Jeet Kune Do: Is it better than boxing?

Recently since I’ve been writing about Jeet Kune Do, it got me wondering about boxing. I actually love boxing as a sport and would sometimes go to cinemas just to watch Manny Pacquiao fight. But I never actually compared both these martial arts. I actually did some research in finding out if Jeet Kune Do is better than boxing or the other way around. Thus, I found some good insights that are worth sharing so.

In real fighting scenarios such as street fighting, Jeet Kune Do might be better than boxing. The most obvious reason is that Jeet Kune Do allows more moves for strikes compared to boxing such as elbows and kick. The limitation of using fists for striking is what makes boxing ideal only for competitions.

However, that doesn’t mean that boxing is bad. Actually, one of the things you’re going to learn well in boxing is evasion and blocking of strikes which they really excel at. Thus, in this article, I am going to share some insights on the strengths and weaknesses of each martial art.

Is Jeet Kune Do better than boxing?

Boxing doesn’t use or take advantage of fighting per se because there are so many things you can’t do in boxing such as kicking, fighting, or fighting on the floor.

For street fights or even MMA, it is very important to not limit yourself to only using your fists when striking.

In fact, grappling which is not in boxing is very important in MMA or UFC fights.

Although careerwise, I must say that boxing can be better at JKD since there are lots of successful and rich boxers out there.

Becoming extremely good in boxing can be a career that is a little bit harder for JKD users.

Such examples of successful boxers are Mike Tyson, and of course, Manny Pacquiao.

It would be very rewarding to dominate boxing because of the money and fame but it won’t be as good as JKD in an actual fight.

Here are some points I want you to understand.

JKD emphasizes kicks, elbows, hand-to-hand combat, and fists which is an all-rounder. While boxing is only focused on the fists to fight or defend.

While boxing has numerous ways to block attacks and weaving to avoid strikes, its main focus for strikes is are only fists.

Furthermore, JKD is more efficient and quite easier to learn. This is because JKD is a martial art that focuses on one thing which is effectiveness.

That’s why you won’t really find a lot of complex movements in JKD. They use simple but effective movement and forms.

Compare that to boxing which requires full-body flex and rotational movement of the body to deliver a normal hook.

In JKD, you can change the form to simpler versions as long as it’s still effective. Such as a smaller curve to making it quicker than the boxing hook.

They won’t turn their whole body and arm like how a boxing hook would do it.

However, that will make sure to decrease the power of hooks, you need to understand that boxing required you to do this unnecessary increase in power because of their use of boxing gloves.

That is also true when becoming a counter puncher in boxing as it uses force to maximize power.

While in JKD, since they don’t use boxing gloves to weaken strikes, their simpler hook would already be powerful enough.

In JKD, you can also swipe and tap at the same time. When boxing, you generally jab and then hit more slowly.

In Jeet Kune do, you have the freedom to do whatever you want like scratching, biting, and locking while this is not possible in boxing because it is illegal and grounds for disqualification on matches.

So here is my point.

Jeet Kune Do is more complete as it uses four fighting skills these are: kneeling, striking, handling, elbowing.

Bit it doesn’t work that way for boxing, so it doesn’t offer as many options as the Jeet Kune Do.

But that shouldn’t stop you if you want to pursue boxing because it offers a good career opportunity. Plus, it’s not a good idea to enter a street or actual fight. Boxing is a sport where competitors are fighting in a ring.

But, JKD is very good at close quarters and actual fights. As you already know, JKD is diverse in martial arts and martial arts.

This gives you a competitive advantage and overall flexibility.

In Jeet Kune Do, you can change the way you fight in combat depending on the situation because of its flexibility.

This will help you get the surprise effect you need when you’re in a dire situation. It makes you a great fighter in less time because of its simpler moves.

If you’re thinking of trying Jeet Kune Do, I suggest you read my article that talks about if learning JKD is a good idea. Here is the article: Is Jeet Kune Do a Good Martial Art to Learn?

What are the differences between Jeet Kune Do and Boxing?

Here is a table that summarizes the differences between Jeet Kune Do and Boxing

Jeet Kune Do	Boxing
Multiple Types of Strikes	Uses only fists for strikes
Less Career Opportunity	Better Career Opportunity
Better in Actual Fight	Competition Based
Focus on Efficiency	Focus on Maximizing Power

Although boxing is known as a recreational sport in many countries, the sport is dangerous and competitors face so many dangers in the ring.

Boxing can make a better method to be in the shape, but you need to understand the dangers before you can compete.

Boxing also has numerous disadvantages career-wise because of injuries. It is common for boxers to have facial injuries, wrist injuries, or even brain injuries upon retirement which can be a bad thing.

But you can just box for fun without going into matches. Those are just for the ones who really want to be professional boxers.

Here is a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of Jeet Kune Do and boxing that we show below.

If you think fists are your favorite weapon, boxing is your art.

Boxing teaches the best hand-to-hand combat of all martial arts, and boxers can easily block, dodge, and strike while delivering quick, powerful punches.

Boxing is great in self-defense situations because of its emphasis on blocking and dodging.

Furthermore, when it comes to training, I believe that boxing routines would provide not just stronger arms and shoulders, but a full-body workout.

On maximizing power, boxing would also be efficient as the strength they create when hitting comes from the strength in our legs and core, as well as our upper body.

The lack of available strikes and forms doesn’t mean boxing can’t be used in real-life scenarios.

On the contrary, boxing can be used to defend against one of the more aggressive attackers because it will teach you maneuvers and blocks.

It strengthens yourself. They teach you how to attack while they also teach you how to move your head to dodge and use your arms to block attacks.

If Muay Thai is limited even if it already involves strikes and hit, then boxing can be more limiting.

Thus, If someone learns only about boxing, it has its limits.

Sometimes, a self-defense scenario requires you to take advantage of the resource around you. This means you might need to grapple, kick, or whatever it is you find to your advantage.

Thus, Boxing is a bit more traditional and competitive. It’s not as wild as some martial arts, and its techniques are designed to knock others out max.

Boxing doesn’t teach you to fight without gloves since it is a competition-focused martial art such as BJJ.

However, you can be a successful boxer by having some specialty such as counter, outboxing, or infighting. 

However, most of the time, it’s not practical for self-defense because you may not have enough leeway to try other forms of strikes.