Jeet Kune Do(JKD) is not only a martial art style, but a philosophy that was founded by the legendary Bruce Lee. In 1971 Bruce Lee wrote an essay entitled “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.” In it, he described his martial art and philosophy. Does Jeet Kune Do still have relevance, and is it a practical martial art today?

Jeet Kune Do is effective. Its effectiveness lies in breaking traditional rules of martial arts, making use of what is effective and useful rather than fighting according to a prescribed set of rules. The focus is to anticipate, intercept and use your skill to counter without hesitation.

Jeet Kune do is so much more than just a combat style, which was the intention of the philosophy by its founder Bruce Lee. He saw the value in techniques from many different fighting styles, and he incorporated these into his own fighting style and adapted them to be effective without the need to fight according to rules. 

What Is Jeet Kune Do?

Jeet Kune Do, or JKD, is a Martial art expression that was developed by famed martial artist Bruce Lee. It was this style, or rather the philosophy behind the style, that has resulted in many people referring to Bruce Lee as the father of modern MMA. If you want to learn more about what makes Bruce Lee the father of MMA, see my article on Bruce Lee – Why He Is Considered The Father Of MMA.

Bruce Lee struggled to put a name to his martial art expression because he felt that it would limit the philosophy behind his martial art, which went directly against the essence of the philosophy. He went back and forth between various names before settling on Jeet Kune Do in 1967.

The translation of Jeet Kune Do is “Way Of The Intercepting Fist,” where the keyword in the name is “Intercepting.” The philosophy behind “Intercepting” was considered to be applicable not only to combat-style fighting but also mentally, physically, and spiritually.

The requirement of Jeet Kune Do is to train oneself in all aspects of life, both mental and physical, to cultivate oneself to the point that you have all the tools necessary to face any given situation. 

The idea is to equip oneself to the point that when faced with any situation, you can draw from your experience, knowledge, and training to “Intercept” the situation and use the tools you have available without needing to think about it.

The core philosophy around Jeet Kune Do is “using no way as way; having no limitation as limitation.” This implies learning from multiple sources, absorbing what you find useful, rejecting what is not, and adding your own experience to it.

What Does Jeet Kune Do Focus On?

Because of this philosophy around Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee incorporated moves and techniques from multiple other martial arts that he believed had merit and usefulness but not incorporating the techniques that he deemed not useful.

The focus of Jeet Kune Do is that your fighting style is personal, and each person will find different things useful from other styles than what Bruce Lee did. The key to JKD is to always be learning, always improving, always adapting, and growing. This means your martial art style may change over time as you change.

The focus of JKD is a combination of philosophy and practical fighting techniques, and skill. The primary focus is on the philosophy since if you grasp this aspect, you will be open to learn from any martial art style and grow your fighting style by incorporating components into your own style.

There is no focus on rigid or prescribed moves and patterns in JKD. The focus is on adaptability. The techniques that are taught are intended to change the way you approach martial arts from prescribed movements to anticipating or intercepting your opponent’s moves and attacks.

Is Jeet Kune Do Still Effective?

The combat style of Jeet Kune Do is effective because the foundation of the style are moves that Bruce Lee adapted from other styles and brought them into his philosophy, which allowed him to improve on them rather than stick to the prescribed execution of the technique.

Much of the techniques developed for JKD were to make the style effective for real-life combat situations. This meant being able to adapt your style to the situation and use different moves and techniques dictated by the situation rather than by your learned fighting style.

Because JKD was developed for street fighting, the techniques taught as part of this style are definitely still relevant and effective today. However, the philosophy of not sticking to a single “way” but developing your own adaptations are still relevant and is the foundation philosophy of modern MMA. 

Is Jeet Kune Do The Best Fighting Style?

It is difficult to classify any one martial art or fighting style as “the best” fighting style since they all have their strong points and flaws. The very thought of proclaiming JKD as the best fighting style goes against the philosophy of the martial art.

According to the philosophy, there is always room to improve and learn new techniques and to adapt and evolve.

