Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling

Jiu-Jitsu vs. Wrestling.  Now this is a comparison that is sure to continue to spark some living room spats.  Both are a great workout, are popular, and are highly effective.  Oh, and both have an equal chance at giving you cauliflower ear.  Tie on the first comparison.

Outside of that though, Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling have a lot of very similar aspects.  Both require you to take down and hold down an opponent, and quite a few of those moves can transfer between both (more from wrestling to Jiu-Jitsu, but we will get there shortly).

When we look at the two here, we will compare the following.  What are the goals of each?  Which is a more effective martial arts tool?  Which is a better workout? And Lastly, which is ultimately “better”?  With that groundwork being laid down, let’s get started.

 

Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling: Rules and Goals

While there are a lot of similarities between the two, the ultimate goal and what you are and aren’t allowed to do does vary.  It’s also worth noting that I’ll discuss two types of Jiu-Jitsu here.

“Traditional” Jiu-Jitsu takes place in a gi, and “no-gi” Jiu-Jitsu takes place in otherwise normal clothing.  No-gi Jiu-Jitsu can be more similarly compared to wrestling because of that fact.  I’ll clarify in my points below which I’m referring to.

Wrestling

The ultimate goal of wrestling, very simply put, is to “pin” your opponents back to the mat. You do this by grabbling a hold of your opponents legs, arms, bodies, or otherwise to get them down.  You then have to control their body to keep their back down for two seconds to win the match.

In competition, if either opponent is unable to “pin” an opponent, then competitors can earn points through takedowns, escapes, reversals, and a few other methods.

You are not allowed to grab any clothing  or to clasp or overlap your hands.  And (hopefully obviously), there is no biting, eye gouging, or scratching.

Jiu-Jitsu

The ultimate goal of Jiu-Jitsu is to submit your opponent by making them “tap” by putting their arm, neck, or other body part in a compromising situation.  You can do this by straightening or bending their arm, putting their neck in a choke-hold, or doing hundreds of other moves to accomplish that task.

In competition, if either opponent is unable to submit their opponent, they can earn points in a few ways.  They can take down and reverse positions (just like wrestling), pass an opponents “guard” to advance your position, or get into a “mount” or “back mount” position.

Interestingly enough, every aspect of wrestling can be legally and effectively used in Jiu-Jitsu.  The same can not be said the other way around.

You are allowed to clasp your hands in Jiu-Jitsu to complete takedowns and (hopefully obviously again) there is no biting, eye gouging, scratching, or similar activity.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff.

 

Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling: Which is Better for MMA?

Get ready, because now is where we put on the gloves, gi, bathrobe, singlet, onesie…. you get my point.

It is undoubtable that both of these are incredibly assets to fighting and especially MMA.  A large number of incredibly competitors and champions have been incredibly high level in either one or both of these aspects.  Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Charles Olivera, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, the list goes on.

To declare one as “better” though, we need to look at the rules and purpose for each again.  In wrestling, the goal is to ground and control your opponent.  Great wrestlers in the ring can control their opponents incredibly effectively and put them in a position that they have to defend themselves.  This then paired with “ground and pound” has made some of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

That being said though, wrestling alone allows for control but does not give you tools to finish the fight.  The submissions used in Jiu-Jitsu attribute to every submission finish, which accounts for about 20% of all UFC fights.  Then pairing that with the same control needed to keep an opponent in the position that you wants makes for a deadly combination.

The Verdict

While I can safely admit that high level wrestling has made more GOAT status MMA fighters, we need to look at the masses in the sport also.  And the majority of successful fighters have, at the very least, a very solid defensive Jiu-Jitsu base.

Wrestling can help you control opponents but it doesn’t teach you to not get choked out or triangled.  In Jiu-Jitsu gyms, the wrestlers tend to get tapped by guillotines much more frequently than others and you do see that across UFC as well.

With all of the tools and submissions learned, I would have to give the edge to Jiu-Jitsu.

 

Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling: Which is a better workout?

Now this is a tough one.  They are similar, but wrestling requires you to be on your feet or scrambling HARD to get back up again.  Jiu-Jitsu still has the aspect of takedowns, but it doesn’t require you to be on the feet.  That being said, defending yourself from someone who is on top of you and keeping that constant strain is incredibly tiring as well.

What we’re looking at here then from my perspective then is a stand-up and takedown focus vs a ground grappling workout.  Both require stamina, grip strength, balance, and technique and both are surely to get you dripping in sweat.

All that being said, I think the necessity to move consistently and the standing stamina needed in pairing with the grappling gives the edge to wrestling.

Jiu-Jitsu vs Wrestling: Which is ultimately better?

Now I know you take the words written in this blog as the ultimate truth (kidding, unless you’re not?) so the answer here is important.

According to what we have in this blog so far, we are even in the comparison between the two.  Both are great at giving you cauliflower ear, I give Jiu-Jitsu the edge on MMA effectiveness, and I give wrestling the edge as a tougher workout.  And it’s worth noting that those have only scratched the surface here today.

All that being said, there is no way to pick one that is “better” here.  Both are highly effective, incredibly tough, and will give you incredible strength, stamina, balance, and technique.  And, I think that I can speak for my fellow Jiu-Jitsu practitioners when I say wrestlers are the toughest new entries that we go up against.  So whatever your preference is, move forward knowing that you are in a great practice!

If there’s anything I missed, let me know in the comment form below!