Can You Punch In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is known as the “gentle art” because instead of focus on striking and knocking out opponents, the main focus of BJJ is using leverage, pressure, and twists, attacking the neck and joints, to submit opponents and make them give up. In practice, it’s not that gentle. Even so, BJJ is still a self-defense art and in that sense is hard to imagine a street fight or aggression without punches.
As a general rule, you can’t punch in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, whether it’s in a competition or a training session. However, in traditional BJJ schools students receive a wide range of techniques for self-defense that involve striking, focused especially in defending from punches and kicks.
Knowing how to throw punches and position yourself always managing the distance is super important for self-defense. As these days competitive BJJ is getting popular, some schools are no longer focusing time to teach self-defense to their students. That’s not good, as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has deep roots in preparing people not only for tournaments but for life.
Punches In BJJ: Essential For Self-Defense
Competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does not involve striking. People always wonder if you can punch in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but the answer is not. Punches, kicks, and traumatic blows are not allowed in tournaments and sparring sessions (rolling). BJJ was created (adapted) by the Gracie Family with some important principles and goals. One of these goals was to win fights without hurting the opponents, making them give up using the techniques. Even in UFC, there are interviews of Helio Gracie, grandmaster, and father of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, saying that he ordered Royce Gracie not to use striking to win his fights (or use as little as possible, just to create spaces or to counter-attack).
In this matter, it’s easy to notice that the main goal of BJJ is overpowering an opponent in the cleanest way possible, giving him the chance to give up without getting hurt too bad. However, life is not a tournament with judges and rules, and Helio Gracie knew that well. One of the most beautiful things about Jiu-Jitsu is that the art was adapted by Helio to be the best and most effective self-defense martial art, making it possible for a weak and small person to beat a stronger adversary twice his size.
Every BJJ student must have at least basic striking skills to be able to defend himself and others in case of need. In most cases, punches and kicks are only used to open space or manage the distance to connect and use BJJ with more safety. In traditional schools, defending punches and neutralizing the opponent using Jiu Jitsu is one of the first techniques that the student learns. Here is a great example of a BJJ self-defense technique that includes punching for distance control:
This is just one of many examples of striking in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, using punches and kicks for distance control and applying Jiu-Jitsu techniques more safely. In addition to being very useful for self-defense in dangerous situations, these techniques are constantly used in MMA fights to take the fight to the ground, whether to go for the ground and pound or try a submission.
Best Martial Arts For Punches
Despite BJJ being the most effective martial art, if your main goal is to become a high-level striker, Jiu-Jitsu is probably not the best option for you. As most of the questions I receive are related to punches, let’s take a look at the best martial arts for punching.
As a general rule, the best martial arts for punching are Boxing, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing. There are other great striking martial arts available, but those three options are the best when it comes to punches. Out of the top three, the absolute best modality for punches is Boxing, the “noble art”.
1) Boxing
When it comes to punching and striking, there is no martial art that competes with boxing. One of the oldest and most respected martial arts, Boxing is a combat sport in which fighters wear padded gloves and use their hands to attack and defend. The knockout power of boxing fighters is usually very great since, in addition to strength, the punches are placed with a lot of technique, hitting sensitive points of the body, seeking to generate the greatest possible impact.
2) Muay Thai
Created in Thailand, Muay Thai is an exceptional striking martial art. In addition to teaching you how to throw powerful punches and many combinations, you will learn how to strike with other parts of the body. Muay Thai is also known as the “art of the eight limbs”, as it uses blows with elbows, knees, fists, and legs with great force, which transform these parts of the body into real weapons. There are traumatic Muay Thai moves that can even kill.
3) Kickboxing
Kickboxing is another excellent modality for those looking to learn how to throw powerful punches in the right way. This style is a mix of martial arts and standing combat sports based on kicks and punches. The style is very similar to Muay Thai, which is why the modalities are often even confused. In a broad sense, there are several martial arts named kickboxing or full contact, including Adi Thada (Indian boxing), Lethwei (Burmese boxing), as well as Savate (French boxing). In a restricted sense, the term kickboxing is associated with Japanese kickboxing, American kickboxing, and spin-off styles or rules.
Related Questions
Are There Any Kicks In Jiu Jitsu? As a general rule, there are no kicks in Jiu Jitsu, whether it’s a competition or sparring in a training session. The only exception is in the self-defense classes, where students learn some kicks for distance management, defense, and counterattacks.
Does Jiu Jitsu Teach You How Do You Punch? There are self-defense classes in Jiu Jitsu that teach you how to punch. BJJ is a martial art that focuses on overpowering opponents using techniques and leverage, but punches are very usual in for managing the distance in Jiu-Jitsu for self-defense.