JDK is certainly one of the best fighting styles because of its practical application, strikes that are designed for real-world situations, low kicks that are difficult to counter, and efficient use of your energy. One of the core aspects of the martial art that makes it very useful is learning to anticipate your opponent’s moves. 

The combination of the moves taught as part of JKD and learning to anticipate and intercept make Jeet Kune Do a very effective martial art to learn for self-defense.

Is Jeet Kune Do Deadly?

All martial arts and fighting styles have the potential to be deadly; it all depends on the attitude of the fighters involved. Jeet Kune do was developed to be an effective fighting style that can be used in self-defense.

Jeet Kune Do can certainly be deadly, especially if the student has focused on learning and mastering the strikes taught in the martial art. All fighting styles have the underlying capability to cause serious injury and even death, depending on the intensity with which the combat techniques are performed. 

Is Jeet Kune Do More Effective Than Wing Chun?

Wing Chun is a classical martial art that has very strict rules and disciplines in the fighting style. It has prescribed movements and techniques, fixed positions, forms, and movements and relies on a straight-line attack and defense.

Jeet Kune Do is better than Wing Chun, especially in a real combat situation, because it is more adaptable and fluid, and there are more techniques that are taught as part of the style. Jeet Kune Do incorporates some Wing Chun techniques, but they are performed without the rigidity of rules.

The key of JKD is effectiveness rather than adhering to a set of traditions and rules in a fighting style. This makes JKD more fluid and effective in more situations than Wing Chun.

Is There A Difference Between Jeet Kune Do Vs. MMA?

The key aspect where Jeet Kune Do and MMA meet is in the philosophy. MMA incorporates many different fighting styles, and the fighters learn many different martial arts and other fighting styles to compete, and JKD incorporated techniques from other styles.

The difference between Jeet Kune Do and MMA is that MMA is a sport that is governed by rules, and the techniques that are used in the sport can only be used within the confines of the rules. JKD has no rules, and any technique that is useful is incorporated.

JKD is not governed or limited by rules that would contravene a sporting code, which makes it different from MMA, where opponents must remain within the prescribed guidelines of the sport.

Is Jeet Kune Do Hard To Learn?

JKD is a martial art that emphasizes simplicity and function rather than form and technique. This makes it easier to learn some of the techniques used in JKD because there are no hard-and-fast rules. As long as the way you execute the technique is effective, you are good to go.

You can make progress quickly in JKD as long as you are diligent in your training and practice. The essence of JKD, however, is that you never stop learning and improving. You can learn techniques within a few weeks to be able to defend yourself, but the style is a lifelong journey.

This is not to say that it will take a long time to learn effective techniques, just that you will never stop learning, adapting, and improving in the style.

Is JKD Still Taught?

Many may consider that JKD died when Bruce Lee passed away, but this is not the case. Many of his students have pursued the philosophy and the training they received from Bruce Lee and developed schools that train with the same principles.

JKD is still taught today. It is one of the martial arts that many MMA fighters focus on for the aspect of anticipating an opponent. Due to the flexibility of the style, trainers train their students in JKD differently. The World JKD Federation seeks to promote the philosophy of Bruce Lee’s original art. 

Bruce Lee’s untimely death left the world without any formal teaching from the master himself, but the students that he taught have tried to continue with his work and development of the style. However, many of his students also admit that they still do not fully understand everything that encompasses JKD.

Conclusion

JDK is an extremely effective martial art that is one of the most useful styles to learn for self-defense. It teaches you to not only fight from a prescribed set of rules but to adapt your style to effectively counter your opponent.

Many people enjoy learning Jeet Kune Do because of its lack of traditional rules and formalities, bringing a level of freedom to martial arts that many other styles lack.

Taekwondo(TKD): Tae  (foot), Kwon  (hand), Do  (art) is a South Korean martial art that is very popular all around the world. Most people know it just as a sport that is a part of the Olympic Games.

