Difference between BJJ and Judo

There are many people who think that Judo and Jiu-jitsu is the same thing. This is not the case because these are two different types of martial arts. They may look the same and even sound the same to an average person but they must not be confused with one another. Let’s look at these two martial arts and understand their differences.

Historical Differences


Jiu-Jitsu is considered one of the oldest martial arts dating back to the times of the samurai. It was developed by these great warriors during the feudal period of Japan to give the samurai the ability to fight without weapons.

jigaro kanoJudo

The patriarch of Judo is considered to be Kano Jigoro. A small man, weak and frail, he was always picked on by those larger than him. He tried to find himself a Jiu-jitsu master at the age of 17 but had difficulty finding one. He eventually found Fukuda Hachinosuke to train him but Fukuda died after a year of training Jigoro. Later Jigoro found Iso Masatomo.

After 22 years of training, Jigoro took students of his own and began creating different moves that are still practiced by Judo practitioners today. Jigoro realized that Jiu-jitsu was a dying martial art in Japan and he could evolve it into something that would be more appealing to the masses. He named the martial art, Judo.

Combat Differences

mestre behring blackJiu-Jitsu

Those practicing this style were actually meant to use weapons. This style was meant to enhance the fighting skills of the samurai with few weapons so he is able to stand a chance against an armed opponent. There were even samurai who went a step further and took on their opponents without unsheathing their swords. Such was the confidence these warriors had in this art.

As Jiu-Jitsu evolved, it became less and less dependent on weapons. The art incorporated throwing, striking, restraining, evading and escaping. The techniques involved joint locking the opponent in order to disable them and prevent them from causing any harm to the defender. This was useful during the battlefield for the samurais as they would utilize the Jiu-jitsu chokes to render their rivals unconscious. These gave them enough time to either escape or kill their enemy.

If the fight goes to the ground then a Jiu-jitsu practitioner can use their skills to easily and quickly strangle their opponent with a variety of chokeholds. During a competition this may lead the opponent to submit while if used in a street fight it can make the rival unconscious.


With Judo, Jigoro wanted to make it more practical and focused on throwing the opponents to the ground by using off-balancing techniques. He developed it to be used for successful defending from any attacker.

Even though a Judo syllabus does not consist of strikes, its practitioners are taught to defend themselves from such. They are taught to deflect the attacks and use them to their own advantage.


When it comes to these two martial arts, Jiu-jitsu is the father of judo. Anyone who is well trained in Jiu-jitsu can easily teach Judo lessons as most of the techniques used in Judo have been derived from Jiu-jitsu. Visit us at Arashi Do Martial Arts in Edmonton and learn the ways of the ancient samurai warriors, the way of Jiu-jitsu!


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