Ju Jitsu, a Japanese Martial art is a mix of two different elements Ju and Jitsu.

Ju refers to flexibility, suppleness, gentleness and pliancy while Jitsu refers to the basic technique used in learning and mastering the art. Gentleness is ironical word when it comes to Martial arts although the entire philosophy of Ju Jitsu is based on it.

The gentleness in Ju comes from the fact that in this Martial art, students don’t use their strength to defend, but instead they use the opponent’s strength to fight them. Hence the unarmed strikes, the kicks, the locks etc makes the Ju Jitsu disciple a formidable opponent.

The term "jūjutsu" was not coined until the 17th century, after which time it became a blanket term for a wide variety of grappling-related disciplines. Prior to that time, these skills had names such as "short sword grappling" ( kogusoku koshi no mawari?), "grappling" (kumiuchi), "body art" (taijutsu), "softness" (yawara), "art of harmony" ( wajutsu), "catching hand" ( torite), and even the "way of softness" (judo)

Today, the systems of unarmed combat that were developed and practiced during the Muromachi period (1333–1573) are referred to collectively as Japanese old-style jujutsu (Nihon koryū jūjutsu?). At this period in history, the systems practiced were not systems of unarmed combat, but rather means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. In battle, it was often possible for a samurai to be unable to use his long sword, for various reasons, and be forced to rely on his short sword, dagger, or bare hands. When fully armored, the effective use of such "minor" weapons necessitated the employment of grappling skills.

Methods of combat (as just mentioned above) included striking (kicking and punching), throwing (body throws, joint-lock throws, unbalance throws), restraining (pinning, strangulating, grappling, wrestling) and weaponry. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off-balancing, blending and escaping. Minor weapons such as the tanto (dagger), ryufundo kusari (weighted chain), kabuto wari (helmet smasher), and kakushi buki (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Sengoku jujutsu.

Jujutsu techniques have been the basis for many military unarmed combat techniques (including British/US/Russian special forces and SO1 police units) for many years.

There are many forms of sport jujutsu, the original and most popular being judo, now an Olympic sport. One of the most common is mixed-style competitions, where competitors apply a variety of strikes, throws, and holds to score points. There are also kata competitions, where competitors of the same style perform techniques and are judged on their performance. There are also freestyle competitions, where competitors take turns attacking each other, and the defender is judged on performance.