Small-Circle Jujitsu

Most of us who study martial arts will never, whether we want to admit it or not, find ourselves in a life-or-death, kicking-and-punching fight. Those who do will probably only do so once or twice in a lifetime. However, much more common is the "tense situation," where someone begins to get out of hand and you need to calm or subdue them without escalating the level of violence. When your uncle gets drunk at the family barbecue and starts horsing around, for example, you can't punch his teeth out. It just isn't done. I studied small-circle ju jitsu for several years as a suppliment to Wado Ryu karate, and I have used it to defuse several tense situations. It works well, and without any of the spiritual mumbo jumbo associated with aikido. The falling and rolling techniques are even more useful, especially if you are a skiier or a mountain biker and, like me, fall down a lot. Wally Jay's book is a great reference. The techniques are effective, the explanations are clear, and the photos are all of good quality. It should be emphasized that this is a reference, not a complete set of lessons. If you have no previous martial arts training or are not part of a dojo, you can't learn ju jitsu from any book. If, however, you are an instructor and want to suppliment your class with this material, this is an excellent sourcebook to work from.

Wally Jay is an original, as well as a Hall of Fame martial arts instructor. This book must be one of the 5 or 10 best martial arts books available. It includes 11 wrist locks, 7 finger locks, 10 arm locks, 5 leg locks, 17 throws, 11 chokes, and 45 self defense moves against strikes, chokes, body grabs, wrist grabs, and arm bars. The step by step explanations are clear, and the large photos are helpful. All you need is a willing partner and you are well on your way to learning Wally Jay's awesome fighting system based on a simple twist of the wrist.

The novice may not appreciate the conservation of motion and simplicity that Dr. Jay brings to his technique of Small circle. Effortless effort! The STRENGTH of these techniques are contained in the subtle, minute changes in body position rather than brute force that seems to be the trend of the "pedestrian" martial artist today. If you have personally studied with Dr. Jay, you can appreciate the beauty behind these techniques.A great book to dissect over and over again.

This book should be a part of every martial artist's library. I bought it several years ago and have reviewed it several times. The techniques are practical and efficient. It really doesn't matter what style you train in, the fundamentals of this book can enhance any style. If you are a current Jujitsu or Judo student or technician, this book take techniques you may already know and increases their effectiveness. It is truly amazing what a difference a degree or two and a little push-pull action can make in a traditional technique. Wally Jay has made a wonderful contribution to the martial arts world by writing and putting this book together and sharing his years of study and research with the rest of us.

Having praticed this form of martial art for over ten years, I have to say that anyone who understands the basic principals of jujitsu can vastly improve by reviewing this book. Loaded with simple instructions and pictures, Wally Jay makes this a quick review guide for the accomplished and an excellent instruction manual for the beginner. He has included several simple exercises, which can be done anywhere without drawing attention, which help improve certain aspects of your techniques. Having been fortunate enough to attend several classes given by this Master, I can say that the techniques are simple and quite effective in controlling an opponent.