Judo Vs Jiu Jitsu: Which Is Better?

The hottest question in the grappling world has always been judo vs BJJ, which martial art is the better one? To answer this question we have to take into account the uniqueness of each martial arts and how effective each of the techniques is in real fight situations. Only if we have attained enough knowledge in the field then we can pick the winner of jiu jitsu vs judo. Keep in mind that all martial arts are useful in general, even those that are “questionable” in the first place. But we are specifically looking to compare judo vs jiu jitsu

Many people do not know what Judo is and what is Jiu Jitsu/BJJ (Brazillian Jiu Jitsu) as well as the difference between Judo vs Jiu Jitsu. Two forms of combat sports and martial arts are both originated from Japan which is famous for its martial arts roots. Let’s take a brief look at the history of the martial arts in question.

History of Jiu Jitsu

Jiu Jitsu came from feudal Japan approximately 500 years ago and comes from some older roots, but focuses on the feudal battlefield of Japan. As a side note, Japanese samurai carry swords (long Katana and short Wakizashi) and often carry a knife (Tanto) as well. On the battlefield they wore hardened armor, but outside the battlefield they wore Japanese traditional kimonos, and still carried swords.

In addition, Jiu Jitsu has some special techniques for example when they are on the battlefield, if you lose a sword and someone comes to you, you have several options you can use. Of course, punching is not the right choice because of armor, so doing a throw to the ground becomes a more effective option. Then your tosses can be completed with your knife. Furthermore, if you do not have a knife, you can do a “lock” together.

While outside the battlefield, you could be in a small space where sword-making is not a practical thing or even you have no chance at all to draw your sword. If that happens, there are many ‘release’ techniques of grabbing hands and clothes taken while standing and sitting. The reason is your attacker will often effort and take your hand or fore of your clothes to keep you from drawing the sword. So, take control of your body and then moving away to remove your weapons or directly paralyze them with a key is a useful technique.

History of Judo

Actually, Judo refers to martial art which is discovered by the founder of  Jiu Jitsu in the late 19th century. The founder is Jigoro Kano who promoted the sports form throughout his life. In 1964, Judo was introduced into the Olympic Games as art form with no aggressiveness, but with thorough commitment and hard work. In addition, Judo’s has focused to use opponent’s strength and momentum against them, which uses less effort and more balance. Remember that this is a practical and philosophical principle. Jigoro Kano takes the techniques that fit his principles, and perfects and improves them.

The term Judo is divided into Japanese characters:Ju-gentle and Do- the way

Judo Focus on the throw to the ground that comes from the realization of appropriate battlefield example. Once you’re on the ground, you’re almost done. Plus, a good throw to the ground that is often required to paralyze your opponent, at least enough to escape. As Judo evolved deeper into the sport, the focus on throwing and submissions increased.

History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)

Then, around the 1900s, many disciples of the prof. Kano traveled the world and taught judo to land in Brazil. The most famous Kanor disciple is Mitsuyo Maeda, who teaches Gracie’s children. Two of his most famous disciples, Carlos and Helio, once again perfected the Kano judo technique which then focused on ground combat (choking, joint locks, and reversals, or sweeps). And then their philosophy is focused on two main teachings:

  1. Almost all the fighting ends on the ground.
  2. With proper techniques and leverage, smaller people can overcome bigger and stronger opponents.

After that, BJJ became more popular throughout Brazil. It comes from this country and can be called as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. According to the skillfulness, it is still considered as a part of Judo, but the name of judo was not caught until many years later and at that time, BJJ developed into its own art form. Those are known as a sport similar to judo, and eventually spread all over the world because of UFC and the Gracie family.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / BJJ vs Judo

This is the hottest debate, which one is better? In my opinion we have to give BJJ the nod because in terms of which one is more effective, someone that is a master in BJJ will know a thing or two about Judo, whereas a master of Judo often does not know how to finish the fight on the ground (Because the ruleset in Judo is not submission). On top of that, the BJJ practitioner of today is supplementing their submission skills with the ability to take the opponent down using wrestling techniques. Obviously someone that is good in Judo AND BJJ is the ideal fighter, but if you had to choose only one then go with BJJ. So if someone asks: Brazilian jiu jitsu or judo? You already know your answer.

Jiu Jitsu vs Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

In my opinion, this is not a good comparison because Jiu Jitsu in itself is a complete martial art that teaches everything while BJJ mainly focuses on grappling, specifically submitting people on the ground. Therefore there is no clear winner in this area because it is not a good comparison in the first place. But if you put a gun to my head I will say that BJJ is the better martial art overall.

Judo vs Jiu Jitsu

Very similar to the previous post. The difference between judo and jiu jitsu is just too vast and therefore makes this one a very poor comparison because Judo is a grappling based martial art where the objective is to take your opponent to the ground and pin them for several seconds, where Jiu Jitsu is a complete martial arts system. No comparison should be made here, but I will learn Judo if there is no BJJ gym near my area.

Brazilian Jiujitsu Strategy (BJJ)

This BJJ was developed from the ground-fighting aspect of judo. The Brazilian jiujitsu fighters see the initial throw as a suffix, and they can not reach the opponent. After both fighters are on the ground, the Brazilian jiujitsu fighters have an extensive repertoire of land battle techniques, allowing him to easily talk to the others.


The rules of each sport encourage the use of different, more sophisticated strategies. Judo cares very solid as an ippon, or an immediate victory, while the Brazilian jiujitsu rivalry only gives points, depending on the quality of the throw. The victory in the BJJ is usually obtained by the surrender of the opponent so that the fighters will remain on the ground for as long as necessary while working for detention. It is possible to win by surrender in judo, but if the surrender can not be done quickly by any of the fighters, they will be asked to retreat and continue from there. Compared, the rules of strategy determination of the fighters.


The culture of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is also different from judo. In an interview with Helio Gracie, Discoverer of Japanese jiujitsu, Japanese judo practitioner Nishi Yoshinori saw Brazil as “reckless.” Gracie had just admitted that she needed surgery after one of her attacks. He later admitted that he did not die after choking unconscious in another match. Gracie was the pioneer of a dangerous Brazilian “vale tudo” fights, where all the techniques were allowed.

So history and difference between Judo vs BJJ are commonly known. hopefully this article useful and help you to understand and understand the form of Japanese art and martial arts sports. so from the above description, which form of sport do you think is most interesting and needs to be learned? is it Jiu Jitsu, Judo, or BJJ? you guys who will decide and know which one is best for you.


In terms of effectivity in real combat situations, BJJ is hands down the best martial art that you can learn. Because you will be able to end the fight quickly and safely without injuring anyone (hopefully). Compared to Judo or even traditional Jiu Jitsu this is much better because you don’t have to spend too much energy and risk by trying to strike or take your opponent down, you just wait for them to take you down and then submit them. When it comes to self defense remember to Strike hard, Strike first, No mercy!