What can Beat and Counter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Deep Analysis
Jiu Jitsu’s power is widely known. Almost everybody knows how hard it is to fight someone who is good in Jiu Jitsu. Even a Jiu Jitsu fighter with months of experience can have a chance to beat someone with years of experience in other martial arts. Thus people are looking for counters and how to beat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
The best way to counter and beat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is to never ever go to their specialty which is ground fighting. This can be done by always staying in your feet and never allow them to catch you. This prevents them from letting the fight in their favor and you can have the upper hand in fights.
But there are other ways to counter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There is a way for striking martial arts such as karate and boxing to counter Jiu Jitsu. Wrestling and Judo can also have a strategy to counter them. Even Jiu Jitsu practitioners have counter against someone better than them. We’ll get deeper in here later.
What Martial Art can Beat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Every Martial Art can Beat Jiu Jitsu provided that they have a concrete plan to counter it. Distance Martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo and boxing can maintain their distance and strike because most BJJ practitioners don’t have any idea on strikes. Others can stay in their feet to prevent giving the match in favor of BJJ.
It might be quite sad to know that even one of the strongest martial arts on a one versus one situation can be beaten by any martial art, but that is how matches are.
You can never know who will win. That is normal in every match.
Even a lucky punch to the face can knock a Jiu Jitsu practitioner unconscious making the other side a winner.
How many instance have you seen a lucky punch or kick hitting the right spot instantly ending the fight.
However, we are not talking about lucky punches here, that is just an example to give you the mindset of every martial art can be countered and beaten by everyone.
The only thing that counts here is their plan, strategy and the conditioning before the fight.
What Martial Art Counters Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
All Martial Arts can counter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu provided that you know their weakness. Their weakness being they have no idea on dealing with strikes, they need to put the fight into a ground fight and grapple, the immense strength needed to put enemies down, and the distance they require to carry out their moves.
To make it easier, let us discuss all of the weakness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu one by one.
This way, you will know how to handle them even without a concrete plan.
Instill these weakness in your mind and you will find a way to Beat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with ease
1. Always be on your Feet to Counter Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu shines when fighting on the ground. Thus, most of them have no idea in fighting on a standing position.
This can be done by not allowing whatever it takes to put yourself in the ground.
Do not go down and plant you feet on the floor.
Doing this puts the fight in favor of doing a stand up style of fighting.
This is immensely effective on all martial arts such as: Karate, Taekwondo, Krav Maga, Judo and so much more.
This is also the reason why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is always having a hard time against sumo because of their focus on planting their feet on the ground.
2. Strike them all the time, even light jab counts
I discussed in my other article on striking in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I have discussed how punching and kicking is not allowed in the sport. Here is the article: Is striking allowed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
So why am I you telling this?
Jiu Jitsu practitioners have few or no idea on how to deal with strikes. They are so focused on grappling that they don’t know how to counter punches and kicks. This makes them good targets for low kicks and punches.
Continue doing this and if you are in a match, you get more points. If you happen to land a powerful punch, then Game Over.
Consider doing this and you will see that you can Beat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
3. Be Fast in Your Feet so that they won’t get you
The key in Jiu Jitsu is to capture you and put you into the ground. This way, they can do a series of moves to force you into submitting.
However, if you go fast with your feet that they can’t capture you, it will be harder for them and they will just waste their energy in trying to get you.
Remember that forcing enemies into a ground fight consumes a lot of stamina for Jiu Jitsu Practitioners, so not letting them do what they want will be very frustrating for them.
4. Maintain your distance and put the fight into your advantage
This strategy works really well on Martial arts that are made for fighting in a distance.
A good example is karate which focuses on distance fighting to maintain the strength of their blows and deal damage without taking one.
Maintain your distance as Jiu Jitsu needs to fight in a very close range because it is a grappling type of martial art.
This puts the fight into your favor.
5. Do not let them hold you
This strategy works on all martial arts even in beginners who is just starting Jiu Jitsu.
Against a strong Jiu Jitsu practitioner, sometimes you will be caught and be forced into a ground fight. In fact, I have discussed this in another article on how dangerous a black belter in Jiu Jitsu can be.
If you want to know their strengths so you can make a concrete plan to beat them, here is a link to the article: How strong is a Black Belter in Jiu Jitsu
Nevertheless, once you get caught, it doesn’t mean the fight is over.
Witnessing multiple matches and fights, I know that one of the key to winning is perseverance and resilience and even sometimes it can change the flow of a match.
Once they got the hold of you, do whatever you can to get out.
Use force or whatever it takes to get out. Be on complete defense and force yourself to get out. This works well on beginners in Jiu Jitsu.
That is why in one of my article on a guide to Jiu Jitsu if you are only starting, I talked a lot about defense. You can find the article here: Why is Jiu Jitsu so hard?
6. Patience is necessary
This is quite sad but in applying these principles, it would look like you are beating Jiu Jitsu easily.
It’s sad because most lost patience at a sign of winning.
This makes them very vulnerable to counter attacks.
Once, I saw someone got caught because he became so confident then the fight just flipped and the other side won.
