Judo – (Japan) “The way of subtleness or gentleness” Grappling style developed in 1882 by its founder, Professor Jigoro Kano, from Jujitsu but altered its techniques due to his feelings that Jujitsu was too violent. Judo was intended to fulfil Kano’s ideals by incorporating two central concepts: “mutual benefit of the practitioner and society as a whole” and “maximum efficiency from minimum effort”. Judo emphasizes grappling techniques, especially those that upset the attacker’s balance, in particular – gaining leverage, throws, clothes grabbing, joint locks and strangleholds. Jujitsu (also “Jujutsu”) – (Japan) “Techniques of subtleness or gentleness” An all around martial art, Jujitsu is considered to be the “grandfather” style that spawned many of the modern styles that exist today – Aikido, Judo, and to a lesser extent Hapkido, being foremost among these. It blends striking and grappling styles to include throws, joint locks, and pressure points as well as strikes and blocks. Teaches to change or adapt from one technique to another and then again. Open handed techniques are Jujitsu in origin, but various weapons and other techniques used by the Ninja are also taught.

Ninjutsu – (Japan) “Techniques of perseverance and/or stealth” Also referred to as Ninpo “The natural laws of perseverance” Art of the Ninja which stresses training and development of one’s inner self to coincide with nature’s laws and the application of the techniques and skills of martial arts training in combination with your heart and spirit as a lifestyle.

Shorin-Ryu – (Okinawa) A specific “family” (Ryu) of Karate established by Ansei Ueshiro who arrived in the U.S.A. in the early 1960s. Karate was originally developed in Okinawa, an island between China and Japan which was ruled by China at the time, but is now a part of Japan. Karate was developed from Kung Fu (Wushu) and Kempo (Chinese Boxing) by the Okinawan farmers in order to fight the Chinese occupiers, and later the Japanese aggressors. Karate was designed to be swift and violent, quickly dispensing of an opponent using hand and foot strikes and not usually involving grappling other than to hold the opponent briefly to prevent them from dodging an attack.

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