Jujutsu, the “art of yielding and gentleness,” is a collective name for Japanese martial systems including unarmed and armed methods. It is often regarded as the oldest Japanese martial art. Jujutsu developed among the bushi, samurai warriors of feudal Japan, for defeating armed and armored opponents, predominantly without using weapons. Due to the ineffectiveness of striking an armored attacker, methods emphasized immobilizations, joint locks, chokes, and throws. These techniques used an attacker's energy against him, rather than fighting it.

There are numerous variations of jujutsu, with a variety of different approaches. Jujutsu ryu (“systems”), however, all utilize grappling to a greater or lesser degree. Along with jujutsu, numerous older styles (koryu) use weapons. Many jujutsu ryu also include philosophical and meditative aspects.

The SMAA Jujutsu Division is lead by Stephen Fabian Sensei (SMAA Shihan and seventh dan) and H. E. Davey Sensei (SMAA Shihan and eighth dan). Fabian Sensei lived in Japan for several years, where he studied Hontai Yoshin Ryu jujutsu directly under the 18th and 19th generation headmasters of this system. Davey Sensei began Saigo Ryu as a child and trained in Japan and the USA under top jujutsu experts. The SMAA Jujutsu Division is open to bona fide forms of traditional and ancient jujutsu, which have a lineage that can be traced to a Japanese founder. Senior members of this division include Nicklaus Suino Sensei, Wayne Muromoto Sensei, Kevin Heard Sensei, and Ohsaki Jun Sensei.