BJJ

Why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the Best Martial Art For Self Defense?

why-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-is-the-best-martial-art-for-self-defense

You must have heard somewhere that for your self-defense, you should learn martial arts. There is no doubt that learning martial arts will help you defend yourself in many dangerous situations, such as street crimes. But the question is, which martial art should you learn? Which martial art is the best for self-defense? This is the actual question. Different people might have different opinions on this question. Some say that Muay Thai is the best. Others think Mixed Martial Arts, and still others think that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best martial art for self-defense. This article will solve your confusion by answering this question. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best martial art for self-defense. Don’t believe? Let's discuss the top reasons that make this beautiful art the best for self-defense. We will discuss with logic and facts to make your confusion clear.

1. Top Reasons Why BJJ is the Best Martial Art For Self-Defense

The following are the reasons that make BJJ the best martial art for self-defense.

1.1 You Become Confident in Street Fights

The first reason is that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu makes you confident. Well, you might be thinking, what’s the relation of confidence to defending yourself? The relation is clear. Without confidence, you can’t even speak properly, how can you fight? Confidence helps you think clearly and makes you ready for bold actions. What actions? The actions you need to take to defend yourself against street crimes. You will eventually be able to do street fighting more effectively. You will be more able to defend yourself in such fights. That is the first thing that makes BJJ perfect for your self-defense.

1.2 Extensive Sparring Sessions

The second reason is that Jiu Jitsu gives you extensive sparring sessions. In many martial arts, you don't even have sparring sessions at all, and in BJJ, we do have a lot of sparring sessions, and it's a lot of time every day in the training session. So, for example, if you do Jiu Jitsu consistently, you are probably sparing like 30-45 minutes every session, or even more, or a little less. So over time, that adds up a lot. If you think about all other martial arts, many of them don't even have sparring sessions, and the ones that do, it's not for a very long time.


We are talking about the average person and not professional athletes. But, for example, you cannot do kickboxing and do sparring for 45 minutes if you are just a regular person who has a regular job and you are over 40 years old, or something like that, but in Jiu Jitsu, you can. In Jiu-Jitsu, you can be 50 years old. You have a family. You have a regular job and you do sparring every day for 40 minutes, or 45 minutes. So Jiu Jitsu has this extensive sparing session that over time adds up a lot and gives you a lot of like baggage. It boosts a lot of your confidence, and your knowledge is increased from those sparring sessions.

1.3 BJJ Gives a Realistic Approach to Fighting

The third reason is the very realistic approach that Jitsu gives to you leading up to this sparring session. So, because you do so many sparring sessions, you have this very realistic approach to fighting. Because if you think about a Jiu-Jitsu sparring session, only punches and kicks are not allowed. Everything else is pretty much allowed. So you get that sense of how to fight against another human.

1.4 BJJ Teaches You How to Control People

Another reason is that you learn how to control people. Many martial arts don't teach you that. They teach you how to punch. But even though they don't have as many sparing sessions, you don't really learn how to control humans. You know, you don't really learn what the places are where you have to control the other person. Make sure that the person cannot attack you.

1.5 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Teaches Your Leverage Technique Over Strength

The other reason is that Jiu Jutsu teaches you leverage and techniques to use over strength. So it doesn't matter if the other person is way stronger than you. If you really learn Jiu Jitsu, you learn how to use leverage and technique against that person. So, the person who is way stronger than you, you are not going to feel that just because you have leverage and techniques.

1.6 Jiu Jitsu: A Very Comprehensive Defense System

The sixth reason is that Jiu Jitsu is a very comprehensive self-defense. So, for example, you learn how to take down your opponent. You learn how to get on top of your opponent. You learn how to pin them. You learn how to escape from strangles. You learn how to attack and choke them. So you learn how to escape from those situations, and depending on the place you train, maybe you even learn a little bit about punches and kicks. Like, there are some self-defense classes in the Jiu Jitsu class that teach you learn the very basics about punching and how to get out of the punch and go for the double leg and things like that. So you learn a little bit of that as well. You get a little sense of what it would be like to use BJJ as self-defense in a fight.

1.7 BJJ Increases Your Mental And Physical Strength

The seventh reason is that you get a lot of mental and physical strength. So if you do jiujitsu, you're going to notice that you're getting some mental strength in your mind because so many times you get put in uncomfortable positions and you have to handle those positions before you escape. So it really builds a lot of mental strength because all the time you are in bad spots, and you have to get out of those bad spots. You are also going to develop strength. So, most of the people who do jiu jitsu consistently end up getting really strong. It is very common to see Jiu-Jitsu guys with six packs just because you're constantly using your entire body against another human. So that is another factor as well.

1.8 BJJ Promotes Adaptability

The eighth reason is adaptability. When you do jiujitsu, you learn to adapt to all types of environments because, for example, sometimes you are like 150 lbs and you're training with a guy who's 250 lbs. So you have to adapt your whole game for that situation. Sometimes you are 250 lbs, and you are training the guy who is 130 lbs, and you have to adapt to your game as well. Sometimes you have never done Judo before, and you are training against the guy who is a blackbelt in Judo, so you have to adapt your game to that situation. Same thing with wrestling. So Brazilian Jiu Jitsu really helps you to become adapted to any situation, and when you are talking about self-defense, that's exactly what you're talking about. You don't know what is coming, so you are going to need to adapt to whatever is coming.

2. What if You Have to Fight Against Multiple Guys?

The disclaimer is that it's very important to understand why Jiu Jitsu is very good for self-defense, but what the cons are as well. The big cons that you should be aware of are that if there's a group of people trying to fight against you, there's a chance that Jiu-Jitsu is not going to be the best weapon because Jiu-Jitsu is kind of like a one-on-one type of thing. You are going to take that person down, or maybe you are going to go to the person's back, or maybe you are just going to control the person. But if there is a group of people that is going to be hard, but at the same time, like any other martial arts, it would be hard against seven people or against 10 people, for example. In some cases, the best self-defense is to run. If there are seven people trying to catch you, then running might be better than trying to fight them.

3. Other Best Martial Arts For Self-Defense

There are also other martial arts for self defense that you can consider for learning. The best among them is Muay Thai. After BJJ, Muay Thai is widely considered the best martial art for self defense. Other than BJJ, Muay Thai, Krav Maga is also considered one of the best self defense martial arts.

4. Last Words

It also depends on personal choices, likes, and dislikes. You may like other martial arts better. You should go for that. However, the best thing to do is to start with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Because you will be able to learn the techniques easily without the risk of getting injured. There is definitely a risk for you to get injured while training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but it is much less than in other martial arts such as wrestling. So start with BJJ, then move to other martial arts like Muay Thai and Krav Maga. You will eventually become better with time at learning self defense for yourself.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

5.1 Enlist the Top Three Best Martial Arts For Self Defense.

The best martial arts for self defense are the following:

  • Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

  • Muay Thai

  • Krav Maga

5.2 What is The Best Martial Art For Self Defense?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is often considered the best martial art for self defense.

5.3 What is The Best Martial Art For Self Defense For Women?

Women can also start learning BJJ as it is the best self dfense martial art for women.

5.4 What is the Best Martial Arts Combination For Self Defense?

The best martial arts combination for self defense is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Krav Maga. These are also the best martial arts for street fighting. 

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