Jujitsu 

(The Gentle art)

Though known to day as a self-defence system Jujitsu, (also spelt variously as Jujutsu, Ju-jitsu, Jiu-jitsu, Jutsu) was originally developed for the battlefield by the legendary samurai warriors of Japan. Once a samurai was thrown from his horse he was vulnerable, and needed to even the odds quickly or risk death.

A skilled practitioner could unseat a horseman with a well-aimed jumping kick, block an advancing swordsman or disable an enemy at close quarters with a sweeping throw. These techniques were practiced in secret, between loyal clan members only. Samurai warrior's caught trading techniques with rival clans risked severe punishment, even death.

Jujitsu is a 'parent art', the founding base from which other martial arts have developed notably the arts of Judo and Aikido.

Jigoro Kano, judo's founding father, disregarded some of ju-jitsu's more combat orientated elements and concentrated on the throwing aspects in the creation of his art. While Ueshiba Morihei the founder of Aikido utilized and developed his own style of throws and locks reliant on the opponents momentum. Apart from Judo's more senior grades, neither system uses strikes or kicks to disable an attacker - a key tactical element in ju-jitsu.

When the samurai declined in importance during the 19th century, Jujitsu became a study in physical and mental discipline rather than a tool for the battlefield. It was one of the first martial arts to be adopted by western practitioners and is used by many combat and police forces across the world in their training regimes. There are literally 100's of martial arts systems in existence today. Some focus on striking and kicking, others emphasize deflecting, throwing, grappling or disabling with weapons. Jujitsu employs most if not all of these disciplines.

The ancient samurai warriors would undoubtedly recognize many of the techniques used by Jujitsu practitioners today but, without the idiosyncrasies of style and traditionalism that hamper some other systems, Jujitsu has evolved (as it still does) into a well rounded self defence system - well suited to modern defence needs Think of Jujitsu as an extensive arsenal of weapons; there are many self defence techniques available for any situation, the only limit is your imagination.