Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Karate are popular martial arts rooted in strict self-defense discipline. Their philosophies of discipline and self-improvement mirror each other.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the art of grappling, focusing on control and submission. Karate, on the other hand, is a Japanese martial art that means “fighting with empty hands.” It focuses on quick, powerful strikes or punches and counterstrikes.
In this article, we will compare styles, techniques, and training methods and decide which combat sport or martial arts would best align with your goals.
History and Development
The influence of Japanese martial arts is evident in the shared roots of karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). However, BJJ disciplines evolved along different paths.
Karate remained deeply rooted in its traditions, preserving its techniques and principles. Today, it is regarded as a discipline for self-development and spiritual practice, emphasizing its philosophical and spiritual aspects.
Origins of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an evolved form of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. It was adopted in Brazil after Jiu-Jitsu master Mitsuyo Maeda taught students, who later modified it to focus on practical combat.
The Gracie family refined these techniques, creating a style unique to BJJ.
Much later than karate, BJJ became more popular in America in the 1990s to 2000s. It especially attracted audiences with MMA organizations emerging from the early 1990s.
Origins of Karate
Karate is a traditional martial art that originated in Japan with hints of Chinese martial arts and roots that go down to the indigenous Japanese fighting techniques known as “Te.”
Karate’s philosophies continue to thrive in modern practice, emphasizing self-discipline and spiritual growth.
While its techniques, such as empty-hand strikes and light-touch movements, remain traditional, karate’s core values have stood the test of time. In the 1970s and ’80s, Karate was well-known to American children and young adults.
Today, karate is highly respected for its mastery of self-control and personal mastery teachings.
Key Differences & Similarities: BJJ vs Karate
If you’re deciding between BJJ and Karate for self-defense, understanding their similarities and differences can help you make an informed choice. Consider where they overlap and assess your current martial arts progress. Then, focus on the differences to identify which aligns with your goals—whether it’s your self-defense philosophy, preferred techniques, fighting style, or training approach.
Self-Defense Philosophy: Karate vs. BJJ
Karate’s philosophy is deeply rooted in self-defense, focusing on mastering one’s behavior, controlling emotions, and excelling in unarmed combat. It aims to build the discipline to defend without weapons, relying on empty-hand strikes.
Meanwhile, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu centers on making an opponent yield, with submission as a key principle. The techniques in karate and BJJ would shape how you train and determine the skills you’ll focus on in each combat style.
Fundamental Techniques: Striking vs Submission
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques, aiming to control and make opponents submit. Karate emphasizes hand combat, using strikes and punches as the focal point of self-defense.
Grappling and punching are both devices of empty-hand combat, giving us the impression that they are alike and can be easily compared. However, there is a stark contrast in how they approach fights and what structures or techniques they use.
Main techniques and focus in BJJ
- Submissions: The basic submission techniques are armbar, triangle choke, and guillotine choke.
- Position Techniques: The key positions are guard, back and side control, and mount.
- Sweeps: Sweeps are fundamental to grappling. Some basic sweeps include the scissor sweep and the flower sweep.
- Escapes: Fundamental escapes would include bridge and roll escapes.
Main techniques and focus in Karate:
Karate’s core techniques can be summed up as three fighting elements: strikes, blocks, and sparring, or Kumite, and a form of exhibition called Kata.
- Strikes: These are fighting forms using a direct approach to attacking the opponent and a defense mechanism to counter a strike.
- Blocks: These are another defense mechanism to lessen the impact of strikes or to defend by not letting the punch and strikes fall on you.
- Kata: It is a non-opponent fighting form and a single sports form. It is a segment of Karate that exhibits sequences of stances and movements designed to showcase mastery of forms. Competitors in Kata forms are highly regarded for demonstrating precision, balance, and power, reflecting discipline in combat.
- Kumite: This is the aspect of martial arts where sparring takes place or the live practice where strikes and blocks are applied in actual self-defense.
Fighting Styles: Fluid Flow vs. Linear Movement
Choosing between BJJ and Karate regarding fighting styles would mean differentiating fluid forms from linear movement.
BJJ Fighting Styles: Fluid and Adaptive
BJJ emphasizes continuous movement, adapting techniques based on an opponent’s actions. This approach focuses on creating opportunities through transitions between positions.
- Close-Range Engagement: BJJ’s fighting style is centered around grappling, takedowns, and ground control, focusing on neutralizing an opponent through joint locks and chokes.
- Pressure and Control: A core aspect of BJJ is applying controlled pressure to dominate positions like side control, mount, and back control while systematically seeking submissions.
- Counter-Responsive: Practitioners respond dynamically to their opponent’s moves, turning their energy and momentum into opportunities for sweeps, reversals, or attacks.
