A lot of people think that "jujutsu" is synonymous with groundfighting when in fact only BJJ concentrates on the ground. While other jujutsu styles usually teach ground techniques, they don't do so in a systematic way. Usually, it is just a series of set moves or countermoves. In this sense, BJJ is really closer to Judo with a heavy emphasis on ne-waza. Consequently, reviewing a book such as Wally Jay's Small-Circle Jujitsu presents something of a problem. In my opinion, many of the techniques of conventional jujutsu (I use that term to encompass of the classical jujutsu ryu of Japan and the modern but still traditionally patterned jujutsu of the West), are unrealistic and ineffective. I say this having practiced several such styles for a couple of years. I'm not saying that all the techniques don't work, but many of them don't, and those that could are often taught in a very impractical way by most styles and instructors.
However, it would be unfair for me to review a conventional jujutsu book simply by the standards of BJJ. The various styles of conventional jujutsu simply have different techniques than BJJ. Consequently, I am aiming to evaluate these types of books by their quality or presentation and how realistic and effective these techniques are compared to what I think the most pragmatic examples of conventional jujutsu can be. While I think conventional jujutsu is much weaker than BJJ, there are some situations (like being mugged) which many of the grappling videos out now don't cover (as they aim toward NHB or grappling competitions) or in which the BJJ is not much different at all.
The ratings I give to books which I consider less practical are on average lower than ratings I give to practical ones; but sometimes a well produced and fairly pragmatic conventional jujutsu book will have a higher rating than a weak practical book even though I might consider a weak practical judo book to be, well, more practical (that was a mouthful). Unfortunately, Small-Circle Jujitsu is not an example of a good conventional jujutsu book. While I hear that Wally Jay is popular on the seminar circuit, I can't imagine that it is for teaching (much of) anything in this book. On the whole, if the stuff in this book is not incredibly basic it is impractical. And while I realize Jay is advanced in years (I'd love to be as active as him when I'm over 80) his partners in the photos seem to attack far too tamely even for a photo demonstration (i.e. a guy raises his hand to punch, but appears to be too far away to even make contact).
The book starts off with a history of Danzan Ryu Jujutsu which formed the bulk of Jay's experience. However, over time, Jay saw weaknesses in this style and began investigating Judo and other arts to refine and augment it. "Small Circle" refers to a two-way wrist action akin to the way one casts a reel (to try this make a fist around a pencil with the pencil pointing upwards and without changing the fist try to point the pencil directly forward-you'll stretch your wrist on the thumb side and bend on the pinky side). Jay incorporates this into a lot of the Small-Circle moves as it (in some situations) results in a tighter hold--it is similar to the Tenri or raised wrist lapel grip used in Judo (see Yamashita's Osoto-gari).
Personally, I find that many martial artists use this technique naturally after some experience, and anyway, often times it doesn't make much difference (the trick is getting the hold on in the first place). Apparently, Jay feels you can hold the guy better in a standing submission with this wrist action. My attitude is that if you do get a standing lock on: hurry up and break something. Unlike ground submissions, there are too many ways to get out if you try and hold it. Jay then outlines "The Ten Principles of Small Circle Jujitsu" which are: balance, mobility and stability, avoid the head-on collision of forces, mental resistance and distraction, focus on the smallest point possible (proper direction of force), energy transfer, create a base (not like in GJJ, it means restricting wiggle room in a hold), sticking-control-sensitivity, rotational momentum, and transitional flow.
Nothing ground breaking here if you are familiar with conventional jujutsu so lets move on. The second chapter we have some breakfalling, resuscitation techniques, pivoting, small circle wrist stretching, and entry exercises for chokes and locks. Good stuff, but real basic. Next we have a chapter on Atemi (actually its called "Physical Weaknesses of the Human Body"-incidentally, all the techniques and such are labeled in English in case you were wondering). You've probably seen all this before. The only one I hadn't seen was where Jay shows how to press your thumbnail into the cuticle of the enemy's big toe. And while you're at it peel back a hangnail on his index finger and put some of that, uh,uh, pure alcohol on it...Oooh, I hate when that happens!
