The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-22
JIU JITSU Is
FALSE ALARM
So Says Frank Gofch. Worlds
Champion Wrestler.
is WILLING TO PROVE 1T.
GOOD OLD AMERICAN STYLE IS
ALL RIGHT.

For some time past the press has been
filled with columns OF matter on a sys-
TEN of physical culture used by the
Japanese called Jiu jitsu Stories have
been printed TO the effect that small.
undeVeioDed Jap can handle 2 well de-
veloped athlete as If he We're a mere
child One would be led 10 believe that
"A few men trained in the art of fiu fitslr
could handle whole regiment of Ordinary
persons and that the art is more effective
in street scrap than Browning auto
Be this as it may. there are a few persons
left who have serious doubts To the eff
tecuVeness Of the mysterious style OF
fighting and who are bold enough to call
this 1iu Jitsu stunt false alarm.
The best evidence in the world OF this is
that never Jap has stepped on AEleri-
can shores Tho hiss been able to make
can style of wrestling.
Nearly every American wrestler of any
standing mas IN the past few weeks
handed this new imported system OF DE-
his pen and stated that he was willing 20
back il Up with money on the mat. Here
IS what Frank Goteh. who is without
day, has 10 say OF jiu jitsa:
No Terriers For Gotch
From what ! have seen OF the iiu
Jitsu. said Frank GOtch, the champion
terrors for me. nor do / think it has for
any American athlete OF course. II YOU
permit a jiu jitsu expert TO take his locks
as he pleases and then exert his strength
he may do you damage or make you cry
enough, the usual termination 20 one Of
system is being demonstrated is per
mitted to defend himself ] have vet TO see
with his holds, against even the ordinary .
man, let alone a well conditioned athlete g.
4 was first introduced TO the jiu jitsU
IN one OF me coast cues mere was a
Japanese there at the time who was do
ing all sorts OF stunts with the boys in B
the gymnasium We arranged a match :
in which defeat was 10 be accomplished /
I by forcing any part of an opponents BODY +
to the mat As soon as ne touched other /
wise than wits his feet he was de-
! feated- won three falls in thirty-siN
seconds each time throwing the jap his
full length on the mat. So far as 7 could (
see. he had nothing 10 put on me in the
way of bone breaking chest crushing Z
/ locks. II he had he didn't have time 10 I
use them. and after seeing some of his
/ performa noes later / would almost De- /.
wiiIinE 10 let him trz- some Of them and 4
cuted''
Wrestling Not Parlor Magic.
We presume that the art Of wrestling
out Tor use IN emergencies, when rough .
] ness win chara cterize the action re
QUired- Any rough and ready fighting Op-
! ponent does not usually attack man
from the front. leisurely. giving MIN an op-
tries ordinarily 70 take his foe unawares,
with a punch II the eye. or a jump on the
/ back Now. the American wrestler is 70
my mind better qualified than the Japan
csc jiu jitsu expert for the defense of his
! person in such circumstances. and 1 be
! lieve that In return ne could work more
harm than the foreigner. ANY American
fighter wrestler win defeat iiu jitsu
expert of equal strength. At least, so I
have found it
What. to your mind would constitute
a proper test of the two styles?" was
asked.
We'll granting that had the time
necessary 70 the work. 7 would say let the
naval authorities pick out TWO young men
OF equaI strength and build, as near alike
as it is possible to secure two athletes
Then let time be given for development,
and let the japanese develop one and me
the other Then put the pair on the mat
and see which one would CRY enough first,
all holds permitted III make a big gam
bic RIGHT here the American trained
wrestler wouldn't be the boy 20 cry out
first.
Try Hold Against Hold.
If that sort Of competition would not
) satisfy. then let the two men go on the
mat and let the iiu fitsu boy take his
holds and have my man try 10 break
them. Then let my man take his holds
and have the iu titsU expert try to
loosen his Strip. Such a tournament be
tween two well trained men would do a
good deal to settle the fate of iiu jitsu
in America, one way or the other
The Jill litsu grabs bitches. twists.
clutches. and wrenches are pretty well
known to the American professional
athlete who while he has not employed
] them IN his exhibitions. has realized that
they there TO be used in TIE event Of
a fight to the death. But there Is no use
| for them in ordinary athletics. and queS-
( ton seriously whether they develop a man
/ physically much catch catch can
| wrestling INDUCED in CORscientiOuSly
! would. And when il comes 20 downright J
4 fighting and scrapping for life or death.
! the finished wrestler will make a show OF
4 the jiu jitsu man