Taekwondo can be both a martial art and a sport. Taekwondo at its core is the art of self-defense that has many forms and styles.  But Taekwondo has also been promoted as a sport when the World Taekwondo(WT) organization was established as the international governing body for the sports competition internationally.

Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about Taekwondo and why it became a sport and much more. 

Brief History of Taekwondo

The story of Taekwondo begins shortly after the end of WW2. This was a time when a lot of new martial art schools called “kwans” started to open up in Korea. Each kwan used to teach their own style of fighting such as “Taekkyeon”, which is an art that has origins in Chinese arts.

In the 1950s, nine main kwans decided to create a unified Korean martial art and they named it “Tang Soo Do”. At the time Tang Soo Do was a Korean form of karate that was a mix of techniques from Shotokan, Subak, and Kung Fu. But a few years later, they would change the name to “Taekwondo”.

Tang Soo Do officially became “Taekwondo” with the birth of “Korea Taekwondo Association” in 1959. This marks the birth of the unified Korean martial art, and Taekwondo as a sport.

Is Taekwondo a Sport or an Art?

Taekwondo is a martial art that is a very popular sport. The initial forms of the art, better known as “traditional Taekwondo”, have all put a lot of emphasis on self-defense, and these forms are still present. Students learn how to use all limbs as weapons to punch, kick and execute some basic throws.

But over the years, Taekwondo grew into a national sport in South Korea, and in other parts of the world as well. In order to promote TKD competitions internationally, the World Taekwondo(WT) organization was created to oversee the sport aspects of TKD.

The sport grew so fast that the entire emphasis of the art has moved from self-defense to competition and fighting under the rules. The biggest moment came in 2000 when Taekwondo was finally confirmed by IOC Executive Board to include on the Olympic programme of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

This is the reason why, nowadays, most schools teach you how to fight under the rules. Taekwondo as a sport has become so big that you will rarely find a gym that will teach you traditional skills.

Are Punches Allowed in Taekwondo?

Yes, Taekwondo teaches you how to use punches to strike the opponent. But bear in mind that the way you use punches differs between the styles and forms. In competition, fighters can only throw punches to the upper body below the head and neck. They are not allowed to punch the head, which they can do using kicks only.

On the other side, traditional Taekwondo focuses more on self-defense and it teaches you how to use punches to strike the head. In fact, students learn solid punching combos as well as how to strike the head using elbows. Still, learning how to fight under the rules is far more popular in modern times. Most schools put emphasis on competition and students spend little to no time learning self-defense moves from the traditional form.

This is the reason why Taekwondo fighters rarely use punches, which gives average people a wrong perception that punches are not allowed at all.

Is Taekwondo Dangerous?

In short, yes. Taekwondo is a safe sport, but like any other martial art where you have kicks and punches, it carries a risk of injuries. It’s fair to say that it is much safer than some other arts like boxing because it includes far fewer strikes to the head.

This means that training Taekwondo could lead to various joint injuries and even fractures, but the risk of serious, long-term injuries like brain damage is very low. The most common injuries are joint and muscle strains, and small fractures. The top five locations of injury are the foot, knee, ankle, thigh and head.  

Students are throwing hundreds of hard kicks per class which is the reason why there are so many leg injuries. If you are on a receiving end, a strong kick might break your rib, which to be fair, is a common injury in all martial arts.

But overall, we are not talking about the injuries that could have an impact on your life or health in the long run. These injuries also do not take much time to heal and are a part of many other sports out there like soccer or football. 

The rate of injuries is really low in Taekwondo because most schools put a lot of emphasis on safety. All students, no matter how skilled they are, must wear full safety gear when doing any live drills or sparring. 

What are the Rules of Taekwondo?

The rules of Taekwondo may vary between the forms and styles, but most of the major rules are very much the same. Here is all you need to know about the general rules of Taekwondo, scoring of the matches and equipment. 

General Rules

• The main goal in a Taekwondo match is to outscore or knock the opponent out by landing kicks and punches in the allowed target areas. 
• Each bout lasts three rounds with each round being two minutes. A rest period between the rounds is one minute.
• Each bout includes one referee and three judges scoring the contest.
• Athletes compete on the 10m square mats.