Karate Fighting Styles
Contrary to BJJ’s adaptive, yielding movements, karate is stiffer and has linear direct striking. Karate’s techniques are comparatively straightforward. But it’s combined with force, speed and strength to heighten it’s impact.
- Linear and Explosive: Karate uses direct movements and is often delivered in explosive strengths, keeping a straight line. Strikes aim for quick, decisive outcomes.
- Striking at a Distance: Unlike BJJ’s close-range engagement, Karate practitioners maintain distance to deliver effective punches, kicks, and strikes while avoiding grappling scenarios.
- Kata-Based Foundations: Karate’s techniques follow pre-arranged forms or patterns of techniques (katas), reflecting the blend of tradition with modern applications.
- Interception and Defense: Karate styles focus on intercepting attacks with blocks and counterstrikes, aiming to disable the opponent swiftly without prolonged engagements.
Training Principles
The way BJJ and Karate approach training their students is vastly different. While a Karate student might relate to a BJJ student in terms of wearing a Japanese-style kimono or uniform (Gi), the forms, techniques, and strategies they learn will be more different due to the distinct structures of each style.
Basic Forms and Drills
Basic forms are the fundamental, repetitive skills that help develop movement patterns and build a student’s muscle memory.
BJJ: BJJ learners are required to practice grappling drills, commonly referred to as “rolling.” These are live sparring sessions where students are matched against each other to test their skills. Drills can be practiced in groups or individually during class. These exercises focus on familiarizing students with body positioning, angles, and distance control.
They progress to live sparring, known as “rolling,” where they face realistic grappling situations, improving reflexes, timing, and adaptability in combat.
Karate: Karate practitioners train in both kata (forms) and kihon (basic techniques) before progressing to kumite (live sparring). These practices are applied at all levels, with the goal of continuous improvement in power, precision, and discipline at each stage of development.
Uniforms and Belt System
Both BJJ and Karate utilize a uniform and belt ranking system. The structure and criteria for ranking through belt colors, as well as the use of specific uniforms, clearly reflect the influence of Eastern martial arts traditions.
BJJ: BJJ has two ways to structure progression via Gi vs No Gi and Belts
- Gi: Influenced by Jiu-Jitsu, the Gi resembles a kimono and includes a colored belt system to indicate rank.
- No-Gi: Although the belt system is still applied, it does not involve wearing a kimono, and techniques are adapted to account for the absence of fabric.
- Belt progression: In both styles, a student’s progression is merit-based, measuring and identifying a practitioner’s level of technical skill, knowledge, and mastery by how effectively techniques are applied during sparring.
Karate: In all forms, Karate practitioners wear a kimono that is distinct from the one used in BJJ. The Karate kimono is lighter and features shorter or smaller sleeves. A belt ranking system is also applied. Karate follows a structured syllabus, focusing on learning kata, kihon, and kumite in sequence.
How to Get Balck Belt: Karate vs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Earning a black belt in BJJ versus Karate involves different processes. While both use belt colors to signify rank, Karate typically has more color categories. BJJ, however, often requires more years to achieve a black belt, with striped patterns indicating higher levels or ranks along the way.
BJJ: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu typically requires more years of training for a grappler to achieve a black belt, although it has fewer belt ranks to progress through than other martial arts.
This system encourages students to remain committed and consistent in their training.
Achieving a black belt in BJJ typically takes 8-12 years of dedicated practice, including
consistent live sparring. The black belt has multiple ranks, and practitioners who achieve this level often contribute to the BJJ community by teaching and sharing their expertise.
Karate: A Karate black belt can typically be achieved within 3-5 years and involves progressing through 8-10 levels (kyu and dan degrees). Karate has more belt colors, and reaching the black belt or dan level is often faster due to the straightforward nature of the requirements. Achieving this rank involves passing rigorous tests that evaluate proficiency in kata, kihon, and kumite, along with demonstrating a deep understanding of Karate’s philosophy.
Tournament and Sports Rule: How to Get Points in BJJ
Points in BJJ competitions are awarded for achieving dominant positions (e.g., mount, side control) or executing successful sweeps and takedowns. Submissions end matches immediately, regardless of the score.
How to Get Points in Karate
Karate competitions score points based on controlled strikes, punches, and kicks to specific target areas. Points are awarded for precision, timing, and technique, with matches often ending when a competitor reaches a set point total or time limit.
Conclusion
The bottom line isn’t about deciding whether BJJ or Karate is the superior sport. Instead, it’s about comparing their similarities and differences to help practitioners focus on what aligns best with their goals and values in martial arts. Depending on where you are in your journey, both offer valuable lessons. BJJ provides practical, adaptive combat skills, while Karate offers a more traditional approach, emphasizing discipline, precision, and the potential of empty-hand combat in striking and self-defense scenarios.