This post will help someone trying to decide on a suitable martial art for them and specifically Krav Maga vs BJJ, which to choose and why.
The main factors to be looked at in deciding between Krav Maga vs BJJ that will be discussed in this post are:
- i) why you want to learn? (self defense or weight loss/staying in shape)
- ii) which is more accessible in your location?
- iii) your competitive nature
- iv) soreness and injuries from training
Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are two combat styles that have been around for decades.
They both have their own set of benefits, but which one is right for you?
Let’s consider which may be best for you, Krav Maga vs BJJ based on the 4 discussion points from above and hopefully you will be in a much better place to make an informed decision after reading this post.
Why do want to Learn? Krav Maga vs BJJ
There are several different reasons why anyone is interested in learning and training martial arts and really both Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are great options for just about anybody.
That being said everyone only has a limited amount of time, energy and finances to put into learning and training martial arts so it is often best to choose one and stick with it to get the most out of it.
i) Learning for Self Defense
If self defense is your main reason for considering Krav Maga vs Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then both these martial arts definitely provide great options.
That being said, overall, Krav Maga is more geared towards real life combat and self defense situations.
In just about all Krav Maga schools or academies, real life self defense is the main focus.
Many BJJ Schools Focus on Sport Rather than Self Defense
This is in comparison to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ where for many schools/gyms, the main focus is on the sportive aspect of BJJ.
In a lot of BJJ schools competition and competition techniques that focus on rules, weight classes, time limits and use of the gi or kimono is the main focus.
And such focus on sport competition in BJJ can be a valid reason for anyone to choose Krav Maga over Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when it comes to learning and training for self defense.
The main exception would be Gracie Jiu Jitsu which is the origin of today’s modern sport focused Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
From the outset Gracie Jiu Jitsu is focused on self defense and being able to defense yourself from a larger and stronger attacker.
ii) Learning for Fitness & Weight Loss
Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are both very effective martial arts to learn if you want to lose weight or stay in shape.
If you were to pick on over the other in terms of weight loss and fitness, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu would probably have the edge over Krav Maga in this regard.
BJJ Can Be More Effective than Krav Maga for Weight Loss
The main reason BJJ can be more effective for weight loss than Krav Maga comes down to calories burned and intensity of classes and training sessions.
BJJ classes are well known for being tough to get through from the start to the finish. Warmups in BJJ are notoriously tough and last from 15-30 mins and include a lot of calisthenics and BJJ specific full body movements that engage a lot of core.
By the end of warmups alone you should be sweating a lot and breathing hard.
But the most intense part of BJJ that Krav Maga doesn’t match up too well against is the sparring or rolling.
This is really where the heart rate can get elevated a lot and a lot of physical exertion takes place.
BJJ sparring or rolling is a part of just about every BJJ class and this is where your body and mind are pushed to near exhaustion.
The unpredictability of sparring makes BJJ so effective for weight loss and calorie burning as compared to the more common drilling of set moves and techniques found in self defense style Krav Maga classes.
A research study on the calories burned during a Krav Maga class, found that the participants in the study burned an average of 616 calories during their one hour Krav Maga sessions.
An estimate of the amount of calories burned during a typical Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class was around the 706 calories per hour mark. This was estimated based on a typical BJJ class consisting of:
- Stretching (1.81 x 175lbs) ÷ 60 mins x 5 mins = 26 calories for 5 minutes
- Calisthenics (2.43 x 175lbs) ÷ 60 mins x 10 mins= 79 calories for 10 minutes
- BJJ technique (3.25 x 175lbs) ÷ 60 mins x 15 mins= 142 calories for 15 minutes
- Rolling (4.87 x 175lbs) ÷ 60 mins x 30 mins= 426 calories for 30 minutes
Another key factor is the use of the gi or kimono in BJJ which also contributes to a lot of sweating!
The effect of rolling or free sparring is clear with the vast majority of calories burned during rolling which is a crucial part of any BJJ class.
Which is More Accessbile to You? Krav Maga vs BJJ
Another major determining factor could be how accessible training and learning facilities are to you in your current location.
Both Krav Maga and BJJ have become increasingly popular in recent years and so there are definitely a lot more gyms, schools and academies available around the world in comparison to 10 years ago.
However having the luxury of being close to both a BJJ and Krav Maga school is probably not something most people have unless you live in a large urban area where schools are set up to cater for a larger population.
Online Learning is Another Great Option to Incorporate
So again the martial art you choose can also depend to a great amount on what is accessible to you.
In my own personal experience, I wanted to learn BJJ but there are no accessible BJJ gyms so I took up Judo classes and signed up for online learning at Gracie University.
This could be an option for someone interested in KRav Maga with no classes available near you, you could take up the far more accessbile combat arts such as Karate or Boxing and inlude your own home training with online KRav Maga classsess too.
Either way if you cannot access live training and classes there is likely to be some form or similar martial art you can learn and include online training of either BJJ or Krav Maga as part of your weekly training.
But sometimes you just have to go with what is locally available to you in order to get the live training sessions you are after.
But learning completely from home via online learning is definitely an option, especially if you are more interested in the fitness and health benefit and learning a bit of self defense techniques on your own.
Desire to Compete
If you are interested in competition and wish to learn a martial art to be inovved in the sporting and competitive aspec then BJJ is definitely the option for you.
Currently there are no Krav Maga sanctioned competitive events. And a lot of the techniques in Krav Maga are reserved for self defense and even life or death situations. And as such they are unsuitable for combat sports competition.
BJJ Offers a Lot of Opportunities to Compete – MMA is also an Option
BJJ, espcially BJJ today is geared towards compeition.
A lot of gyms make their name and attract students by winning competitions and so competition is a large focus.
If this is your desire then BJJ is definitely a great sport for you to take up.
There are many opportunities to compete at all weight classes, male or female, kids competitions, Pro level and Masters level for older competitors.
Another viable option for many who take up BJJ is to compete in Mixed Martial Arts.
As BJJ is a major part of MMA, learning BJJ can eventually lead to competing in MMA and many of the top MMA competitors in the world today started in BJJ before moving on to competing in Mixed Martial Arts.
So in terms of fulfilling a desire to compete and to serve those who have more of a competitive nature BJJ is well suited more so than Krav Maga for these types of people.
Soreness & Injuries
Soreness from physical exertion especially when you are new is very common for anyone.
No matter how physically fit you are, when taking up something new it is likely you will suffer some soreness when you begin and before your body adapts.
However with BJJ, soreness is something that always seems present for anyone, even if they have been training for years.
Krav Maga also requires a good deal of physical extertion which also can result in regualr soreness.
However the rolling and sparring aspect of BJJ and the pure physical exertion involved in ground fighting, many would agree created a different kind of soreness from repetitive drilling of set techniques and self defense drills more common in Krav Maga.
Soreness & Potential for Injury is More in BJJ vs Krav Maga
Injuries are also far more common in BJJ, again due to the regular sparring and rolling that is a major part of all BJJ classes.
In this case if you work a physical job or even a desk job where a potential hand, wrist of finger injury could severely interfere with your normal job then BJJ is probably more risky in this regard.
If you are someone who really depends on having healthy hands i.e surgeon, musician, then the risk of injury is probably less in Krav Maga where regular hard sparring is not so common.
