THE PRINCIPLES OF JUJITSU
Effective fighting strategies occur spontaneously. They must flow and blend with a confrontation as it unfolds, and cannot merely be rehearsed responses to a given attack. Your attitude in a life or death situation is the determining factor that governs your tactics. Your body is merely a conduit for the fighting spirit that is channeled from your heart and mind. This spirit or attitude, can and most likely will fluctuate and change during a conflict.
Jujitsu practicioners have categorised these principles to call on during training and any real situation they may encounter. A Jujitsu practicioner can use one or more principle combined in any given situation.
1. The principle of the Earth attitude:
This is characterised by the immovable, grounded, stubborn elements of an individuals personality. The earth attitude is that confident feeling you might experience when confronted with a situation that poses no threat. By using the earth principle your opponent will think you are immovable, strong and grounded. To achieve the earth attitude physically, the Ju Jujitsu practicioner must center his movements in his/her thigh and buttocks. With a low center of gravity, most movements will be limited to upwards and/or downwards motions. These actions are very powerful for striking and blocking, and also lend themselves to uprooting an attacker. Assuming an earth attitude will make it very difficult for an aggressor to disrupt your balance.
2. The principle of water attitude:
Jujitsu is the water element. Water bypasses an opposing rock but wears it down in the process and finally masters it. The use of the water principle provides total penetration of the attackers defenses for like water flowing into empty spaces the Jujitsu-ka’s attack flows to the most vulnerable area of the opponent. The passive resistance of water harmlessly absorbs the attack.
3. The principle of the Fire attitude:
This resides in the aggressive, determined and energetic portion of the human personality. Fire is an all-consuming attitude. You will accomplish your goal at all costs, with no thought of consequences. In a self defence situation, fire translates to “it’s him or me, and I will be the one who survives this confrontation!”
To achieve this attitude on a physical level, a Jujitsu practicioner must link himself with the emotional fire element located in the solar plexus region. Once that is accomplished, his footwork will assume the distinctive backward and forward movement of the fire attitude. Moving linearly in a fire mode can take on several variations: Leaping, shuffling, running, entering etc. The assailant will get the feeling he/she is being overrun, consumed. It is as the defender is blasting through his opponent, leaving him totally devastated in a pile of ash.
3. The principle of the Wind attitude:
This manifests itself in the wise and loving aspect of your personality. Wind is both slippery and resilient, allowing the Jujitsu practicioner to redirect his opponent attacks without injury to either party. It is as though the Ju Jitsu-ka is not only protecting himself, but also his attacker from his own ignorance and poor judgment.
To manifest the spirit of the wind element physically, the Jujitsu practicioner must draw his attitude from the centre of his chest and heart. The physical maneuvers associated with the wind attitude are circular, as if the practitioner is spinning on his spinal axis. Wind defences are more or less deflections, rendering the defender untouchable and almost impossible to grab. Wind moves in all directions left, right ,forwards backwards up and down. By using the wind principle you can create you own whirlwind where your opponent won’t know which direction he/she is moving or what is happening.
5. The principle of Redirection (rechannelling the force):
In Jujitsu we do not clash with or directly oppose an opponents strength or force, rather we harmonize with it, avoid it and redirect it back to the attacker. Controlled redirection does not just knock aside the force of an attack but makes use of it. The opponent’s energy is accepted and redirected. We move naturally with the moves of the opponent, not in opposition to them. For example the Jujitsuka (an exponent of Jujitsu) intersects a punch then accelerates it and thus unbalances the attacker by virtue of redirected momentum. Jujitsu is the art of deflecting, redirecting, evading and blending force, using minimal strength for maximum effectiveness. It allows for minimum employment of one’s own muscular force.
6. The principle of balance:
Balance is the key factor in Jujitsu. An opponent will lose his balance by virtue of redirected momentum. Momentum is an expression of the opponent’s Ki. The attacker’s Ki is led to the point of unbalance.
Balance is that which enables one to preserve one’s psychic and physical equilibrium during the endless varieties of dynamic changes of position one’s body makes when executing Jujitsu skills. The equilibrium point for the human body is constantly changing.
Balance in Jujitsu refers to the balance between hard and soft, body and spirit and between thought and act. Our own inner balance must be maintained in the face of challenging situations, not only encountered in Jujitsu but in life. The unbalancing of an opponent occurs both mentally and physically making him lose control of the situation.
7. The principle of Ki:
Jujitsu uses co-ordinated Ki in harmony with the circumstances of combat. Ki is basically life force, or energy. Ki is concentrated by mental and physical concentration that helps the Ju jitsuka overcome a superior force. This state of co-ordinated energy is essential and accompanies all other Jujitsu principles.
Ju-Jutsu provides for an effective integration of the attacker’s and defender’s Ki. Ki can be focused and projected to produce a power greater than physical strength.
Kiai is a physical extension of Ki. It involves deep abdominal breathing and mental projection in the channel of a shout in a co-ordinated direction. There are three types of Kiai: Stopping, focusing and winding/multiple.
8. The principle of Circularity:
Many Jujitsu techniques rely on this principle. The circle may be as large as a hip throw or as small as a wrist twist. Circular movements make use of the laws of physical forces, momentum, leverage and inertia whereas linear concepts tend to directly oppose force. “Marui” refers to round circular movements involved in moving. Effective mastery of this principle will continue to keep the opponent off balance, mainly through pivotal action.
