Ju Jutsu

Ju Jutsu was instigated amongst the Samurai primarily as a way of defending themselfves should they ever be disarmed, but this is a relative interpretation. Samurai were proud warriors whose weapons were considered to be their swords. If a Samurai were to pick up a knife or stick to defend themselves, then these proud warriors would not really consider themselves to be armed.Ju Jutsu as well as including unarmed combat techniques also includes basic combat techniques with smaller weapons. Some styles even include the use of larger weapons such as staffs and swords. This is often simply because the movements involved in the use of such weapons lend themselves to combat techniques.

There are no exact origins for the art of Ju-Jutsu, its true beginings being lost to ages past. What is evident is that Ju-Jutsu seems likely to have developed from Sumo. Sumo is an advanced wrestling style where competitors attempt to overcome the balance of another and grapple them to the ground or out of a circular ring. Sumo became a popular sport and warriors began to develop it for use on the battlefield. Ju-Jutsu began as a mainly wrestling style of combat, but many basic strikes and kicks were included initially and more advanced techniques over time. Of course striking techniques were not particularly effective against armoured foes, and so the style tended towards throwing and locking techniques. Immobilising the opponent or using a techniquethat was not affected by armour allowed the Samurai to remain effective warriors even when disarmed.

Ju-Jutsu proved to be a highly effective combat technique and through necessity could even be used whilst wearing armour. Over time, the art was adopted by various groups of people who took different aspects and developed them much further than before. Karate (strikes), Aikido (locks), and Judo (throws and pins) all have a fundamental descendancy from these ancient techniques, and Ju-Jutsu is sometimes called the mother art. Although Ju-Jutsu is not as specialised as any of these particular styles, and could not hope to compete in the same area. However Ju-Jutsu retained its effectiveness because it encompasses all combative techniques. Variety can often be an effective form of attack/defence. If an opponent does not know how to defend or bypass a technique, then they become open and susceptible.

Modern forms of Ju-Jutsu have progressively employed less and less emphasis on the use of weapons, since most people may not carry them due to lawful restrictions. However it is often from people who flaunt the law that danger comes, and so Ju-Jutsu still incorporates a variety of weapon disarming/defending techniques. From sticks to knifes, there are common techniques to give a defender a greater chance of surviving unscathed if confronted by such weapons. Ju-Jutsu has also spread around the globe and is practised by men and women, both young and ol. It has become an all encompassing combat system directed at allowing the combatant to defend against a single untrained assailant through to a group of trained combatants.