The Truth About Sport Ju Jutsu!

The question of whether Ju Jutsu should have a sporting element in it is one that will not go away quickly. For many people I have spoken to some still feel it is wrong as they believe it will take away the arts potency in a real conflict.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion this view can be seen to be flawed in a number of ways. This article will hopefully highlight how Ju Jutsu competition can, in fact, be seen as a hugely beneficial training methodology in student’s attempts at improving their self-defence skills.

=============== PRESSURE TESTED ===============

Ju Jutsu competition adds that vital component into a practitioners training that can make the difference in a real situation.

That component?

PRESSURE!

If you cannot make any of your techniques work against non-compliance then this will obviously be an issue if you ever get into a predicament where it looks like you might have to physically defend yourself.

Ju Jutsu competition helps the student to develop an arsenal of pressure-tested techniques that he or she can rely upon under pressure. Sure, this might mean that would only be three or four techniques, but this is much better than knowing one hundred techniques NONE of which have really been put under duress.

“One technique mastered is worth more than a thousand sampled”

================ ISSHIN AND MA-AI ================

Ju Jutsu competition is an awesome way to develop these traditional attributes.

Isshin (meaning one heart or mind) can be developed under the stress of a competitive environment. This can be demonstrated when a competitor throws him or herself into attack mode fearless of any counter-attack.

The benefit of having this attribute in a real self-defence situation is quite obvious!

Ma-ai (being able to evaluate distance) is another great attribute that can be improved while competing. This is especially true in Ju Jutsu competition as they can involve ALL ranges of combat.

Again, the benefits of having good awareness of distance are clear. It is vital in self-defence, and might mean the difference between being able to attack first and run and ending up in an actual fight.

Both the above attributes are often very visible in seasoned Ju Jutsu competitors as they have the experience of REAL TIME combat and have learnt to react accordingly, knowing when to commit to an all out attack, and when to use their feel for distance to stay out of harms way or to initiate an attack themselves.

============ FEELING PAIN ============

This is quite an important one!

In a real situation you must expect to take a few knocks or at least be accepting that it might occur. While competing in Ju Jutsu competition you learn to control your adrenaline (eventually) and, even if you get knocked, you learn to fight on.

In real terms, this might be the difference between surviving a real attack or not, so it cannot be underestimated. In Ju Jutsu competition you learn to grapple with total commitment and learn to fight through taking the odd bump or knock.

Vital to developing a strong fighting spirit!

I hope this article has highlighted some of the benefits of competing in Ju Jutsu Kumite. Unfortunately, not every one is a David “Tank” Abbott or Mike Tyson, who are born with innate fighting abilities.

Most of us have to learn and develop these, and introducing pressure in the form of competition is the safest and most sensible route to go down, if you are serious about having your techniques work for you when you might need them the most!