Methods of Combat
Ju Jitsu is a Samurai Warrior's secondary form of combat. They were not meant to be systems of unarmed combat but as a means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. Ideally, the samurai would be armed and would not need to rely on them.
Methods of unarmed combat emplyment included;
+ Striking - kicking and punching, etc
+ Throwing - body throws, joint-lock throws, unbalance throws, etc
+ Restraining - kyusho pressure points, pinning, strangulating, grappling, wrestling, etc
+ Weaponry - Katana, Wakazashi, Jutte, Tessen, Shuriken, Hojo, Kama, etc
Defensive tactics included:
+ Blocking
+ Evading
+ Off-balancing
+ Blending
+ Escaping
+ Minor weapons - tanto (dagger), ryufundo kusari (weighted chain), kabuto wari (helmet smasher), and kakushi buki (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Koryu Ju Jitsu (Old style Ju Jitsu).
Description
Japanese ju jitsu systems typically place more emphasis on throwing, immobilizing and pinning, joint-locking, choking, and strangling techniques (as compared with other martial arts systems such as karate). Atemi-waza (striking techniques) were seen as less important in most older Japanese systems, since samurai body armor protected against many striking techniques.
The Japanese systems of hakuda, kenpo, and shubaku display some degree of Chinese influence in their emphasis on atemi-waza. In comparison, systems that derive more directly from Japanese sources show less preference for Atemi (striking) techniques. However, a few ju jitsu schools likely have some Chinese influence in their development. Ju jitsu ryu vary widely in their techniques, and many do include significant numbers of striking techniques, if only as set-ups for their grappling techniques.
In ju jitsu, practitioners train in the use of many potentially fatal moves. However, because students mostly train in a non-competitive environment, risk is minimized. Students are taught break falling skills to allow them to safely practice otherwise dangerous throws.
Technical Characteristics
Although there is some diversity in the actual look and techniques of the various traditional ju jitsu systems, there are significant technical similarities common to all schools:
+ Students learn traditional jujutsu primarily by observation and imitation of the ryu's waza.
+ The unarmed waza of most schools emphasize joint-locking techniques (kansetsu waza), that is, threatening a joint's integrity by placing pressure on it in a direction contrary to its normal function, aligning it so that muscular strength cannot be brought to bear, take-down or throwing techniques, or a combination of take-downs and joint-locks.
+ Sometimes atemi (strikes) are targeted to some vulnerable area of the body; this is an aspect of kuzushi, the art of breaking balance as a set-up for a lock, take-down or throw.
+ Movements tend to capitalize on an attacker's momentum and openings in order to place a joint in a compromised position or to break their balance as preparation for a take-down or throw.
+ The defender's own body is positioned so as to take optimal advantage of the attacker's weaknesses while simultaneously presenting few openings or weaknesses of its own.