Equipment and Uniform

• All fighters must wear a gi top and pants made out of thick cotton and a rank belt around their waist.
• Head guard
• Groin guard
• Shin guards
• Chest protector
• Mouth Guard
• Hand guards and wraps
• Forearm guards

Scoring 

• Fighters get 1 point for every strike that lands on the body, 2 points if the kick lands on the face, 3 points for a head kick. And there is an extra point for every knockdown scored. 
• To score a point with a kick, fighters need to land a kick with a part of the foot below the ankle. Otherwise, the judges won’t register this strike as a point. 
• Fighters must land a punch to the body with tightly clenched fist to score 1 point. 

What is the Strongest Kick in Taekwondo?

The emphasis of Taekwondo is on kicks and its fighters are masters in executing them fast and with a lot of power. They spend each class learning how to throw various spinning and jumping kicks. But, which Taekwondo kicks generate the most power and do the most damage? Here are the top 3 strongest kicks in Taekwondo:

• Back leg roundhouse kick — this is a regular type of roundhouse kick that we can also see in other arts like Muay Thai and MMA. To throw it with a lot of power, be sure to pivot both your lead leg and your hips in the direction of the kick. The power behind this kick lays in the rotation of the hips.

https://youtu.be/McqhEl-aNZQ

• Tornado kick — this is a very powerful kick because you need to rotate the body 360 degrees. This much rotation generates a lot of momentum and can easily break the opponent’s ribs or knock them out. There are even variations of this kick where they rotate their bodies up to 540 degrees.

https://youtu.be/2KQ0vEB4oNk

• Turning back/side kick– this is the most popular kick in Taekwondo which MMA fighters often use in fights. The key is to pivot away from the target and throw a kick straight backward and land it with your heel.

How Many Belts are there in Taekwondo?

The belt ranking system in Taekwondo differs a lot from the ones in other arts like Judo or Karate. And the ranks also vary between the styles and forms (WT, ITF and ATA) and are separated into “junior” and “senior” sections. Or you can look at these two sections as “color belts” (junior), and “black belts” (senior).

Junior rank students wear a color belt around their waist called “geup” which in Korean means “rank”. Depending on the style, the number of colors (geups) goes from 8 to 12. Let’s have a look at three main Taekwondo associations, and see how the belt ranking differs between them. 

ITF

There are 10 geups (ranks) from white belt to black belt, and 9 dans after the black belts. Here is how it looks:

• White belt (10th Geup)
• Yellow Stripe (9th Geup)
• Yellow belt (8th Geup)
• Green Stripe (7th Geup)
• Green Belt (6th Geup)
• Blue Stripe (5th Geup)
• Blue Belt (4th Geup)
• Red Stripe (3rd Geup)
• Red Belt (2nd Geup)
• Black Stripe (1st Geup)
• Black Belt 

World Taekwondo (WT)

World Taekwondo is the most famous organization and most schools around the world use this belt ranking system. The system they are using is very simple and easy to understand as there are 11 ranks and 9 color belts:

• White Belt
• Yellow Belt
• Orange Belt
• Green Belt
• Purple Belt
• Blue Senior Belt
• Brown Belt
• Brown Senior Belt
• Red Belt
• Junior Black Belt
• Black Belt

American Taekwondo Association

Just about all Taekwondo schools in the US use this belt ranking system to promote their students. However, ATA is not popular outside the US where most Taekwondo schools use WT and ITF rules. In ATA there are 10 ranks and 9 color belts:

• White Belt
• Orange Belt
• Yellow Belt
• Camouflage Belt
• Green Belt
• Purple Belt
• Blue Belt
• Brown Belt
• Red Belt
• Black Belt

Is Taekwondo and Karate the same?

