BJJ vs Kickboxing in Burnaby: Which Martial Art Should You Actually Start?
If you’ve been going back and forth between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing, you’re not alone. It’s the most common question we hear from people walking into InFighting Training Centres in Brentwood, Burnaby for the first time.
Both are legitimate martial arts. Both deliver serious fitness results. And here at InFighting, we teach both — so we have no agenda when we tell you the honest differences.
This post is written for people who are genuinely undecided. We’ll cover what each art actually feels like, the fitness and self-defense benefits of each, and how beginner-friendly each one is. Then we’ll tell you something important about where things stand right now at InFighting.
What Kickboxing Actually Feels Like
Kickboxing is stand-up striking — punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, depending on the style. At InFighting, the kickboxing program is fast-paced, pad-heavy, and built for anyone from total beginners to competitive fighters.
A typical class runs you through technique drills, combinations, and partner work on the mitts. You’ll sweat hard. Cardio improves fast. You’ll learn to throw a proper jab, time a kick, and move with footwork that most people never develop.
Kickboxing is a good fit if you:
– Want an intense cardio workout that teaches real skills
– Prefer stand-up movement and striking
– Like high-energy classes with a lot of partner pad work
– Are training for competition or fitness — or both
The honest limitation of kickboxing for self-defense: it works well if the fight stays standing. The moment someone takes you to the ground, striking range becomes largely irrelevant.
What BJJ Actually Feels Like
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is ground fighting. You learn to take opponents down, control them from dominant positions, and finish fights with joint locks and chokes — without relying on size or strength.
A beginner BJJ class at InFighting starts with positional drilling: how to move your body on the ground, how to escape a bad position, how to apply a submission from a good one. It’s more technical than kickboxing, more puzzle-like, and — once it clicks — more addictive.
Rolling (live sparring) starts gradually. You won’t be thrown into deep water. The learning curve is steeper than kickboxing at first, but the depth keeps people coming back for years.
BJJ is a good fit if you:
– Want a mental challenge alongside the physical one
– Are interested in real-world self-defense that works against larger opponents
– Prefer technical, problem-solving training over pure cardio
– Want to build functional strength, flexibility, and body awareness
Fitness: How Do They Compare?
Both arts will get you in shape. They just do it differently.
Kickboxing builds cardiovascular endurance fast. The intensity is high, the classes move quickly, and you’ll burn significant calories every session. If your primary goal is weight loss and conditioning, kickboxing delivers results you’ll feel within weeks.
BJJ builds a different kind of fitness. The explosive scrambles and constant isometric tension on the mats develop full-body strength and muscular endurance in ways that cardio alone cannot replicate. Many BJJ practitioners also develop better flexibility and body control over time — because the art demands it.
The short version: kickboxing burns more calories per class. BJJ builds a more complete physical athlete over months and years. Neither is wrong. It depends on what you want your training to do for you.
Self-Defense: The Honest Answer
For practical self-defense, BJJ has a measurable structural advantage.
Most real altercations end up at close range or on the ground. BJJ was designed specifically for that scenario. A trained BJJ practitioner can control and neutralize a larger, stronger opponent using leverage and positioning — without needing to strike.
This was put on a global stage in the early UFC events, where BJJ practitioners defeated fighters from every other discipline. The art was built around answering the question: what happens when the striking is done and someone is on top of you?
Kickboxing, by contrast, is highly effective as long as you can keep range and stay standing. For fitness and sport, it is excellent. For situations where the fight goes to the ground — which is most situations — it has real gaps.
Neither answer is political. This is just mechanics.
Beginner Friendliness
Kickboxing has a shorter on-ramp. You walk in, you learn to hit a pad, you get a workout. The fundamentals are more intuitive for most people — humans have been throwing punches their whole lives, even if badly. You’ll feel competent earlier.
BJJ takes more patience upfront. The first few weeks, everyone feels lost. Positions feel awkward. You’ll get tapped by people who’ve been training a year and barely broke a sweat. That’s normal and expected.
What changes is this: BJJ rewards consistent attendance in a way that feels almost measurable. Every month on the mats, you add layers of understanding. After six months, the person who was tapping you out in week two is becoming your training partner, not your obstacle.
Both programs at InFighting are designed for beginners. No experience required for either. The instructors don’t assume you know anything walking in.
Why InFighting for BJJ in Burnaby
InFighting has been operating in Burnaby for over 20 years. The BJJ program is anchored by five black belts — which is rare for any single gym in the Lower Mainland, let alone one outside of downtown.
The instruction is technical and coached, not just supervised. You won’t be thrown into a room and told to figure it out. Classes are structured, corrections are frequent, and beginners are welcomed by a student body that was itself a group of beginners not long ago.
The gym is located at 010-4664 Lougheed Hwy in Brentwood, Burnaby — accessible, with a community feel that’s reflected consistently in Google reviews from actual students.
One Thing Worth Knowing Right Now
Both programs at InFighting are in demand. The kickboxing program currently has a waitlist of 2–4 weeks. BJJ has open spots available.
If you’ve been on the fence, that’s actually useful information. You can start BJJ now, with the same world-class coaching, in the same facility, with the same 20+ years of instructional experience behind the program. Kickboxing will be there when a spot opens. But your fitness goals don’t need to wait.
Many members who start BJJ while waiting for kickboxing end up staying in BJJ permanently. Not because kickboxing isn’t good — it is — but because once you start rolling, the pull is hard to explain until you’ve felt it.
The Bottom Line
If you want pure cardio and fast results, kickboxing is excellent. If you want self-defense that works when things go wrong, a mental challenge that keeps you coming back, and a skill set that builds over years — BJJ is the stronger long-term choice.
For people in Burnaby comparing the two right now, the practical answer is clear: BJJ at InFighting is available today. The instruction is world-class. The community is strong. And the Intro Month is $297 — one month of unlimited classes to find out if this is for you.
Start Your BJJ Intro Month in Burnaby
InFighting’s BJJ Intro Month is $297. One month of unlimited classes. No contract, no experience required.
Fill out the contact form at infighting.ca and an instructor will get back to you to book your first class.
BJJ spots are open now. The mats are waiting.
InFighting Training Centres
010-4664 Lougheed Hwy, Brentwood, Burnaby, BC
