Karate is Japanese for "empty hand". The object of karate is to obtain perfection of character through training and discipline. Karate is a great means of developing strength, speed, coordination, and awareness. The man who made karate popular back in the 1920's was Gichin Funakoshi, a very respectable martial artist in his time. Back then karate was practiced in secrecy but has since then been growing ever more popular. Today karate is one of the most practiced forms of martial arts. There are different forms of karate, each having it's own philosophies.
Jujitsu is one of the most ancient of martial arts being practiced for over 2500 years. Although jujitsu is thought to have been based in Japan, there has been evidence of it being present in China, Persia, Germany, and Egypt. Jujitsu is an incorporation of many different martial arts forms. Jujitsu began to grow in feudal Japan from the eighth to the sixteenth century. Jujitsu was constantly being revised and reinvented and eventually leeked into the combat of the samurai. Once the emperor was back in power he made the unarmed combat styles illegal but some masters continued to practice and teach to others underground or they moved to other countries. Then, in the 19th century the samurai were disbanded and schools began to die out. This is when Jigoro Kano, a master of the Tenshin Shin'Yo Ryu Jujitsu, developed a new kind of jujitsu which focused more on the sport and exercise parts. He called this new style "Judo". He also introduced the belt ranking system.
Jujitsu and Judo(especially judo) are more gentle styles of martial arts. If your opponent knows how to land properly when thrown then neither one will be seriously injured. There are many techniques involved in jujitsu such as: leg throws, hip throws, arm throws, punching techniques, kicking technuques, etc. The object of jujitsu is not to punish your opponent but to let them know that you know how to handle yourself.
In the late 900's Chinese refugees fled to the Koga and Iga regions where they were accepted. The establishment of the Togakure ryu of ninjutsu was the result of the establishment of the Minamoto family's Kamakura shogunate and was practiced in secrecy. With oppression and sadness building, the ninjas' underground resistance was needed. Although they weren't allowed to defend themselves, they did anyway therefore there was no need for a code. They used unconventional tactics, weapons, and methods. Ninjas weren't always used as assassins it's just that they had the right capabilities for the job(i.e. fighting skills, stealth). People might think that the ninjas were cold-blooded killers but they did actually have a sense of honor. They didn't kill unless it was absolutely neccissary.
The main concept of the ninja is protection and survival(physically, spiritually, and emotionally). A true ninja should try to achieve the jihi no kokoro(Benevolent or unmoving heart). Which means that the ninja will always strive to do good for himself and loved ones and never stray form the path of righteousness. It is said that if one tries to use ninjutsu for personal reasons then the techniques will fail and the ninja will be defeated.
--TRAINING--If you are really serious about training in the art of ninjutsu then you should try to find a school that teaches this ancient style. But if you prefer to train on your own to see how you adapt without help(like me) then the first thing you should work on is balance:
--BALANCE--Now you can actually do this before, during or after your done with balance work but it is still one of the most important aspects of ninjutsu. This is strength:
--STRENGTH--The next step in your practices should be Ukemi(the ability to recover quickly). This means getting up off the ground when knocked over. Exercises should be done with two people and involve dodging and recovery. Practice this with a friend you can trust. Have your friend push you in any direction and your job is to try and land right so you can quickly get back into your stance. Try this exercise from every possible angle and your should also try it when walking and running. Now, have your friend charge at you and you have to quickly dodge the attack. The object is to keep your intentions of which direction to go in until the last second. Do this until you can dodge and recover as quick as possible or until you feel you have reached your goal.
--ARUKI--Now you should try Aruki(stealth walking). To practice this it's good to have strong knees due to the fact that you need to be in a deep stance in order to avoid being heard. Now, when you are walking try to walk most of the time you will move only your lower leg. To keep the noise level at a minimum keep your weight on your back leg while extending your front leg and once you have it where you want it shift your weight to that leg so you can then move your back leg(this is refered to as stalking).
Aikido began around 1940 when it was founded by a man named Morihei Ueshiba. He had developed aikido by blending a few martial arts he had been practicing in the pas such as: Jujitsu, swordform and spearform. Ueshiba wanted aikido to be noncompetitive so he withdrew it from the Japanese Budo system in 1941.
Aikido means "The way of harmonizing energy"(AI-harmony, KI-energy DO-way). The object of aikido is to absord an attack, divert it, and return it to the opponent. In other words; there are no punching or kicking techniques involved; rather a means of incapacitating your enemy to give yourself an opening.
There are three disciplines of aikido:Most schools now-a-days don't teach the sword and stick techniques. But there are a few that still do. If you really want to learn some stick techniques try kenpo karate.