JU-JITSU & JUDO

To the man on the street there may not seem to be an obvious difference between Judo and Ju-Jitsu. As you study each of the two arts, however, the differences become more noticeable.

The sport of Judo was developed from the more dangerous system of defense and attack known as Ju-Jitsu. Ju-Jitsu is an art with the specific goal of self-defence. Judo, now a recognized Olympic sport, means the gentle way and is an art practiced for the sake of the art rather than for self-defence.

Ju-Jitsu is the oldest of the martial arts, practiced by the samurai of ancient Japan. The art developed through warfare in the days of the Japanese feudal wars.  From this warfare the Samurai elite soldier came into being. With the breakdown of feudalism, the Samurai had no master or lord to work for. To make a living, they developed and taught the art of Ju-Jitsu. Ju-Jitsu evolved, becoming the gentle art or science, but however was still too violent. 

Towards the end of the 19th century a Japanese Ju-Jitsu master and military genius, Jigaro Kano, became disillusioned with the unsavoury reputation of many of the Ju-Jitsu schools of the time. Drawing upon the Ju-Jitsu training he received as a youth, he developed his own system known as Kodokan Judo. This system embodied many of the principles of the old-style Ju-Jitsu but altered the individual techniques to make them less deadly. This allowed him to introduce the element of randori or free practice, without the risk of serious injury.  This then also allowed for the development of a sport competition aspect that had never before been part of any of the Japanese martial arts. A study of Judo techniques will reveal a Ju-Jitsu equivalent from which each technique was developed. Many of the more deadly techniques within the art of Ju-Jitsu have been completely removed from the sport of Judo. An example is the throwing techniques of the two disciplines.

The throwing techniques of Ju-Jitsu use drive, aimed at disabling an opponent, as opposed to the Judo versions, which aim only to land an opponent on his back to score an ippon and win the contest.

A set of rules for Judo contests was developed and is used internationally to this day. These rules are designed to make the contest both fair and as safe as possible. If you were to use Ju-Jitsu to defend yourself from an attack then the only constraints would be the law of the land and the circumstances at that time. With Ju-Jitsu you can attack an opponent’s vital targets in an effort to defend yourself. In contest Judo, this is forbidden for safety reasons.