DIFFERENT ORIENTAL FORMS OF COMBAT PRACTICED BY THE PARIS POLICE ARE DESCRIBED.
SINCE 1909, THE FIGHTING TECHNIQUES OF THE PARIS POLICE DEPARTMENT HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE JAPANESE JIU-JITSU SCHOOLS. CURRENTLY, THE SPORTS ASSOCIATION OF THE PARIS POLICE SPONSORS THE FOLLOWING DISCIPLINES: JUDO, AIKIDO, KENDO, KARATE, AND 'SELF-DEFENSE.' IN JUDO, THE MAIN BRANCH OF JIU-JITSU, THE CONSTESTANTS TRY TO OVERCOME EACH OTHER BY THROWING EACH OTHER ON THE BACK. THE FIGHTING TECHNIQUE CONSISTS OF A MULTITUDE OF SUBTLE MOVEMENTS AND FEINTS; A FIGHTER'S REFLEXES AND AGILITY ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MUSCULAR FORCE. AIKIDO, DESCENDED FROM ONE OF THE ANCIENT FORMS OF HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT, IS EXCELLENT PHYSICAL TRAINING. DEVOID OF VIOLENCE AND BRUTALITY, AIKIDO IS STRICTLY INTENDED FOR SELF-DEFENSE. THE FIGHTERS DO NOT COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER; INSTEAD, PURITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF MOVEMENT ARE THE MAIN GOALS. KENDO, THE MOST POPULAR MARTIAL ART IN JAPAN, IS A FORM OF FENCING USING A BAMBOO SWORD. KENDO DEVELOPS REFLEXES, RESOURCEFULNESS, AND AN EXCELLENT POSTURE. KARATE, ORIGINALLY A FORM OF CHINESE BOXING, USES FISTS, FEET, ELBOWS, AND KNEES AS WEAPONS. THE BLOWS, WHICH ARE EXECUTED WITH EXTREME SWIFTNESS, CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY SO THAT IN MODERN COMPETITIONS THE FIGHTERS DO NOT ACTUALLY TOUCH EACH OTHER. THE SELF-DEFENSE COURSE, WHICH COMBINES ROUTINES FROM ALL OF THE ABOVE, FOCUSES ON A CONCRETE EMERGENCY SITUATION BY SHARPENING INDIVIDUAL ALERTNESS, ANTICIPATION, AGILITY, AND TECHNIQUES OF FOILING AN OPPONENT. THE PARIS POLICE SPORTS ASSOCIATION SERVES TO INCREASE THE SELF-CONFIDENCE AND RESOURCEFULNESS OF ITS MEMBERS IN EVERYDAY AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS AND HAS WON NUMEROUS MEDALS IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS. SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHS DEPICT FIGHTING POSITIONS. --IN FRENCH. (SAJ)