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About Jujitsu

By Cathy Richey, the Cathy Factor

Jujitsu specializes in close techniques like joint locks, chokes, throws, holds, and grappling techniques, but it also includes strikes, kicks, blocks, and efficient movement to foil and counter attackers. Jujitsu is not only a system of self defense, but an excellent way to educate the mind in peace, confidence, and control while developing the body in a healthful way. Jujitsu practice is excellent exercise, and anybody can tailor the workout to his present level of fitness. Jujitsu is perfect for anyone regardless of age, size, sex, or strength because its techniques use leverage and efficiency of movement rather than relying on just strength or speed.

Jujitsu is often called the "gentle art" or "flexible skill" or even the "essences of the gentleness and flexibility in a combat art". Regardless of how Jujitsu began, it developed into a powerful system of self-defense, which has been the parent art to such modern arts as Judo, Brazilian Jujitsu and Aikido. It is a system of balance disruption, wrestling, throwing, joint locking, choking, and submission.

The higher levels of this system reveal an intricate and beautiful system of effortless moves that include precise striking of nerve centers, balance disruption of adversaries for throws, sweeps and takedown, powerful projections, and dynamic Ki (Chinese chi) development. It perfectly complements the Kempo system. Jujitsu and Kempo have been paired together for so long it is difficult to tell where one begins and the other ends. But, there are subtle differences.

There is some controversy as to what influence Ch’uan Fa (Kempo), especially Chin Na, has had on Jujitsu. It is known that China and Japan traded heavily during the formative years of Japan’s development. It was during this time that Japan adopted many things from their neighbors across the sea, such as the Chinese written characters and many social traditions such as Zen, the study of Confucian thought, and the philosophies of the Do (Taoism).

Regardless of what exact relationship there is between the origins of Chin Na and Jujitsu, the two systems are practically identical in their application today. Jujitsu taught today, is the empty-handed self-defense techniques developed from the centuries old military arts of the Japanese Samurai Warriors.

Though the history of Jujitsu may well be considered to have begun in the second or first century BC, its renaissance, or "golden age", was during the Tokugawan era (1603 – 1867 AD). The term Jujitsu, formulated in the Tokagawan era, translates to the art (Ju) of yielding, softness, suppleness, or pliability (Jitsu), meaning combative way.

When Kempo arrived on the shores of the mainland from Hawaii, it was filled with Jujitsu. Although some Kempo systems claim to contain Jujitsu, this is the stand up variety as opposed to a complete system. The original name for Hawaiian Kempo was Kempo Jujitsu. It was full of stand up and ground fighting techniques that would rival any other system.

Unfortunately, this had been lost due to a lack of awareness. Thanks to the re-emergence of Jujitsu, many Kempo stylists are now rediscovering the Jujitsu style of self defense.

Many law enforcement agencies and military branches find the techniques to be most favorable for their line of work. Also, most mixed martial arts competitors cross train using many grappling techniques taken from Jujitsu.


 

About Cathy: She and her Doberman Trooper conduct research into all kinds of topics and produce articles like the one you see here. To contact Cathy, write to thecathyfactor@yahoo.com. Get the facts from Cathy, and let the Cathy Factor give you an edge.