Jujutsu (Jiu-Jitsu)
Jujutsu, commonly also written as Jiu-Jitsu, is a martial art developed in Japan. This is a type of combat in which you defeat an armed opponent without using any weapons. Ju means gentle, soft, supple, flexible, pliable, or yielding. Jutsu means art or technique.
Jujutsu wrestlingThere are many types of jujutsu that are competed as a sport. One type is known as the JJIF Rules Sport Ju-Jitsu. This is organized by the Ju-Jitsu International Federation, and is also part of the World Games.
There are three variants of jujutsu as a sport:
- Duo or self-defense demonstration, where both the attacker and the defender come from the same team and demonstrate self-defense techniques.
- Fighting system or freefighting, in which the participants combine striking, grappling and submissions under safe rules.
- Japanese/Ne Waza (grappling) system, in which the participants start standing up, and they work for a submission. Striking is not allowed in this type.
Ju-Jitsu at the World Games
Ju-Jitsu was first featured at the 1997 Lahti World Games, with just two disciplines - Duo and Fighting. Subsequently, it featured at the 2001 Akita World Games, 2005 Duisburg World Games, and the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games. Then, Ne-Waza was introduced as a new discipline at the 2013 Cali World Games.
All the Ju-Jitsu disciplines that were featured at the 2025 Chengdu World Games include Duo, Duo for athletes with impairment, Fighting, and Ne-Waza.
In Duo, two athletes from the same team show self-defense techniques against a series of attacks, which is randomly called by the mat referee. There are four scenarios of this sport - grip attack (or strangulation), embrace attack (or necklock), hit attack (punch or kick) and armed attack (stick or knife). The team that gets the highest score from the judges wins the competition.
Fighting combines kicking and striking, grappling and submission. The winner of this sport is the Jutsuka who has accumulated the most points during the 3-minute fight, or has performed a perfect technique in all three parts - distance combat with arm and leg attacks, throws, and submission techniques. Remember that these categories are based on weight and sex.
In Na-Waza, athletes fight for submission by focusing on grappling and ground fighting. But, kicks and punches are not allowed in this sport. The athlete with the most points wins this 6-minute fight.
Here are the medalists who won gold at the 2025 Chengdu Ju-Jitsu:
| Event | Medal | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Duo Para Mental | Gold | NAPOLI Pietro NAPOLI Giovanni |
Italy |
| Mixed Duo Para Physical | Gold | GUO Ao LI Yucai |
China |
| Mixed Duo Para Visual | Gold | HUNECKE Nike PASZKIEWICZ Julia |
Germany |
| Mixed Duo Show Open | Gold | NETPONG Warut KITPONGSRI Charatchai |
Thailand |
| Mixed Duo Team Open | Gold | SAENGSRIRUANG Warawut YUENNAN Lalita | Thailand |
| Women´s -52kg Fighting | Gold | GASPARD Estelle | France |
| Women´s -52kg Ne-Waza | Gold | IM Eon Ju | Korea |
| Women´s -57kg Fighting | Gold | BUSCHER Sophie | Germany |
| Women´s -57kg Ne-Waza | Gold | SCHOLIN Astrid | Sweden |
| Women´s -63kg Fighting | Gold | SENATHAM Orapa | Thailand |
| Women´s -63kg Ne-Waza | Gold | SUNG Ki Ra | Korea |
| Women´s Open Ne-Waza | Gold | TOROS Tamara | Hungary |
Similar Sports
- Brazilian Jiu-jitsu — a combat sport from Brazil based on ground fighting and submission holds, developed from judo and jujutsu.
- Judo — the objective is to throw or takedown the opposing player to the ground.
- Aikido — Shodokan Aikido (also called Sport Aikido) is the Aikido style that is used for competitions.
- Krav Maga — a martial art system developed in Israel known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency.
- Sambo — a martial art developed for Russia's military and police force in the 1930s. The term translates as "self-defense without weapons".
Related Pages
- Kujutsu is part of Budo, which refers to all styles of modern Japanese martial arts.
- More about Martial Arts
- About Wrestling Styles
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports — a list of every sport from around the world.
- Sport in Japan