Is there a Doctrine in the house?
John Wertz

When talking with people who are curious about Jujitsu, the most frequently asked question seems to be “What’s the difference between Karate and Jujitsu?”    While the answer may seem obvious, . . . we throw people down, hard . . ., the differences actually begin with the concepts of Doctrine, Strategy, and Tactics. 

      Doctrine, Strategy, and Tactics are the defining elements of any use of force system whether it’s one on one personal safety or national defense.  So just what exactly do Doctrine, Strategy and Tactics mean and how do they apply to our art?

 

Doctrine:
     Doctrine is the broad stroke brush that describes the basic premise on which the action is based.  Jujitsu’s doctrine is that the best way to deal with an attacker is by grabbing hold of them, breaking their balance, then incapacitating through joint destruction or gross body injury using throwing techniques.

Tae Kwon Do’s doctrine is that the feet are better weapons than the hands and the best way to defend or attack is incapacitating the opponent through kicking; boxing’s doctrine is that the hands are better weapons.

Strategy:
Strategy is the fundamental plan through which the doctrine is accomplished.  Jujitsu’s strategy is to continuously move into the opponent in order to create close body contact.  Boxing’s strategy is to stay at the distance that makes the most efficient and effective use of the arms and hands for punching, Tae Kwon Do’s the legs and feet for kicking.

Tactics:
     Tactics are the skills we use to accomplish our strategy and doctrine.  For the Jujitsuka some of those tactics include parries or blocks that allow us to protect ourselves while closing the distance to the opponent, the use of strikes and kicks as well as grips to off balance, and various techniques geared toward joint destruction or throwing.

Understanding in at least a basic way the doctrine, strategy and tactics of the arts you may be defending against is an important part of the defensive/offensive process.  This knowledge lets you predict with some certainty how your opponent is likely to attack.  Understanding in detail these concepts for your own art will help you to more fully integrate separate techniques into a comprehensive and cohesive art.