Monday, September 17, 2012

Differences

A student of mine made a special request for a blog post on the differences in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That is the topic of this post.


Japanese
Japanese Jiu-Jitsu (JJJ) has many styles and no single point of origin. It basically was refined through centuries of war. What worked on the battlefield was taught to the next generation. Eventually, it evolved into a standing system of self defense techniques designed to be used against an armed and armored opponent. Think Samurai of the late 19th Century.

Of course, this is a broad generalization, and there were certainly styles of JJJ that specialized in other techniques or methodologies. Indeed, Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo, was a master of two schools of JJJ: the Kito-Ryu and the Tenjin Shinyo-Ryu. Later, Judo incorporated a lot from the Fusen Ryu (mostly groundwork), but these systems were the primary emphasis among all the styles of Jiu-Jitsu.

To be sure, the old-fashioned methods used against armored samurai have survived. These styles have limited practical application, but look really neat and have a certain appeal to those who do not like competition. Broadly speaking, these fall under what is now known as Aiki-Ju-Jitsu. A modern offshoot of this is Aikido.

The majority of techniques used in these systems are standing wrist locks and arm locks. These are only really useful against a man wearing armor - slow, but incredibly strong and invulnerable to strikes and ordinary takedown attempts. 

Most JJJ systems do not have a free sparring element. They train with a predetermined attack which is singular in design, and the defender practices the defensive movements. Sometimes there are a couple of steps involved in the attack, but it is NOT active resistance. Some styles have what is called free practice (they may even call it free sparring): where the attacker may use any attack, not just a predetermined one. Still, since there is no active resistance, it is not actual sparring. 

JJJ rules (which are not sportive in application), therefore, favor the defense against an armored samurai.

There are a few JJJ schools (not styles) which practice more like Judo or BJJ, but these are the exceptions, and their respective rules are more similar to the sportive arts.


Judo
Now an Olympic sport, Judo is the most widely practiced martial art in the world. The majority of the techniques used in Judo today reflect the rules of the sport. There are old kata that preserve the self defense aspect, but these are about all that remains of the combat part.

Still, since practice is largely done against live opposition... and most frequently with varying degrees of resistance, practical application of the techniques is very high. The movements are refined by the student to actually work.

Still, the moves must be modified for straight up self defense, nevertheless, they more closely resemble practical than do the JJJ techniques. This is because of the active resistance one experiences in sparring practice. Both parties are trying to "win."

Judo rules favor throws from standing. There is minimal groundwork. 


Brazilian
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)is an offshoot of Judo. Maeda took Judo to Brazil and taught it to the Gracie family. The Gracies used techniques to learn to beat other people in 1-on-1 competition with limited rule sets. What developed was two distinct offshoots: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (GJJ), which has a self-defense focus; and BJJ, which has a sporting purpose.

GJJ as taught today uses grappling and jiu-jitsu techniques and principles with a focus on likely situations for modern self defense. GJJ modifies techniques from BJJ for use against an attacker who might also be trying to punch and / or kick. Still, this style emphasizes sparring against active resistance, so it is clearly beneficial for self defense purposes, even if the techniques are different than the purely sportive ones.

BJJ is strictly sportive in purpose. It is a type of gi-clad wrestling where the old Judo groundwork movements (largely incorporated from the Fusen Ryu) have been refined into an attack and defense system. The rule set for BJJ also affects how and why certain techniques are used. Sparring is done, and there is, therefore, active resistance in the fact that both competitors are trying to win.

BJJ rules favor groundwork, and that is, therefore the specialty: holds, escapes, and finishes from the ground. 


Summary
As we can see, rule sets will dictate techniques and methodologies. However, for an emphasis on safety (which is REQUIRED to continue practice in a martial art), certain rules will be required. The question is what rules, and why. The question is also: is there active resistance sparring (both parties trying to win)?



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