Jujutsu literally means the “art of softness” and is a collective name for Japanese martial arts styles which include armed and unarmed techniques.

 

Although the name translates as gentle, the effects of the art are far from it.

​

Jujutsu was developed by the Samurai warriors on the battlefields of feudal Japan, as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent without the use of their primary weapons. The idea is to ground the opponent or opponents using as little effort as possible if the warriors own weapon was lost or broken.

 

Kumi Uchi (grappling in armour) made use of the opponent’s breast plate and shoulder plates in order to topple him. This was sometimes aided by the use of a small dagger.

 

All Samurai carried various secret concealed weapons in case of emergency. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking the body against an armored opponent, the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of trips, sweeps, joint locks and take downs.

 

These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker’s energy against him, rather than directly opposing it.

​

Many martial arts and combat sports have their origins in ju jitsu, for example judo, aikido, sambo, krav maga, Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

 

Judo - Jigoro Kano, an accomplished ju jitsu fighter, created his own school in the 1880s. This would later evolve into judo. Modern day judo is a combat sport which focuses on the throwing side of ju-jitsu, like all sports Judo has rules, such as no striking, no contact with the face, no joint-locks.

 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - Mitsuo Maeda, a student of Kano, brought the sport to Brazil 1914. Among others Carlos Gracie was one of his first students. In 1925, Carlos opened the first ju-jitsu academy in Brazil with his brothers. And from there the sport of BJJ was born. BJJ focuses on grappling on the ground with a particular focus on competition. In BJJ striking, grabbing of fingers, hair or face, and various locking and takedown techniques are not allowed.

 

At Barnet Ju Jitsu we train in a modernised form of Japanese Ju Jitsu. Our training includes a wide range of skills and techniques, such as striking, joint locks, throwing and disarming opponents. Through kata, controlled sparring and situation-based training we practice defending ourselves from armed and unarmed opponents.

 

We have a healthy respect for the history of ju jitsu art and of other martial arts and combat sports, with many of our members cross training in different systems.