Joining Jujutsu Styles

[Johnlogic121]

I entitled this message "joining jujutsu styles" not because I am aiming at the idea of getting classes at a new dojo, but instead, I am theorizing about the idea of concatenating techniuqes together from existing styles of jujutsu. This is a very valid kind of exercise and can easily lead to the creation of new martial arts. Jujutsu styles typically have two-man partner drills that teach basic responses to basic scnearios, and the degree of improvisation expected in actual fighting is either very limited in some cases or expected to built upon the principles embodied in the specific technique combinations studied. You could easily start a style that took every Kempo technique, every Ninjutsu technique, and every jujutsu techniuqe you could find and taught it all together in one syllabus. To polish the composite effort, you may want to add some new techniuqes that establish links between the common movements so that you exploit new openings and cover up any obvious weak spots in the transitions between one style and the others. However, joining two or more jujutsu styles is probably easier than joining two karate styles, because if you join two karate styles you have to make decisions about the expected frequency of each technique in the new hybrid style. When you train in hundreds of jujutsu techniques, even from differing styles, they just build your set of preplanned reactions to a higher level without diminishing skills learned earlier and the synthesis gives you a good basis for improvising new techniques. Do other people look at prospect of creating new styles this way? Many jujutsu systems are compatible with other jujutsu systems, and even partially compatible with forms like aikijutsu or ninjutsu or kempo. Karate, however, can be as focused on kicks as TKD or as oriented on hands as Gojo-ryu. How do other people in the graplling arts feel about the compatibility of various jujutsu systems? Some people are having a good deal of crossover training from Judo, wrestling, and Brazilian jiujitsu. Does anybody out there have an estimate of how mant thousands of techniques are under the complete "jujutsu" umbrella? Does anybody have a better defintion for jujutsu than what I have presented here? I classify Kempo and Ninjutsu and aikijutsu as sufficiantly similiar to jujutsu to be considered jujutsu, for example. Would anybody disagree? Thanks for your comments, -JL.

[bushido_man96]

Most Jujitsu methods have many of the same techniques already. I have even seen techniques in Medieval Combat manuals that look very similar to the techniques that are seen in various Eastern Martial styles, like JJJ.

In the end, what is usually different are how the techniques are focused on, or the training methodology (Judo and BJJ, for instance). JJJ has pretty much the same curriculum as Judo or BJJ, but the difference is in the training methodolgies.

So, I don't think that there is any need to join all the systems; they are pretty much the same sandwich, with different sides and breads.

[ps1]

I don't get into the whole "I've added this style to that style and came up with a new style" thing. There is nothing new. It's all been done before. To me, putting a new name to such a thing is nothing more than a gimmick that people use to give themselves fancy titles and high ranks. "Well I'm a 3rd degree in this, a second degree in that, and a 5th degree in the other. If I add those styles together I'm now a 10th degree in the new style." That's just crap. And that's what many people do.

In my opinion, the most honorable thing to do is say, "You'll learn the full curriculum for styles A, X, and Y. The rank structure is like this" and so on. Or, if you've altered the curriculum, just say you teach what you feel is most effective from styles A, X, and Y and be able to explain why. Then just name the place (Your Name) Martial Arts. Because that's what it is...the system that works best for you.

I feel that changing the name and taking it for your own downplays the process those who came before you underwent. Their pain, their strife, and their suffering is all for naught.