Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs. Muay Thai
Quick answer
Brazilian jiu-jitsu grew out of Kodokan judo and Muay Thai from the Thai art of muay, they do not share a common root. Brazilian jiu-jitsu concentrates on ground fighting and submission by a choke or a joint lock, without strikes, Muay Thai on punches, kicks, elbows and knees standing and in the clinch, which is why the two are combined in MMA. Neither is Olympic, Muay Thai has had full IOC recognition since 2021.
At a glance
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Brazil | Thailand |
| Origin | 20th century (present form) | 20th century (present form) |
| Founder | Hélio GracieCarlos Gracie (co-founder) | – |
| Contact | Full contact | Full contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Full contact |
| Competition format | Submission | Full contact |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | No |
| Rank recognition | by federation | fragmented |
| Attire | Gi optional | Shorts and guards |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | No forms | No forms |
| Relative cost | low | medium |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 11 | 14 |
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 Muay Thai do not share a common root. Brazilian jiu-jitsu grew out of Kodokan judo, which Mitsuyo Maeda brought to Brazil, Muay Thai from the Thai art of muay. They met only in Brazilian vale tudo and in MMA.
- 1914: Maeda and Satake arrive in Brazil.
- Around 1925: the Gracie brothers develop their own system, in Thailand under Rama VII (1925–1935) referees, rounds and gloves are added.
- 1978: the Muay Thai academy Chute Boxe is founded in Curitiba, in 1991 it adds grappling.
- 1993: Royce Gracie wins the first UFC tournament, IFMA holds the first Muay Thai World Championships.
Technique
- Ground fighting: guard, side control, mount, back mount.
- The aim is the submission of the opponent by a choke or a joint lock.
- The bout starts standing, a takedown scores 2 points.
- Prohibited: all strikes and 26 techniques according to age and belt.
- Eight weapons: fists, elbows, knees and shins.
- Kicks to the head, trunk and legs.
- The clinch is permitted and the referee breaks it with the command yaek.
- Prohibited: blows below the belt, to the ankle and to the nape, headbutts.
They share space in the clinch. Muay Thai attacks from it with knees and elbows, Brazilian jiu-jitsu uses it for the transition to the ground, where a Muay Thai bout does not continue.
Training
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | technique on the ground, drills with a cooperating and a non-cooperating partner | rounds on Thai and boxing pads |
| Sparring | rolling at full speed and force, positional and full | in rounds and in the clinch, we have not confirmed the share |
| Conditioning | we have not confirmed a specific programme | running, skipping rope, bodyweight, medicine ball |
| Rhythm | not confirmed | rounds of 3–5 minutes, rest of 1–2 minutes |
In an American survey of 56 mostly experienced BJJ competitors, 82.1% trained at least six hours a week. We have not been able to confirm the structure of a typical lesson for either of the two arts.
Progression and ranks
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Belts | IBJJF: white, blue, purple, brown, black, then red-and-black up to red | there is no uniform system, some schools use pra jiad |
| Minimum time | blue 2 years, purple 1.5, brown 1, to black at least 4.5 years | not set |
| Children | 13 children belts for 4–15 years | there is no uniform system |
| Recognition of level | the belt is awarded by the professor, IBJJF recognises it only after the minimum times | fights, traditionally the mongkhon headband from the coach |
IBJJF usually awards the black belt only from 19 years, to a world champion in a brown belt already from 18. In Muay Thai progress is shown mainly by the fight record.
Physical load and risks
- Tournaments in Hawaii: 9.2 injuries per 1,000 exposures, most often the elbow in an armbar.
- Survey of 1,140 athletes: knee 27.1%, shoulder 14.6% of injuries, 77.6% in sparring.
- Survey of 140 respondents: concussion 0.6% of injuries.
- Study of 195 fighters: injury in the last fight in 55.4%.
- Limbs 58%, head and neck 30.6% of injuries.
- Concussion was reported by 5.4% of fighters.
Who it suits
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu (IBJJF) | Muay Thai (IFMA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest competition age | 4 years | 10 years, Lumpinee stadium above 15 years |
| Adults | Adult 18–29 years | seniors 17–40 years |
| Veterans | Master 1 from 30 to Master 7 from 61 years | none |
| Women | separate divisions with their own weight classes | same weight classes and rules as men, chest protector compulsory |
Children
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Categories for children | IBJJF from 4 years, Teen up to 15 years | IFMA from 10 years, the Thai law from 1999 states an age above 15 years for fights |
| Protection in competition | bouts of 2–4 minutes, a ban on a number of joint locks according to age and belt | rounds of 3 × 1 to 3 × 2 minutes, trunk protector compulsory |
| Studies in children | 193 practitioners: adolescents 12–17 years 0.59 injuries per person, adults 18–30 years 1.37 | conference abstract (333 child boxers): lower IQ, declining with the length of boxing |
| Positions of physicians | we have not found any | physicians of Ramathibodi Hospital: under 10 years sparring without contact, under 15 years without hits to the head |
Self-defence
- Rolling against the full resistance of the partner.