No, Karate and Taekwondo are two separate martial arts that, apart from various health benefits, do not share much in common. These two arts are a world apart when it comes to origins, emphasis, and techniques they teach. Here is all you need to know about how these two differ from one another:

History

Karate comes from Okinawan Islands in Japan, and its origins go all the way back to the 14th century Ryu Kingdom. At the time, carrying any type of weapons was not allowed, so people used karate techniques as a weapon for self-defense.

On the other side, Taekwondo came much later in the 1950s in South Korea. At the time, there were many schools (kwans) with each kwan teaching their own fighting style. In the 1950s, all kwans have decided to unite and work together on creating a unified Koran fighting style. The final result of their work was Taekwondo.

Emphasis

The emphasis of karate varies between forms and styles. But in most of them, the focus is on striking with punches, kicks, and some forms include knee and elbow strikes as well. Students learn how to attack in a blitz to move in fast, land a strike, and go back to a safe distance without being hit back. That is the whole point in most popular karate styles like Shotokan. The other popular forms are:

• Gory-Ryu
• Wado-Ryu
• Kyokushin

Most Taekwondo forms put a lot of emphasis on kicks since punches are seen as a secondary weapon. Students spend most of the time learning various jumping, spinning, and all types of kicks.

But, there’s also a traditional Taekwondo that includes a wider range of techniques. Students learn how to use all limbs as weapons to strike as well as some basics of grappling. In fact, traditional Taekwondo includes over 3000 techniques for self-defense. But this form is not that popular anymore.

Still curious? Click here to find out Karate vs. Taekwondo: Key Differences And Similarities

Is Taekwondo Harder than Karate?

Both of these arts are very hard to master and saying which one is harder is not an easy task. To become a master in any martial art, you must spend years training hard on the mats. The same stands for these two arts where you can’t achieve anything without hard work.

On average, a person needs to spend 3 to 5 years training Taekwondo before reaching a black belt rank. Of course, this also depends on how gifted you, and how dedicated you are to classes. Some schools even have a minimum where you can’t get a black belt without at least 4 years of training.

In karate, on the other side, the length for getting a black belt varies between forms and styles. But on average, it takes around 5 years for a dedicated student to reach a black belt rank. Some students might get there faster but as in any other art, this depends on a style, school, and talent.

Is Taekwondo Good for MMA?

Taekwondo as a fighting system is not that popular for cage fighting because it is too one-dimensional. It won’t teach you advanced punching skills or how to grapple. But this doesn’t mean that Taekwondo is bad for MMA as some of its elements and techniques are really useful. 

In fact, not a single martial art out there will teach you better kicks, and you also learn how to fight from both stances and keep your range. These skills play a big role in modern MMA fighting, notably the kicks which have become the main weapon. This is a reason why some of the best MMA fighters in history have a strong background in Taekwondo like: 

• Bas Rutten
• Anderson Silva
• Anthony Pettis

Is Taekwondo Effective in a Street Fight?

The modern-day art of Taekwondo focuses on teaching a sport(safer) version of Taekwondo that is not well applicable during street fighting.

The modern-day version of TKD is geared towards preparing you to score points in a competition setting rather than preparing you to win in a street fight situation.

Taekwondo also is all about standing fights. In a street fight situation, many fights end up on the ground where kicks and hand strikes that are taught in Taekwondo are no longer effective at all.

If you want to learn more, get the full report on Is Taekwondo Effective in a Street Fight?

Japanese Jujutsu also known as Japanese Jiu-Jitsu (JJJ) is one of many martial arts to choose from if you want to learn how to fight. However, distinguishing between the martial arts can be challenging, particularly when there are others with similar names, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). This article will help you understand the unique attributes of JJJ so that you know exactly what to expect as a student.

Japanese Jujutsu is an ancient martial art from which others, such as Judo and BJJ, were derived. It involves immobilization, throwing, striking, defense and sometimes the use of small weapons. Students also study technique theory, Japanese history and terminology, the human body and first aid.

There are more intricate details about JJJ below that will help you understand how it differs to other martial arts. There are also key differences between BJJ and JJJ that may lead you to believe that one is better than the other.

