Kung Fu has never been mentioned as a martial art in any ancient texts. A french missionary in the 18th century is said to be the first one who related Kung Fu to chinese martial art. But in fact the meaning of Kung Fu (also known as Gongfu, Kuoshu or Wushu) means an expertise in any skill and not martial arts in specific.

In ancient Chinese texts as Dao De Jing, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi (Art of War), which are written between 1100 and 255 BC, there are passages that can be related to the principles of the modern Kung Fu. The concept, philosophy and practices described in those texts are similar to the concept of Kung Fu as we know it today.

There are various theories regarding the written history of Kung Fu. One of them is that the Yellow Emperor (2700 BC) wrote the first texts about Chinese martial arts. Another one is giving credit to the Taoist monks who are said to have introduced a martial art form, around 500 BC, that is similar to the modern Tai Chi. Pan Ku wrote “Six Chapters of Hand Fighting” in his historical work about the Han Dynasty and around 220 AD Hua T’uo wrote his own story “Five Animals Play”.

In the late 1960’s Hollywood discovered Kung Fu and produced several martial art movies and television series. The most famous Kung Fu master was of course Bruce Lee. Some decades later the popularity of Kung Fu got another boost because of movies starring the martial art masters Jet Li and Jack Chan.

Since the creation of Judo in 1882 by the Japanese Kano Jigoro, it became one of the most practised and popular martial arts in the world. Judo is appearing in several different international sport competitions and it is one of the toughest and physically most demanding sports. Most of the throws start by grabbing the opponents uniform. Therefore it is very important to wear a high quality judo uniform, also called judogi, to prevent damage and tearing.

Most Judo uniforms are made of 100% bleached white cotton. Cotton is a natural fiber that is well known for its absorbing capacity, which can be 24-27 times its own weight. Cotton has a very tight weave, and when it becomes wet and heat dried, cotton fibers tend to tighten up and shrink. The shrinking is usually only during the first few washings, but is still recommended to wash your judo uniform in cold water and let it dry in the open air, not in a drying machine.

The judo uniform consists of three pieces: the belt, the pants and the jacket. The jacket has an extra thick quilted collar and has wide sleeves. On both sides of the jacket there are two short splits, which are reinforced with extra cloth. Securing of the jacket is done with a belt, which has to knotted tightly around the waist. The color of the belt is depending on the level on which the judoka is performing. The pants feature an elastic waist belt and extra wide legs for easier movement. Several parts of the uniform, like the shoulders, knees and collars of the uniform are exposed to a lot of pulling and friction. Those areas are reinforced with extra padding and extra strong seams.

The difference between a training and a competition uniform lies in the variety of used cloth. For a training uniform, usually a lighter, single weave cloth is used.. The weight of the uniform to be used depends on the age, skills and weight of the judoka. More advanced judokas usually opt for the heavier uniform. The weight of the judo uniform can vary from about 7 to 40 ounces (or 198 to 1150 grams)
For the thicker and heavier competition uniforms, normally a double weave cloth is used. Those judogi’s are not only more durable, but also more expensive than the single weave training uniforms. While the training uniforms are white, the competition judo uniforms can also be blue colored.

Jujitsu is an unarmed combat discipline which is probably over 2500 years old and is original from the ancient Japan. Of course it is nearly impossible to tell the exact age of this form of martial art, but techniques similar to Jujitsu are described in the training methods of the Samurai living in the 8th to 6th century BC. In the Japanese national archives as the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, papers have been found that the describe the use of unarmed combat techniques.

The modern Jujitsu (or Nihon Jujitsu) as we know it today, is a result of the combination of various Japanese combat techniques as Yawara, Hakuda, Kumiuchi etc. Those techniques are known as Sengoku Jujitsu. Nihon Jujitsu is part of Edo Jujitsu.

In the time of Emperor Tokugawa in the 17th century, jujitsu gained prominence, but became forbidden when Emperor Melse regained control over the country. Halfway the 20th century, there was the restoration of Meiji and the ban on jujitsu was lifted during that time. Soon after this the martial art form became very popular and widely practiced.

Jujitsu is making use of the three basic states of mind: Mushin, Fudoshin and Zanshin. To succeed in the art of Jujitsu these elements have to be combined in the correct way.

1. Mushin – “no mind” – The mind has to be absolutely clear of conscious thoughts, so that it will permit instantaneous action.
2. Fudoshin - “immovable mind” – During a confrontation or fight, the mind has to be able to focus on one thing only and not get distracted
3. Zanshin - “remaining spirit” - The mind has to be ready for anything at any time. Always be prepared.