Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. Krav Maga
Quick answer
Brazilian jiu-jitsu grew out of Kodokan judo, Krav Maga was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld from boxing, wrestling and street fighting for the Israeli army, and the two share no common root. Brazilian jiu-jitsu trains groundwork against full resistance without strikes and wins by submission, Krav Maga combines strikes, defence against weapons and scenarios and uses the ground mainly to return to the feet. Neither is Olympic and Krav Maga has no civilian competitions.
At a glance
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Brazil | Israel |
| Origin | 20th century (present form) | 20th century (present form) |
| Founder | Hélio GracieCarlos Gracie (co-founder) | Imi Lichtenfeld |
| Contact | Full contact | Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) |
| Sparring | Full contact | Light contact · Full contact (depending on style) |
| Competition format | Submission | No competitions |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | Yes (belts) |
| Rank recognition | by federation | fragmented |
| Attire | Gi optional | No specific attire |
| Weapons | No weapons | Weapons optional |
| Forms | No forms | No forms |
| Relative cost | low | medium |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 11 | – |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga do not share a common root. Brazilian jiu-jitsu grew out of Kodokan judo, which Mitsuyo Maeda brought to Brazil, Krav Maga was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld from boxing, wrestling and street fighting. Krav Maga added judo to its training in 1965, some Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools added Krav Maga only after 2000.
- 1914: Maeda arrives in Brazil, around 1925 the Gracie brothers develop their own system.
- 1948: Lichtenfeld leads Krav Maga training in the newly founded IDF.
- 1990: Krav Maga is brought to Brazil by Lichtenfeld’s student Kobi Lichtenstein.
- 1993: Royce Gracie wins the first UFC, Moti Horenstein lost for Krav Maga at UFC 10 and 14.
Technique
- Groundwork: guard, side control, mount, back mount.
- The aim is the opponent’s submission by a choke or joint lock.
- A bout starts standing, a takedown scores 2 points.
- Prohibited: all strikes and 26 techniques depending on age and belt.
- Strikes with the fist, forearm, elbows, kicks and knees.
- Targets: eyes, throat, groin, knee, ribs.
- Defence against a knife, a stick and a firearm.
- Joint locks and groundwork are included, the share and rules for the ground are not given in the sources.
Both arts work on the ground with opposite aims. Brazilian jiu-jitsu stays on the ground and seeks submission. According to Krav Maga Worldwide, techniques taken from BJJ, for example the closed guard and sweeps, serve mainly to return to the feet.
Training
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | groundwork technique, drills with a cooperating and a non-cooperating partner | stress drills, scenario training, defence against weapons |
| Sparring | rolling at full speed and strength, positional and full | in some organisations up to grade G2 slow and light, then simulated fighting in protective gear |
| Frequency | 82.1% of 56 mostly competitive respondents at least 6 hours per week | IKMF Netherlands counts on 9–18 months of training twice a week for the P1 exam |
In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, sparring against full resistance is a regular part of training, in Krav Maga training is mainly in scenarios and the partner’s resistance differs by organisation. We have not been able to document the structure of a typical lesson.
Progression and ranks
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | IBJJF: white, blue, purple, brown, black, then red-and-black to red | IKMF: patches P1–P5, G1–G5, E1–E6 and Master, a number of Israeli organisations judo belts |
| Minimum time | blue 2 years, purple 1.5, brown 1, to black at least 4.5 years | IKMF Netherlands: P1 at least 45 lessons, further P grades after 65 lessons, G5 to E1 at least a year |
| Who examines | the belt is awarded by the professor, the IBJJF recognises it only after the minimum times | IKMF: P1, P3 and P5 by one’s own instructor, P2, P4 and G grades centrally |
The IBJJF usually awards the black belt only from age 19. We have not been able to document the minimum times of KMG and Krav Maga Worldwide.
Physical load and risks
- Tournaments in Hawaii: 9.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures, most often the elbow in an arm lock.
- Survey of 1,140 athletes: knee 27.1%, shoulder 14.6% of injuries, 77.6% during sparring.
- Survey of 140 respondents: concussion 0.6% of injuries.
- 916 IDF soldiers (946 injuries): fingers, hands and wrists 31%, shoulder 16%, head and neck insignificant.
- 109 civilian practitioners (Cureus 2024): lower limbs 38.5%, head and face 11%, fractures 22% of diagnoses.
Who it suits
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (IBJJF) | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest age | competition divisions from age 4 | IKMF Netherlands: Kiddies programme from age 5 |
| Adults | Adult 18–29 years | IKMF Netherlands from age 16, elsewhere on the website from 18 |
| Older | Master 1 from 30 to Master 7 from 61 years | we found no programme for seniors |
| Women | separate divisions with their own weight classes | IKMF Netherlands: Stay Away course |
Children
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s categories | IBJJF from age 4, Teen up to 15 | IKMF Netherlands: Kiddies 5–7, Kids 8–11, Juniors 12–15 years |
| Content | bouts of 2–4 minutes, a ban on a number of joint locks depending on age and belt | according to the IKMF games on awareness of surroundings, verbal and physical self-defence, conflict resolution |
| Studies in children | 193 practitioners: adolescents aged 12–17 0.59 injuries per person, adults aged 18–30 1.37 | we found no study of effect or injuries |
| Medical opinions | we found none | we found none |
Self-defence
- Rolling against the partner’s full resistance.
