Starting Ju Jitsu

I'm new to Ju Jitsu and confused. What exactly is it?

Ju Jitsu is a traditional Japanese self defence system that deals with aggression and violence through positive energetic training. It applies effective martial techniques by using dynamic body movements which blend with an attack to control or neutralize it.

As a non-competitive art students practise in a friendly open environment. As well as being an effective self defence Ju Jitsu focuses on relaxing and freeing the body from stress and tension through natural movements. Regular practise will recharge the body, improve co-ordination, posture, self confidence, concentration and fitness levels.

What's involved in a typical Ju Jitsu Class?

Classes start with a warm-up and stretching routine. All stretches follow natural lines of the body and are used to increase suppleness, stabilise posture and breathing. All 3 of these combined, are necessary for developing technique.

After the warm up, the class are invited to pair up with another member of the class and try the techniques shown (to them by the instructor) themselves alternating between the roles of Tori and Ukei. In JuJitsu the role of the defender is called Tori and the attacker is called Ukei. Due to the nature of Ju Jitsu practice it is very important to learn how to receive a technique and fall safely. The art of receiving is called Ukemi. Continued on

Learning Ukemi is probably the biggest mental block for beginners. It can be quite unnerving to learn to roll forwards and backwards naturally and without fear of hurting oneself. But over time and with practice falling, rolling and being flipped in techniques will become second nature.

Ju Jitsu movements also involve a lot of turning and pivoting. The footwork for these turning movements requires constant repetition to become fluid and stable during techniques and is practised extensively during every class.