Ju Jitsu
Ju Jitsu comprises
- Atemi Waza
striking techinques
- Kensetsu Waza
locking techinques
- Shimi Waza
stranglation techniques
- Nage Waza
throwing techniques
- Ne Waza
ground techniques
Meaning of Ju Jitsu
The name is composed out of two Japanese words. The first is ju meaning gentle, soft, yielding, flexible. The second, Jitsu meaning art. So the translation of ju jitsu — the gentle art.
History of Ju Jitsu
The art of ju jitsu is about two thousand years old. Modern ju jitsu though is traced back to between the 8th and 16th century. The first recognised form of ju jitsu was formed by Takenouchie Hisamori in 1532 and consisted of techniques with katana (sword), jo (stick) and tanto (dagger) as well as unarmed techniques.
Ju jitsu in its fullest form was an art of combat used by the samurai. Ju jitsu includes both unarmed and armed techniques. It is regarded as the grandfather of Aikido and Judo. Within its system lies a variety of skills such as punching and kicking, striking nerve points, throwing, strangling and joint locking techniques.
Traditionally, the samurai would only grapple if all else failed. When attacked, a ju jitsuka (a practitioner of ju jitsu) will block or parry the attack, unbalance his opponent, secure him in a lock, throw him and then pin him to the floor using the knees. They will then strike their opponent and use the lock to break or immobilise the limb. Traditionally, the lock would only be held to allow the ju jitsuka to draw a knife and ram it through a chink in the opponent's armour.