- Ground: positions, escapes from underneath, chokes and joint locks.
- The lineage of Hélio Gracie also trains a circular drill against several attackers.
- Competition sparring omits strikes and a number of joint locks.
- Strikes, kicks, elbows and knees to vulnerable spots.
- Defence against a knife, a stick, a firearm and multiple attackers.
- Verbal de-escalation and avoiding violence as the first choice.
- The partner’s resistance differs, in some organisations light sparring up to G2.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu trains one distance against full resistance, Krav Maga a wider range of situations in scenarios. That self-defence is not bound by rules (IKMF) and that it is the number one system (Krav Maga Worldwide) are claims of the organisations. We found no independent study of the effect of Krav Maga against full resistance.
Practical use
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s self-defence | Gracie University: Women Empowered programme, 15 lessons and 20 techniques | IKMF Netherlands: Stay Away course of 1–10 seminars, effect not documented |
| Studies in women | we found none | 16 inexperienced female university students: 15 minutes of instruction improved the straight punch and the defensive kick |
| Fitness studies | Øvretveit (2020): perceived physical ability was accompanied by endurance, not maximum strength | ACE: DVD lessons in 16 people aged 18–29, average 78% of max. heart rate and 8.8 MET |
| Professional use | not documented | IDF, Israeli police, since 2008 also a paratrooper school in Bavaria |
The studies involve small groups and a single lesson or a short programme, no general conclusion about suitability can be drawn from them.
Competition
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | IBJJF, SJJIF, submission-only tournaments (EBI, Metamoris) | there are no regular competitions, the IDF has held its own competition since 2013, format unknown |
| Olympic status | none, the SJJIF federation declares it as a goal | none |
| Bout length | one round, adults in gi 5 to 10 minutes depending on belt | not used |
| Victory | submission, otherwise points (mount 4, guard pass 3, takedown 2) and advantages | not used |
Gear and costs
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | gi with a belt, in no-gi an elastic shirt and shorts | IKMF Netherlands: grey T-shirt and black trousers with a grade patch |
| Protective gear | not mandatory | IKMF for exams: mouthguard, groin guard, shin guards, gloves |
| Training aids | none | full-body protective suit for training attacks |
| Relative costs | low | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Krav Maga | |
|---|---|---|
| Main organisations | IBJJF (private, Rio de Janeiro), non-profit SJJIF | IKMF, KMG, Krav Maga Worldwide, IKMA and other successor organisations |
| Recognition of grades | the IBJJF recognises a belt only if its minimum times are met | each organisation has its own system, we found no mutual recognition |
Switching and combining
- Experience of sparring against full resistance.
- Learning strikes, kicks, elbows and knees from the basics.
- On the ground, shifting from finishing to returning to the feet.
- Adding defence against weapons and multiple attackers.
- Strikes and a habit of stress scenarios.
- Learning the system of ground positions and their scoring.
- Unlearning the reflex to strike, the IBJJF punishes it with disqualification.
- Getting used to long sparring against full resistance.
The left column describes the transition from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to Krav Maga, the right one the opposite direction. We have not been able to document a well-known figure who combined both arts.
Philosophy
- A smaller and weaker person can defend against a larger one thanks to leverage and weight distribution.
- Etiquette: bow, lining up by belts, addressing the instructor as professor.
- Priority is given to avoiding violence, attack only as a last resort.
- The IKMF states the motto So that one may walk in peace (a claim of the organisation).
According to a text in J. and Jewish Ideas Daily, Krav Maga has no Zen elements and aims at effectiveness. The critic Joseph Isaac Lifshitz reproaches it for lacking values, this is a personal opinion.
Forms and terminology
Neither art has forms or kata. Brazilian jiu-jitsu progresses by time in the belt and age, Krav Maga by exams in techniques and scenarios. IKMF Netherlands describes Krav Maga as functional, without stylised forms.
Training culture
- Academies with strict hygiene, sparring with higher belts is a privilege.
- Disputes over closing out, where teammates do not fight each other at a tournament.
- Exams instead of tournaments, at the IKMF some of them centrally with instructors from Israel.
- At the IKMF patches on the trousers instead of belts and the kimono, elsewhere judo belts.
- IKMF children have stamped entries in a passport.
We have not been able to document the etiquette and the form of address of the instructor in Krav Maga.
Common misconceptions
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu is not classical jujutsu. Maeda and Satake were Kodokan judoka, judo was then called Kano jiu-jitsu.
- Krav Maga is not a unified system. After Lichtenfeld’s death in 1998 several students claimed the succession and the organisations differ in grades and instruction.
- Krav Maga does not exclude groundwork. It includes joint locks and the ground, according to Krav Maga Worldwide, however, mainly for returning to the feet.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is either of them Olympic?
Neither. An Olympic goal for Brazilian jiu-jitsu is declared by the SJJIF federation, Krav Maga is a self-defence system without civilian competitions.
Does Krav Maga teach groundwork?
Yes, it includes joint locks and groundwork. Krav Maga Worldwide states that techniques taken from Brazilian jiu-jitsu serve mainly to return to the feet, the share of time on the ground is not given in the sources.
How long does the path to higher grades take?
In Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the IBJJF black belt at least 4.5 years. In Krav Maga it depends on the organisation, IKMF Netherlands counts on at least 45 lessons for the P1 exam.