Jujitsu: It's More Than Self Defense

The well known form of martial arts known as Jujitsu was created by the renowned Samurai warriors on the ancient battlefields when Japan was ruled by feudal lords. There are various ways of writing and pronouncing Jujitsu such as jujitsu, ju_jitsu, ju_jutsu, or jiu_jitsu and it is derived from the Japanese word jûjutsu which means "gentle/yielding/compliant Art"

When you consider the word jutsu, it means 'art, practice' and ju means 'principle' or 'way', which could come to mean the very idea of life. Together, the word Jujutsu comes to mean 'the gentle art'.

It is considered one of the best methods of self defence and relies on a number of methods such as locks, strikes and throws to make the maximum impact. Earlier on, Jujitsu methods were formulated for warriors and others who were in armor and hence, the moves were not as fluid as they are now. Those methods were just not calculated for everyday fighting on the street. The very notion of making the opponent lose his balance and to put one's own body to use as a weapon was something that was really innovative in martial arts.

Jujitsu can be outlined under basic methods of attack and defence. The former includes hitting, thro-wing, immobilizing, strang-ling, punching, joint locking and of how can we forget course kicking. The latter includes parrying, kick and thrust, receiving throws or joint-locking techniques, freeing oneself from an enemy's grasp, and moving around your position to avoid or counteract an attack.

You might be surprised to learn that you will have to know and figure out at least twenty five actual theories and ideas of anatomical physics so that your methods will work well when you actually use them.

Some of the first things you will get to know are techniques to build up your skills on their own, and then you will move on to the slightly more complicated methods and strategies where you will learn all there is to know about the different stages in a combat. Once you are aware of this, you can actually react to the opponent and attack them from any stage.

Dodging your opponent becomes something you have to get accustomed to, more so because there nine basic methods which you have to become proficient in Ju-Jitsu. These are Step Dodge (Kaishin); Side Dodge (Yoko Furimi); Backward Dodge (Sorimi); Pull-In Dodge (Hikimi); Circular Dodge (Ryusui); Jumping Retreat (Tobi Sagari); Sliding Retreat (Hiraki Sagari); Full-Turn Dodge (Zen Tenkan) & Half-Turn Dodge (Hon Tenkan).

The transformation from a combat art form to a sport has ensured that those who practice it learn to maintain control of their bodies as well as other factors such as balancing and making sure there are quick reflexes. One of the best things that you learn from it is that your mind becomes sharp and so does your body, and together they perform in harmony. By now, you have probably realised that jujitsu is not just about learning how to attack or defend oneself. By using it, you will learn to plumb the depths of your capacity and strength and to emerge a winner not just in a combat situation, but also in your everyday life.

If you want to fully comprehend the concept of Jiu-Jitsu and apply it to your life, as well as make a difference in your health and martial arts performance, then there is quite some learning that needs to be done. Along with this, you need to exercise and meditate for it to be fully effective. In Jiu-Jitsu, martial arts is just one side of the equation. The other side resounds with all the positive ramifications that you have in your health.