What Is Jiu-Jitsu? Jiu-Jitsu (or ‘Ju-Jitsu’) is defined as the “art of gentleness” or the “yielding art.” Strength is not a major requirement for the art of Jiu-Jitsu; that is not to say that strength does not have its place. Overcoming an opponent may be

What Is Jiu-Jitsu? Jiu-Jitsu (or ‘Ju-Jitsu’) is defined as the “art of gentleness” or the “yielding art.” Strength is not a major requirement for the art of Jiu-Jitsu; that is not to say that strength does not have its place. Overcoming an opponent may be accomplished through a soft yielding technique, followed by the use of a short burst of strength to execute a finishing or subduing technique. Jiu-Jitsu then, is an all-encompassing combat system directed at allowing the combatant to defend against anything from a single untrained attacker through to a group of trained combatants. Hence, Jiu-Jitsu can be characterized as: See the attack, accept and yield to the attack, take control of the attack, redirect the attack, and increase the attack. How And When Did Jiu-Jitsu Develop? Jiu-Jitsu developed around 792 A.D., a system of martial arts techniques designed for use by Samurai warriors. This art was developed expressly to enable combatants to fight at close quarters on the battlefield in an effective manner. As a result, Jiu-Jitsu techniques

What Is Jiu-Jitsu? Jiu-Jitsu (or ‘Ju-Jitsu’) is defined as the “art of gentleness” or the “yielding art.” Strength is not a major requirement for the art of Jiu-Jitsu; that is not to say that strength does not have its place. Overcoming an opponent may be accomplished through a soft yielding technique, followed by the use of a short burst of strength to execute a finishing or subduing technique. Jiu-Jitsu then, is an all-encompassing combat system directed at allowing the combatant to defend against anything from a single untrained attacker through to a group of trained combatants. Hence, Jiu-Jitsu can be characterized as: See the attack, accept and yield to the attack, take control of the attack, redirect the attack, and increase the attack. How And When Did Jiu-Jitsu Develop? Jiu-Jitsu developed around 792 A.D., a system of martial arts techniques designed for use by Samurai warriors. This art was developed expressly to enable combatants to fight at close quarters on the battlefield in an effective manner. As a result, Jiu-Jitsu techniques are composed of striking, kicking, throwing, joint locking, choking holds, and grappling maneuvers in addition to the use of certain weapons. In the 1880s, Jigro Kano developed Judo, or "the Gentle Way", from the harsher techniques of Jiu-Jitsu in an effort to popularize the martial arts. By the mid-1900’s more than 700 systems of Jiu-Jitsu were taught throughout Japan. In the 1920’s, Morihei Ueshiba developed the art of Aiki-jitsu, once again drawing on the techniques of Jiu-jitsu and refining them into a more specialized and esoteric art. In 1942, he began to teach a fully developed form called Aikido. Over time, Jiu-Jitsu was adopted by various groups of people who took different aspects of the art and developed them much further than before. Karate developed the striking aspect, Aikido the locking and balance aspect, and Judo the throwing and holding aspects. All have their fundamental origins from the ancient Jiu-Jitsu techniques, and as such, Jiu-Jitsu is sometimes referred to as the “Mother Art.” What Style Of Jiu-Jitsu Do We Practise? Shima Martial Arts teaches Classical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu™, which prefers bringing an opponent to the ground and then relying on grappling techniques to end an encounter. The termination of an encounter is achieved utilizing holds, arm locks, chokes, and leg locks. This favored ‘ground-grappling’ strategy negates the advantage of an opponent with superior striking abilities. Our style of Jiu-Jitsu is well suited to the individual who appreciates being able to turn away an attacker with minimal use of force, yet would still like to be able to defend with deadly force if required. Note that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu favors practical techniques that have been tested by members of the Gracie Family (Helio, Rorion, Rickson, Royler and Royce Gracie to name a few) and their students in numerous challenge matches. Using these same Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques, Royce Gracie won the world famous “no-holds-barred” Ultimate Fighting Championship™ three times against larger opponents and is the only man in the history of no holds barred matches to successfully defeat four opponents in one night.