One oddity of the book is that there is very little of these strikes integrated with the locks and throws demonstrated later on. Chapter Four starts off with some wristlocks and wrist trap come-along holds. All very basic but with stuff like this getting fancy is not better. While these are intended to be demonstrations of the basic forms (as opposed to the applications), the techniques are demonstrated way too casually. As the uke is reaching for Jay he locks the wrist with just one hand. More realistic demonstrations of wristlocks I have seen involve grabbing the wrist with one hand and putting the lock on with the other. A good techniques, IMHO, would be like the Underhand Wrist Lock on p. 84-85 where two hands are used to control one. Next are some finger locks. Theses techniques look workable (including on the ground) but unnecessarily complicated-why not just grab a finger and break it instead of trying some fancy compound lock? Fingers break easily enough that if you try a submission you'll probably just break it anyway. After this are some armlocks. Jay recommends that you press against the tricep tendon to force the arm straight and keep it there. This is actually a good idea. Pressing on the tendon is more painful than pressing on the elbow joint itself. In addition, you'll be higher up on the arm so that if your opponent tries to pull his arm out he has farther to go.
Jay demonstrates a bolt lock, hammerlock, devil's handshake, some variations on waki-gatame (the most realistic standing armlock as evidenced by its use in actual judo competition), and some armlocks where he presses his knuckles into the tricep tendon instead of actually holding the arm. This is workable, but very, very easy to slip off and be out of the technique-you take your chances. One of the sillier moves in the book is the "Reverse Arm Bar Using Foot Stomp" which is the aforementioned armlock by knuckle press but then Jay lowers his partner to his stomach so that Jay's left foot is under the guy's wrist; he then releases the knuckle press stands up quickly and stomps with his right foot on the back of the guy's elbow. Slick as sandpaper.
Jay then moves on with a single leg takedown which he follows up with a straight Achilles pinch. Good move. Then he does the same move but flips his opponent onto his stomach and into a step over toe hold or a rear leg entanglement. Okay but getting colder... Then in the coup de grace Jay does the same leg pick and turnover into the "Reverse Indian Death Lock." John F. Gibley, eminent martial arts author, said that if a technique has more than two or three distinct movements mark it down as nonfunctional. This took 10 photographs and some imagination to fill in the blanks.
After this we have a demonstration of basic throws. The only ones that are not simple judo techniques are two armbar throws where you cross the opponent's arms in front of them and twist until either the arm breaks or he flips over. Again, these require too many photos. Then Jay covers choking. Any of these should be familiar to students of grappling except Jay demonstrates these all standing. The only unique move to me is something called a "Hawaiian Choke" which is a non-gi choke done from the side with one forearm pressing done on the back of the head and the other forearm across the throat (the hands meet on the other side). I like the move but for those that try it don't interlace your fingers the way Jay does, it makes it way too easy for an opponent to grab a finger.
Now we get to the chapter on self-defense. These are supposed to be the applications but in most cases the techniques are shown against the same lame non-attacks as demonstrated in the previous chapter. Instead of standing armbars shown against the opponent just reaching for Jay they are shown against an opponent gingerly throwing a punch. Also, the only weapons defense shown are two really (and I mean really) poor defenses against an overhead stick attack. These deserve special criticism. If someone takes an overhead swing with a stick at you-get of the #@%&! way first of all. That means back, side, or move into him (preferably). But Jay kind of just stands there and blocks the guy's forearm (on the downswing worst of all) and then does a lock. But if you block the forearm the wrist will still flex (that small-circle magic) and the stick will come down over your block and hit you. Even if you do manage to get slightly to the side and miss the stick the guy's arm will be in a totally different position so that the locks Jay shows will not work. Some techniques are totally ridiculous like punching the back of the guy's hand as he punches you.
Others are incomplete: Jay shows some escapes from chokes and grabs but then doesn't show you how to follow it up after that. Stuff like that should be in the demonstration section. It goes on and on, all the same moves (and a few others) from the previous chapter shown in applications little different from the basic demonstration: no strikes, no finishing holds (like choking-Jay shows all these chokes but none of them are in the self-defense chapter), no knives or guns, the only groundfighting is one butt thrust escape from the mount. It's like the Underhand Wrist Lock in the demonstration section on p. 84-85 is shown again, verbatim, on p. 246-247 except now we get to see one more photo where the attacker falls down as the lock is applied. The "Flying Tackle defense" is really bad-the guy comes at Jay standing straight up arms outstretched like Frankenstein and Jay pancakes him over like a rag doll by the head and arm all while standing up perfectly straight himself.
I really couldn't give much of a reason to buy this book (unless you want to be like me because I did). The few little tricks in here that are neat you could skim at the bookstore. Since nothing is demonstrated in detail you wouldn't really get anything from going over it. For a groundfighter looking to add some standing locks and such to his repertoire there are better books out there.