There are many different styles of ju jitsu (jiu-jitsu), each concentrating on a different aspect of the art. In its purest form ju jitsu comprises kicks, punches, nerve-centre pressure-point control, holds, joint locks, throws and grappling. Ju Jitsu is arguably the most well-rounded combat art for self-defense.

In Japanese, ju jitsu means "gentle (ju) art (jitsu)". The name refers not just to ju jitsu techniques, which are anything but "gentle", but rather to how you address a self-defense situation, including your state of being having reached a certain degree of proficiency.

Learning ju jitsu allows you to adapt your response to best suit a given situation.

Ju jitsu was the hand-to-hand combat art of the Samurai, developed for use in close-quarters where it was not possible to weild a sword, and later when the Samurai were forbidden to carry swords in public.

Ju jitsu is the parent art to many modern martial arts, such as Aikido, Karate, Judo, many others. Below is a chart comparing a variety of self-defense techniques to different martial arts.

	Kung Fu	Karate	Judo	Aikido	TKD	Boxing	MMA	Ju Jitsu
Punching (Closed fist)
Open-Hand Strikes
Strikes with arm
Kicking (Low)
Kicking (High)
Hard Blocking
Soft Blocking (redirection)
Joint-Locks and Holds
Throws
Takedowns
Pressure Point Control Tactics
Grappling
Systematic approach to self-defense
Emphasis on attacker control vs. injury
Variety of physical responses to attacks

A skilled ju jitsu practitioner is capable of defeating armed and unarmed assailants with as much force as necessary to stop an attack and prevent further attack. Ju jitsu continues to be an art worthy of serious study.

Learn more about Goshinkan-Ryu Ju Jitsu at www.GoshinMA.com.