The Jitsu Foundation or TJF is a national-level association of sports clubs headquartered in the United Kingdom, but also has affiliated organisations in other countries around the world (Australia, Canada, Cyprus, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Argentina, Japan).

Focusing on standing throws and locks using weakening strikes to assist, the style taught within the association is known as Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu[1](少林寺完柔術).

Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu is taught as a self-defence system which acknowledges that situations may include multiple armed or unarmed opponents, rather than a single "one on one" officiated match.

Much of the competition focus of styles such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo is ignored in favour of maintaining awareness of the complete surroundings, with all possible threats considered.

The commonly held prescriptions of "clean fighting" are disregarded in the Jitsu Foundation and the use of all advantages available (including groin strikes, hair pulling, spinal locks, eye rakes, and, to a small extent, nerve points), is encouraged (although in competitions such as the Randori Nationals these techniques are not permitted).

The style currently practised by The Jitsu Foundation[2] traces its roots to Shihan Matthew Komp (10th dan in jujutsu, highest grade in Australia) from Bonn and Cologne, Germany who learned judo and jujutsu from various instructors including Wolfe, who had trained in Japan prior to World War II, and Hassermayer.

[3] Komp, who also held grades in aikido and karate, emigrated to Australia in 1953, where he founded German style jujitsu schools in Ascot Vale, Maidstone and Footscray, suburbs in Melbourne.

An infrequent visitor to the club was Akira Miura (also referred to as Riukia or "Rocky" Myura),[5] who was, according to some accounts,[6] the Chief Unarmed Combat instructor at the Tokyo Police Academy, Japan.

Early English Judo texts show a strong similarity in the techniques of self-defence that are a key element of the Jitsu Foundation style.

One of Graham's first students, Peter Farrar, who started learning jujutsu at the age of 9 in 1969, expanded the style and the association.

In 1990 the growing demands from within the organisation for further expansion of Jitsu clubs internationally, and for courses to be made available to the commercial sector, required the reorganisation of the NSJJA.

Peter Farrar died in 1997, but the foundation continued to grow under the direction of Directing Tertiary Dave Walker, the current head of the tertiary board is Steve Donaghy and in 2017 there were 100 TJF clubs in the UK, with St Matthias School Jiu Jitsu Club set up by Max Game being No.

The first was the Cyprus Jitsu Association (CJA), started by Andy Wallace in 1989 and then instructed by Jules Robson from 1992 to 1997.

Jitsu Australia has 2 clubs in Sydney - Mount Druitt PCYC NSW and Southern Highlands PCYC NSW, run by Doug Austing and Rodney Moulder, Doug Austing Died 24th March 2023, with 1 club in Brisbane run by Fiona Spence.

In 1997 Matthew Komp visited the UK and conferred the grade of sixth Dan and the title Shihan to Brian Graham.

Several instructors who have previously been members of TJF have gone on to form their own schools, these are listed below; Techniques aim to utilise the use of the attackers' energy, momentum, size and weight to assert an advantage to the defender.

This allows a small and weak jitsuka (student of jujutsu) to defeat a much bigger and stronger attacker by the application of strikes, locks, throws and immobilizations.

Apart from the inevitable variations in technique that happen over time, TJF principles are in line with most modern practitioners of judo and jujutsu, with hip throws forming the basis of nage waza.

However, many older Japanese budo styles have systems of striking which purposefully do not commit, and so break one's own balance, until assured of reasonable success.

Counters to these more sophisticated attacks are reserved for senior grade syllabi, in contrast to training traditional JiuJitsu styles in Japan where the emphasis is placed on a philosophy of immersion for all students.

[citation needed] When testing a students technical skills, Jitsu prefers quantity over quality and high speed.

Juniors Dans must retake their 1st Kyu grading after their 18th birthday and then fulfill the two-year wait, including 1 year teaching, requirements before they are eligible for Shodan again.

Jitsuka wear a plain white or blue keikogi, usually referred to simply as a gi, which can either be a standard judogi or something slightly lighter.

This is an annual two-day event in Sheffield, UK but has previously been held in Birmingham, Telford, Slough and Manchester.

Held in July, after the end of the academic year, the Summer Ball is the final event of the Jitsu calendar.

It is held in different locations, depending on circumstances: Although a smaller affair than the two National competitions, it is nonetheless important, as it also hosts the Shodan, Nidan and Sandan (1st-3rd Dan) gradings.

The evening dinner has an awards ceremony to congratulate the successful candidates and other individuals who have made significant contributions to the style over the last year.

International courses take place every three years in a different country outside of the UK, providing an opportunity for jitsuka in clubs around the world to gather and train together.

This provides overseas Jitsu organisations the opportunity to host large numbers of jitsuka for a series of seminars taught by leading local and international instructors.