General Info

American Jujitsu was first introduced in 1902 in the United States in front of President Roosevelt by John J. OBrien. The art was first taught to the public at a Judo/Jujitsu school in Seattle Washington in 1903. The core of the art is Yoshin-Ryu Jujutsu, the art mainly focuses on the use of throws and joint locking as a means of self defense. The concept is once an opponent is thrown hard to the ground the finish should be easily obtained. Once the art left Japan it was not spelled the same, the spelling was changed from Jujutsu to Jiu-jitsu because of the translation and finally Jujitsu in America to make the distinction between the them. The art was brought to America with the military in mind. It was taught to the military in America to help the soldiers with close combat training. The art experienced a huge surge at the turn of the 20th century due to the fact that Jujitsu could also have many healthy benefits. American Jujitsu has elements of Kodenkan Jujutsu, Danzan-Ryu Jujitsu, Okinawa Te, with a heavy influence from Judo.