Suffrajitsu

This article possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (April 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Suffrajitsu

Edith Garrud demonstrating jujutsu techniques on a volunteer dressed as a police constable
Focus	Self-defence
Hardness	Full contact
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Famous practitioners	Edith Margaret Garrud
Ancestor arts	Jujitsu, Judo

Suffrajitsu is a term used to describe the application of martial arts or self-defence techniques by members of the Women's Social and Political Union during 1913/14. The term derives from a portmanteau of suffragette and jiu-jitsu and was first coined by an anonymous English journalist during March 1914.

During the Edwardian period, jujutsu was promoted as a way to foster women's self defence, autonomy and health, initially in the United Kingdom and then elsewhere in the Western world.

In contemporary usage, "suffrajitsu" describes the suffragettes' techniques of visible 'self-defence, sabotage and subterfuge' against the police and other aggressors, whilst promoting the benefits of jujitsu as a 'free activity' and a form of self-defense for dealing with both domestic violence in the home, and public attacks to women.^[1][2]