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What is Jiu Jitsu ?

Jiu Jitsu literally translated means, The Gentle Art.

In Japanese, ju-jitsu is written with two kanji. The first character, read as jyū or yawara, means soft, gentle or pliable. The second character, read as jyutsu, means art or technique. Because of this, ju-jitsu is often translated as 'the gentle art'.

Its name originates in the sixteenth century when legend narrates that a young Japanese man called Shirobei Akiyama witnessed a heavy blizzard. He was able to appreciate how branches of most trees broke while the elastic branches of the willow tree bent and efficiently freed themselves from the snow. This gave rise to the name of the 'pliable art'

Jiu Jitsu involves multiple techniques that allow a response varying from gentle but firm dissuasion to infliction of serious injury. Jiu Jitsu is an art that allows you to defend yourself against a variety of attacks, in any situation, by responding to the circumstances, without having to rely on strength and power. Jiu Jitsu utilizes holds, locks, throws and evading techniques, as well as numerous different strikes. Jiu Jitsu also involves varying degrees of disarming techniques to protect against various weapons.

Strength is not a prerequisite for Jiu Jitsu, not to say that it does not have its place. Defeating an attacker may involve a gentle technique, followed by the use of a short burst of strength to execute a finishing or subduing technique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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