Pakistan Ju Jitsu Federation

Ju-Jitsu's origins date back to the sixteenth century when legend narrates that its founding father,a young Japanese man called Shirobei Akiyama who was studying medicine in China, 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.The Gentle Art or Art of Subtleness (for this is the meaning of Ju-Jitsu) would not aim to neutralize power with power but rationally absorb an attack and convert that energy to the opponent’s own detriment.This basic principle became the heart of the teaching of the Yoshin ryu school,founded by the Akiyama and considered to be the foremost Ju-Jitsu dojo.The Art developed throughout the Sengoki Era and continued through the Kanei, the Munnji and the Kanbun (1624-1673) periods.In the years of civil disorder the Samurai class (Aristocratic warriors/Bushi) came to dominate.It is during this period that Ju-Jitsu first developed as an open-field art of combat and then more and more as a physical and mental study.Ju-Jitsu is divided into two parts:the Duo System and the Fighting System. The former is a discipline in which a pair of Jutsukas from the same team show possible self-defence techniques against a series of 12 attacks,randomly called by the mat referee from the 20 codified attacks to cover the following typologies:grip attack (or strangulation),embrace attack (or necklock),hit attack (punch or kick)and armed attack(stick or knife).The Duo System has three competition categories: male,female or mixed,and the athletes are judged for their speed,accuracy,control and realism.It is arguably the most spectacular form of Ju-Jitsu competition and it requires great technical preparation,synchronism and elevated athletic qualities.With a different approach,the Fighting System is articulated in a series of two-round,one-on-one combats between athletes from opposing teams. The system is divided in 10 categories according to weight and sex (Male categories: -62 kg, -69kg,-77kg,-85kg,-94kg,+94kg;Female categories:–55kg,-62kg,-70kg,+70kg).The actual combat is divided in three phases (Parts): Part I sees the Jutsukas involved in distance combat (controlled attacks with arms and legs and atemis of various nature).Once a grab has been made the Fight enters Part II and hits are no longer allowed.The Jutsukas try to bring one another down with various throwing techniques (and points are given according to how “clean” and effective the action was).Once down on the tatamis (mats) the match enters its Part III.Here points are given for immobilisation techniques,controlled strangulations or levers on body joints that bring the opponent to yield.The winner is the Jutsuka who has accumulated most points during the fight. Automatic victory is assigned to the Jutsuka who gets an “Ippon” (clean action,full points)in all three Parts or who outscores his opponent with a 14 point score difference by the end of round one.This type of competition requires timing,agility,strength and endurance.Traditionally,the studies of Ju-Jitsu consist of both the practice of skills and the adherence to ethics.The skills learned from Ju-Jitsu practice hone our physical bodies,sharpen our reflexes and strengthen our resolves and they should be counterbalanced by good conduct.The philosophy of Ju-Jitsu is the achieving of harmonious values by individuals who live by peace,wisdom,morals,love and self-discipline through intellectual means.The primary gold of learning Ju-Jitsu is to become a better understanding person who lives with a greater expectation of a sincere life.Good quality of life also requires having a healthy life both mentally and physically.The art of Ju-Jitsu cannot exist without the mental aspect,which is the foundation that physical improvements are built upon.Ju-Jitsu is much more than just a workout.It is an alteration,both physically and mentally,of ones lifestyle that will last a lifetime.It seems to be an issue of bridging the actions with the thoughts,or integrating fighting and philosophy.Any worthwhile accomplishment requires a certain amount of dedication,effort and discipline.This is no less evident in Ju-Jitsu training.Every aspect of Ju-Jitsu requires the harmonization of the mind and body.This harmonization is achieved through mental focus and concentration combing with proper respiration and accurate physical techniques.The aim of the Ju-Jitsu training is the welfare of the practitioner.Not only self-defense skills should be attained,but more importantly the focus should be on the individual’s character development.A well rounded personally can be realized only if the spirit is right.Therefore,the main goal in Ju-Jitsu practice is to cultivate a person’s mind and body;not to use is as a means to vent one’s anger,frustration or emotional problems.As the serious Ju-Jitsu practitioners we should accept a philosophy of non-violence – a physical confrontation should be avoided wherever possible. The use of force is condoned only is self-defense or in the defense of those who are defenseless.It does not condone meaningless rivalry,foolish stunts,and intimidation of others,violent behavior,criminal activities,self-preening vanity,any vices or addictions.The Ju-Jitsu practitioner displays this courage in the use of his skills to satisfy the demands of ethics,and in defense of his country or fellow human beings against unjust violence,to the point of supreme self-sacrifice,if necessary.The Ju-Jitsu practitioner should use his knowledge only to protect himself and others from harm, and then only to the extent to protect and remove himself from the situation.If it is necessary to use Ju-Jitsu against an adversary,the practitioner should still use self-restraint and good judgement.A properly trained Ju-Jitsu practitioner will do everything possible to avoid a physical confrontation,not only because he knows that such confrontation is unnecessary,but also because he knows that he has a better than average chance of successfully defending himself,and because a physical confrontation is philosophically degrading,as it indicates that all other means of avoidance have failed.The Ju-Jitsu practitioner should also adopt an attitude of self-control – he must bend like the willow.All of these help him become a better person and, at the same time,help him avoid unnecessary confrontations.It is the inner peace and confidence that the practitioner develops that makes this possible.Patience is the key.Discipline is the exercising of self-control.In Ju-Jitsu,this concept encompasses the emotions,actions,and mental activities of its practitioners.It is one of the cornerstones from which mastery is attained.The ability of defend oneself greatly improves self-confidence.Self-confidence combined with better judgement,integrity and overall improvement in lifestyle brings a positive attitude.The mental aspect of Ju-Jitsu is not quickly seen when compared to the almost-immediate physical improvements.Improvement of physical ability gained from training will be immediately visible to the practitioner himself while the improvement of the mental aspect will be recognized by those around him.Physical activities used to enhance mental conditioning are helpful in developing a positive self-image. The physical aspect of training is a direct mirror of how much energy the individual is putting into his own internal growth. The harder he trains his body the more he grows spiritually.