or soft tissue damage if the opponent does not tap, so you can control an opponent or hurt him badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Krav Maga<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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