"The only reasonable competition is with yourself and you are the judge."

Unlike modern Judo, JuJitsu is not a sport, and should therefore not be practiced as a sport. Yet, a competitive match with an equal opponent can still be one good way of checking how much one has learned. In DanZan Ryu JuJitsu we conduct two types of competitive events. The first one is the so-called "Kata Contest", where one has to demonstrate one's proficiency to execute the basic forms. Kata contests usually also contain a combative sequence, where two partners demonstrate a choreographed fight sequence.

In a "Free Style Contest" one has to defend one self while being attacked by one or several JuJitsukas. To avoid injury, these contests are conducted in a controlled environment, with one or several referees who will stop the "fight" if it threatens to escalate into injury. Points are given for effectiveness and variability of techniques applied. Points are subtracted for unsafely escalating one's defenses. It is sought to strike a healthy balance between effectiveness and safety.

A word of caution: Unfortunately the need to practice martial arts as a sport has done much to distort and falsify what is essential in the martial arts. A sport requires rules, whereas self-defense has no rules, and JuJitsu is no sport.

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