Brief History of Japanese Jujutsu

Japanese Jujutsu (JJJ) is an ancient martial art used in warfare, which stems from sumo and other Japanese martial art techniques. These techniques originate from the Nara period, but one of the oldest known styles of JJJ is Shinden Fudo, which was established in 1130AD.

The term ‘Jūjutsu’ means ‘gentle art’. This is because the techniques require very little of your own strength and use your opponent’s strength against them. ‘Jujutsu’, ‘Ju-Jitsu’ and ‘Jiu-Jitsu’ are all different spelling variations of the same techniques. The variations only came about due to the Western pronunciation of the word.

There have been many styles of Japanese Jujutsu taught over the centuries, but the techniques flourished just prior to the peaceful Edo period. In this time, warfare was reduced and hand-to-hand combat was the preferred fighting method, with weapons used more for decoration.

Although JJJ has been around for hundreds of years, the Japanese did not start using the term ‘Jujutsu’ until the 17^th century, where it was used to encompass a variety of grappling styles. Even today there are many different JJJ schools, known as ‘Ryu’ that have their own unique styles and techniques.

There are a number of martial arts that were adapted from JJJ techniques. Some of these include Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido and Sambo.

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Did Samurai Use Jiu Jitsu? 

Samurai warriors used Jujutsu as one of their fighting styles to combat armed opponents with heavy battle armor. The Japanese Samurai were the noble warriors of Japan from the 12^th century until their abolishment in 1876. They were some of the first warriors to use Jujutsu as a technique in warfare.

They recognized that, in the event that they were unarmed, striking was completely ineffective against an enemy. Introducing grappling, joint locks, throws and chokes to their fighting style allowed them to overcome their opponent by using their own force against them.

What Does Japanese Jujutsu Teach? 

A Japanese Jujutsu syllabus is taught to students over a number of years as they progress through each ‘Kyu’ and ‘Dan’, which is the belt system used in JJJ. Students learn a combination of fighting techniques and theory throughout their journey to prepare both their body and their mind for defending themselves and others. 

Fighting Techniques

Japanese Jujutsu teaches a broad range of fighting techniques, including offense and defense.  Every school syllabus is different in exactly what techniques are taught, but most include the following.

Immobilization

• Ground grappling (Gatame Waza)
• Joint-locking (Kansetsu Waza)
• Strangulation (Shime Waza)
• Pinning (Osae Waza)

Throwing

• Throwing techniques (Nage Waza)
• Break-falling techniques (Ukemi Waza)

Striking and Defense

• Striking techniques (Atemi Waza)
• Blocking and parrying
• Postures and guard techniques

These are broad terms used to summarise hundreds of techniques that can be taught in JJJ. Some schools will include the use of weapons in their striking syllabus, such as Kenjutsu Kata (‘way of the sword’) and Jo-jutsu Kata (‘way of the wooden staff). On the other hand, some schools will only teach unarmed techniques.

Theoretical Knowledge

Japanese Jujutsu also encompasses a wide range of theory so that students have a well-equipped mind for a fight. Black belts may even be required to produce written papers proving the depth of their knowledge of Jujutsu theory. Students usually will learn aspects of the following as they progress through their training.

• Japanese history 
• Japanese terminology
• Theory behind each fighting technique
• Anatomy and physiology
• First aid and other ‘healing arts’

Is Japanese Jujutsu Effective in a Street Fight? 

Japanese Jujutsu techniques are effective in a street fight. They provide the skills necessary to strike your opponent or defend yourself, as well as provide first aid if needed.

However, many JJJ techniques can seriously harm your attacker. Ideally, you should be able to defend yourself and control your attacker without anyone getting hurt. Unfortunately, if your attacker falls to the ground and hits their head after a strike or throw, the head injury could be fatal. Death is never the best outcome, regardless of whether they tried to hurt you.

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What is the Major Difference between BJJ and JJJ?

Although BJJ was derived from Japanese Jujutsu(JJJ), there are still a number of key differences that separate the two martial arts. These are listed below.

