Martial Arts Styles: Atemi Waza

Atemi Waza, in Japanese the term Atemi means blows to the body. Atemi can be delivered by any part of the body to any part of the opponents body.

Some Atemi strikes against vital points in the body can kill or incapacitate an opponent. The development of Atemi techniques comes from the evolution of Japanese Martial Arts, in particular Ju-jitsu.

Early styles of Jujutsu from Sengoku-era Japan or the warring states period (1467-1615) were created as a means of unarmed combat for a Samurai who had lost his weapons on the battlefield.

The purpose of Jujutsu was to disarm the opponent and use their own weapon against them.

Because of this, strikes to the body were limited since Samurais wore extensive body armor. But in later styles of Jujutsu from Edo-period Japan, empty handed strikes to the body became more common as full scale warfare became less frequent.

This meant that a Jujutsu practicioner's opponent would not have been wearing armor, and the vital points for Atemi Strikes were more exposed.

So Atemi began to play a pivotal role in unarmed killing and restraining techniques. Vital Points such as the eyes, nose, throat, groin, and pressure points, main arteries and nerve centers were the preferred targets for the person trained in Atemi Waza.

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