Judo Vs Jiu Jitsu
The topic of Judo vs Jiu Jitsu is a complex one. To those who might not be familiar with the martial arts, Judo and Jiu Jitsu might seem to be very much the same. You really would have a tough time telling them apart if you looked at still photos of the respective arts’ practitioners in a book. After all, they both employ the use of similar uniforms and many of the techniques are the same. However, there are quite a number of pronounced differences which is why an examination of an overview of Judo vs Jiu Jitsu is worth exploring.
(Note: The Jiu Jitsu covered in this discussion of Judo vs Jiu Jitsu is the Brazilian form of the art and not the traditional Japanese. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has greatly eclipsed traditional Jiu Jitsu in terms of popularity to the point that most people automatically now think of the Brazilian version as opposed to the Japanese version despite its many centuries of existence.)
Generally, the most obvious difference needs to be pointed out when starting a discussion of Judo vs Jiu Jitsu would be a discussion of the prime focus of both arts. Judo is primarily an art of throwing while Jiu Jitsu is an art that deals primarily with ground fighting. Now, Judo does certainly have a ground component to it. However, Judo’s ground game is far less expansive due to the rules of the sport. Jiu Jitsu also has a standup game but, once again, the rules of the sport reduce the complexity and expansiveness of the techniques in the standup realm. In many ways, the establishment of rules and regulations is what takes too very similar arts and drives them into different directions to the point they only vaguely resemble one another.
When discussing Judo vs Jiu Jitsu, you need to look a bit closer at how the ground game works. Both arts put a great deal of emphasis on pinning positions. However, Judo’s pins and Jiu Jitsu’s pinning are a bit different. Both use the side control, but Judo is known for using the scarf hold and its variations and the four corners hold. Jiu Jitsu uses these positions but puts a lot more emphasis on the knee on stomach and mounted position. Also, in Judo, you can win with a pin if you hold an opponent for roughly 30 seconds. You cannot win with a pin in Jiu Jitsu. In both arts, you can win with submissions although you are limited in Judo to certain armlocks and chokes while in Jiu Jitsu, you not only have a wider range of armlocks and chokes, you have the ability to attack the legs.
Judo vs Jiu Jitsu
A common mistake many make when discussing Judo vs Jiu Jitsu is they try to figure out which art is better than the other. This might not be the best approach to take. Rather, it would be wiser to look at the art from the positives of each. Honestly, studying both arts is recommended so as to create a well rounded ground game.