Do not rush anything even if it looks like you’ve winning, take is slow and remember that anything can happen in a match.
7. Let the fight go in their favor then quickly flip it
This is a risky strategy.
There will be a time where they will get you into a ground fight and get a hold of you. This is normal since Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has numerous strategies to force the fight into their favor.
But the thing is you can let them see that they are winning like the tip above.
Once they become really confident in winning, you can try and give them a hard punch or counter to put the fight into your favor again.
8. Learn to Grapple
Do you know why Judo and Wrestling are considered to be hard opponents for Jiu Jitsu practitioners?
Because they can also fight in the ground. Judo can also throw their enemies and Wrestling can give them a hard time in a ground fight.
If you know how to grapple, you will know how to defend yourself.
That is why some MMA fighters learn Jiu Jitsu to counter them.
9. Analyze their movements
This might be the most unique tip you’ll get in this article.
Most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner have their favorite moves or habits if you will.
Some prefer to move the way because that’s their habit.
Guess what, habits can easily be used against them.
If you know what their moves are, you can make a series of moves to counter it making it harder for them to fight.
Every human in every martial art has some sort of predictability in their movements. Find it and most likely, the fight will be in your favor.
What is the Weakness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
The weakness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is their focus on ground attacks and takedowns. So you need to resist takedowns by planting your feet and moving fast. It is also good to learn how to deal and counter their ground attacks to turn the fight into your favor.
Here is a summary on the weakness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:
- They focus too much on ground attacks
- They do not have strikes so they usually don’t know how to handle them
- They need to do takedowns to execute their moves
- They are extremely dependent on the distance of their enemies
Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the most effective martial art?
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the most effective martial art in a ground fight. These type of fight involve joint locks, ground attacks, holds, and chokes to force their enemies into submission. However, it is not an all-around martial art and needs some more training to be a very strong martial art.
I might’ve spilled the beans in revealing the weakness of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in this article but I have to be fair to everybody.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu despite all its weakness is a very strong martial art and I have no doubt about it.
In fact, it is one of the few martial arts where they can beat a stronger and heavier opponent with skills alone.
That is how powerful they are but all martial art have some sort of weakness.
There is no such thing as a complete martial art.
However, if you combine Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with a martial art focused on standing attacks such as kickboxing, muay thai, boxing and karate, then it will be a different story.
Since it will be so much harder to counter them since they balanced out their weakness by adding another marital art.
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Welcome to my recommended list of Jiu-Jitsu gear.
In this section, you are going to see my recommended Jiu-Jitsu gears both for beginners and pros.
Grappling Shorts
When getting some grappling shorts, you first need to understand that the thing we are looking for in grappling shorts is the ones that will provide flexibility.
This means that we are not looking at designs but what we are looking for is how comfortable it is and if you can do a full range of motions while wearing the shorts.
If that’s the case, I recommend an IBJJF approved grappling short which has no pockets that can interfere with rolls, and most importantly, allows a full range of motion. This can help you in rolls since you need to have fluid motions to do some maneuvers.
Here is the link for the product: BJJ Shorts
Grappling Spats
Grappling spats are a great alternative to Grappling shorts and are sometimes used in conjunction with Grappling shorts.
The reason for using a Grappling spat is to prevent friction.
Remember that BJJ is focused on rolls, locks, and takedowns. This is prone to friction that can cause injuries such as burns and mat cuts.
In choosing a good pair of grappling spats, you need to take note that it is important that it is also flexible so you can easily do some full-range motions while rolling.
Furthermore, since you will be covering your whole legs with it, it is important for it to absorb some sweat while still being comfortable for the wearer.
If that’s the case, I recommend these Grappling Spats which are very stretchable making them good for fluid motion. Furthermore, it is well made to handle friction which prevents any unwanted injuries.
Lastly, its cloth is breathable which means that it is very comfortable for your skin.
Here is the link for the product: Grappling Spats
Rashguard
Think of a rash guard as the grappling spat for the upper body.
Rashguard helps in preventing friction that can cause injuries such as mat cuts and burns.
When finding one, it is important to find a comfortable rash guard which is breathable. Furthermore, have one that allows a full range of motion.
Thus, I recommend this rash guard which does all of the functions I’ve said: Rashguard
Knee and Elbow Pads
Personally, I am a victim of a knee injury. That’s why I always tell people to use knee and elbow pads when doing some physically intensive activities such as BJJ.
Because of my injuries, I can’t really last long with any sort of long physical activity.
So, while it is often neglected, I believe that Knee and Elbox pads are important.
Good Knee and Elbow pads are supposed to be comfortable while still providing maximum protection to both your elbows and knees.
Thus, I recommend these safety gears:
Ear Protectors
There are lots of cauliflower ear incidents with BJJ practitioners.
Even if this is quite an unpopular safety gear, it is important as we are preventing friction that can come from rolls.
In choosing an ear protector, you do not need to get something that protects you from strikes. Striking is usually not allowed.
So, what’s important is to find something that is very lightweight and protects you from friction.
If that’s the case, then you may opt for this which is really useful and won’t look weird on rolls: Ear Guards