Purpose

JJJ was originally intended for war, meaning that many techniques were designed to seriously injure or even kill your opponent. BJJ, on the other hand, was tailored as a means of self-defense. The primary purpose is to defend against an attacker without causing them any serious harm.

Techniques

As mentioned above, there are hundreds of techniques within JJJ, grouped into broad categories. There are also over 600 recognized techniques in BJJ. However, BJJ does not include striking or throwing techniques of any kind.

All offensive techniques in BJJ can be categorized into choke-holds or joint-locking. Instead of throwing opponents to the ground, BJJ practitioners will ‘sweep’ their legs. This ties in with the primary purpose to prevent serious harm to your attacker in BJJ.

Belt System and Grading

Many JJJ schools have adopted the colored belt system designed by Jigoro Kano, the creator of Judo. Belts are divided into ‘Kyu’ for colored belts and ‘Dan’ for black belts. There are 10 Kyu to progress through before reaching Dan. However, some JJJ schools do not use the belt system at all.

In order to be promoted to the next belt, a JJJ student must be formally assessed by performing a number of techniques in front of an assessor. In addition to this, they must demonstrate the theoretical knowledge required for that belt.

In BJJ, belts are named according to their color, such as ‘blue belt’. There are only four colored belts before black belt, but each have four ‘stripes’ to progress through. In addition to this, students receive promotions when their instructor thinks they are ready, simply through observation during lessons.

Competitions

JJJ is more of a way of life than a sport, teaching students discipline, respect and theoretical knowledge. Sport Jiu-Jitsu competitions are the only means of competing as a JJJ practitioner, but the rules prohibit a number of JJJ techniques, such as kicks to the legs or strikes to the face.

BJJ, on the other hand, is very competition-focussed. There are several BJJ competitions, such as the IBJJF World Championship and Abu Dhabi World Pro, which practitioners can take part in. BJJ practitioners can use almost all BJJ techniques in these competitions because they will not cause serious harm to the opponent (if controlled and used correctly).

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Which Is Better BJJ or Japanese Jujutsu? 

BJJ and JJJ both have their strengths and weaknesses. Overall, BJJ is more practical, teaching students techniques that will help control an attacker. Although it does not specifically train defense against weapons, it focuses on knowing how to avoid a fight and when to engage in a fight safely.

Japanese Jujutsu is still useful for fighting, but includes a much broader curriculum. This means you may find JJJ better than BJJ if you are interested in learning about Japanese culture, the history of JJJ, how the human body works and how to treat injuries. JJJ also offers striking techniques, so people who would like to learn offense as well as defense may prefer JJJ.

Are Weapons Used in Japanese Jujutsu? 

Japanese Jujutsu is mostly hand-to-hand combat, which is why it flourished when carrying a weapon became illegal in 17^th-century Japan. However, it was not a completely weapon-free martial art, including those listed below.

• Knives
• Wooden staff
• Short swords
• Ropes

Many modern JJJ schools do not include the use of weapons in their curriculum, but will still teach defense against weapons. Schools will tailor their weapon defense training to common street weapons, such as bats, pocket knives and guns. However, you can still find some schools that will train their students how to use these smaller weapons.

Is Japanese Jujutsu Still Practiced Today?

Japanese Jujutsu is still practiced internationally today across hundreds of schools, known as ‘Ryu’. Many senior instructors have studied in Japan or under a Japanese master. However, each school adheres to one particular style of Japanese Jujutsu, such as Takenouchi-Ryu, which is one of the oldest forms of Japanese Jujutsu.

In addition to this, JJJ has also become more widespread through the use of the internet and online instructional videos. Many instructors will record certain techniques and upload them for others to learn. This has allowed JJJ to reach those that may not have a local school available.

In terms of using JJJ in a practical setting, most practitioners prefer to think of JJJ as a way of life. Although it provides a means of self-defense when the situation arises, it also teaches discipline and respect that can be used in everyday life.