Jujutsu

Jujutsu (柔術, jūjutsu; Japanese pronunciation: [dʑɯːʑɯtsɯ] or [dʑɯꜜːʑɯtsɯ] ), also known as jiu-jitsu or ju-jitsu (both joo-JITS-oo), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner. A subset of techniques from certain styles of Japanese jujutsu either directly or indirectly influenced the development of many martial arts and combat sports, such as judo, aikido, hapkido, sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ARB, other styles of Submission wrestling, and mixed martial arts.

Characteristics

"Jū" can be translated as "gentle, soft, supple, flexible, pliable, or yielding", and "jutsu" can be translated as "art or technique". "Jujutsu" thus has the meaning of "yielding-art", as its core philosophy is to manipulate the opponent's force against themselves rather than confronting it with one's own force. Jujutsu developed to combat the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no form of weapon, or only a short weapon. Because striking against an armored opponent proved ineffective, practitioners learned that the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against them, rather than directly opposing it.

There are many variations of the art, which leads to a diversity of approaches. Jujutsu schools may utilize all forms of grappling techniques to some degree (e.g., throwing, takedowns, leg sweeps, trapping, pins, joint locks, holds, chokeholds, gouging, biting, hair pulling, disengagements, and striking). In addition to jujutsu, many schools teach the use of weapons.