- The ground: positions, escape from the bottom, chokes and joint locks.
- Stance mainly as a route to a takedown, competition sparring leaves out strikes.
- Sparring and clinch against resistance.
- Stance and clinch with fists, kicks, elbows and knees.
- Covering against blows to the head.
- The ground is not developed by modern Muay Thai, muay boran originally contained it.
Both arts train against real resistance, each at a different distance. Brazilian jiu-jitsu covers the ground and leaves out strikes, Muay Thai covers the stance and the clinch and leaves out the ground. That is why they are combined in MMA: the Muay Thai academy Chute Boxe added grappling in 1991.
Practical use
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-defence | Gracie University: the Women Empowered programme, 15 lessons and 20 techniques | IFMA mentions self-defence for women, we have not found a named programme |
| Fitness studies | Øvretveit (2020): perceived physical ability was accompanied by endurance, not maximal strength | 30 seniors with Muay Thai dance: after 8 weeks an improvement in mobility and strength |
| Recreational variants | not confirmed | IFMA states fitness classes for every level |
| Competition at higher age | Master divisions from 30 to 61+ years | IFMA seniors up to 40 years |
The studies concern small groups and short programmes. No general conclusion about suitability for women, seniors or people with sedentary jobs can be drawn from them. How close the training is to a situation under pressure is shown by the Transfer to self-defence scale.
Competition
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic status | none, the goal is declared by the federation SJJIF | full IOC recognition 2021, not yet on the Olympic programme |
| Length of bout | one round, adults in gi 5 to 10 minutes according to belt | IFMA 3 × 3 minutes, Lumpinee at most 5 rounds |
| Victory | submission, otherwise points (mount 4, guard pass 3, takedown 2) and advantages | KO or ten-point system, 3 or 5 judges |
| Weight classes | men in gi 9 categories and open class | IFMA 13 weight classes from 45 to 91+ kg |
| After a knockout | not applicable | compulsory rest of at least 30 days |
Gear and costs
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | gi with a belt, in no-gi an elastic shirt and shorts | shorts |
| Protectors | not compulsory | 10-ounce gloves, shin and elbow guards, groin guard, mouthguard, helmet |
| Relative costs | low | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Muay Thai | |
|---|---|---|
| Main federations | IBJJF (private, Rio de Janeiro), non-profit SJJIF | IFMA for amateurs, WMC for professionals, merged since 2019 |
| Recognition of grades | IBJJF recognises a belt only if its minimum times are met, brown and black without registration are provisional for 2 years | there are no uniform grades |
We have not been able to confirm the rules of mutual recognition of belts between BJJ federations.
Switching and combining
- Experience of sparring against full resistance.
- Control of the balance of the opponent in close contact.
- Learning fists, kicks, elbows and knees from the basics.
- Learning to cover against blows to the head and to stay standing.
- Conditioning from rounds and the habit of full contact.
- Clinch and work with the balance of the opponent standing.
- Learning positions on the ground, escape from the bottom, chokes and joint locks.
- Unlearning the reflex of striking, IBJJF punishes it with disqualification.
The left column describes the transition from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to Muay Thai, the right the opposite direction. In MMA the two arts are joined: Mauricio Rua combined Muay Thai from Chute Boxe with BJJ, Anderson Silva holds a black belt in BJJ and a black pra jiad in Muay Thai.
Philosophy
- The smaller and weaker can defend against the larger thanks to leverage and distribution of weight.
- Etiquette: bow, lining up by belts, addressing the professor.
- Wai khru ram muay: respect for the teacher, parents and ancestors.
- Three bows to the Buddha, the dhamma and the sangha.
Forms and terminology
Neither art has scored forms. Unlike judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu does without kata. In Muay Thai the ram muay is a compulsory personal ritual before the fight.
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.
- Muay Thai Day on 17 March.
- The mongkhon headband and pra jiad armbands.
- Legal betting at the Rajadamnern stadium.
Common misconceptions
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu is not classical jujutsu. Both Maeda and Satake were Kodokan judoka, judo was then called Kano jiu-jitsu.
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu was not created by a single person, there is also the lineage of Luiz França and Oswaldo Fadda.
- Muay Thai was not always only standing, muay boran included grips and ground fighting.
- The legend of Nai Khanom Tom from 1767 is according to historians rather a myth of the 20th century.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Which of them is Olympic?
Neither. Muay Thai has had full IOC recognition since 2021, Brazilian jiu-jitsu has no Olympic recognition.
Can they be trained at the same time?
Yes, in MMA they are commonly combined, for example Charles Oliveira added in 2018 to BJJ Muay Thai from the Chute Boxe academy.
Do they have belts?
Brazilian jiu-jitsu does, to the IBJJF black belt it takes at least 4.5 years. Muay Thai has no uniform system.