Hand-to-Hand Combat

Hand-to-Hand Combat refers to unarmed fighting styles that rely strictly on the abilities of the body. Close-quarters combat generally revolves around basic martial arts and is employed in physical confrontations. Alongside jujutsu, hand-to-hand combat abilities can be a crucial skill for both sorcerers and curses in battle.

Description
Physical fighting techniques optimize the natural strength of the body and are executed by exerting the user's stamina. Martial arts are systems of traditional combat practices and fighting techniques. Their applications differ greatly from person to person.

Capable hand-to-hand combatants can use a variety of different styles and disciplines to physically overwhelm an opponent. This includes the ability to throw combinations of punches, kicks, knees, grappling throws, and other moves.

Unlike jujutsu, executing physical techniques does not require any cursed energy and is sufficient for defeating humans. However, no matter a human's level of strength, they cannot harm a cursed spirit without cursed energy. Jujutsu sorcerers are trained to control and apply their cursed energy to combat in order to increase their physical abilities. This makes sorcerers capable of exorcising curses with pure hand-to-hand combat and cursed energy manipulation.

The aforementioned application of cursed energy is also used to fight sorcerers, and can even be employed by curses. Powerful cursed spirits are naturally inclined to violence and destruction, with many of them possessing a strong talent for close-quarters combat. Additionally, the majority of cursed techniques employed by sorcerers and curses are utilized in tandem with hand-to-hand combat.

Usage
Hand-to-hand combat is employed by nearly all sorcerers but composes less than twenty percent of what is considered their general skillset. Sorcerers generally rely on cursed techniques, so very few utilize close-quarters combat as their main fighting style.

Despite possessing high levels of cursed energy and cursed techniques, sorcerers at the highest level still employ hand-to-hand with great efficiency to some degree. Mei Mei believed that her technique was weak, so she focused on becoming strong without it, using cursed energy to reinforce her physical skills to their peak. Satoru Gojo, known for his almighty Limitless is capable of overpowering special grade curses with pure cursed energy manipulation and physical attacks without his technique activated.

In most cases, close-quarters combat is coupled with a jujutsu user's cursed techniques. Mahito relies mainly on close-quarters combat as his main form of engagement. He can transfigure the souls of others to support him in battle, but Mahito will often reinforce his own soul to give him an advantage in hand-to-hand exchanges. Nanami can also apply his Ratio Technique to unarmed hits to deal critical blows to opponents. He completely decimated the curse user Haruta Shigemo by doing so. Naobito and Naoya Zenin use the speed granted by Projection Sorcery to overwhelm adversaries and strike them with a quick succession of close-ranged hits.

Yuji doesn't have an innate technique but he is an exceptionally talented fighter who fights exclusively with hand-to-hand combat. Satoru decided it was best to teach Yuji to focus on his cursed energy manipulation to enhance his physical prowess only. This training allowed Yuji to develop one of his signature physical techniques, Divergent Fist, which is a direct application of cursed energy to hand-to-hand combat.

Aoi Todo, who has a powerful innate technique, always employs it in tandem with his fighting skills. In most cases, Aoi doesn't even bother using his technique and is capable of exorcising grade 1 curses without it. He completely overwhelmed Megumi with pure physical strength and speed despite his opponent's cursed technique. In Aoi's battle with Yuji, he helped the Tokyo student reach his potential when applying jujutsu to close-quarters combat.

Thanks to Aoi's guidance, Yuji was able to add Black Flash to his arsenal and properly control his cursed energy and apply it to his physical skills with more finesse than ever before. Since then, Yuji has been able to fight on par with several high-level curses including the special grade death paintings Eso, Kechizu, and Choso. Before fighting Choso, Yuji encountered a Grasshopper Curse in Shibuya that possessed a body superior to a human's. Despite this, the skill gap between their combat ability was too great and it was easily exorcised.

Shikigami users are known to vulnerable without their familiars. A shikigami user who is skilled in hand-to-hand combat is considered a valuable asset as a jujutsu sorcerer. Megumi's Ten Shadows Technique provides him with a wide arsenal of shikigami, but he isn't afraid to fight his opponent directly either. Similarly, most assume Suguru Geto prefers to manipulate cursed spirits to fight for him. However, Suguru is a very talented close-ranged fighter who surprises his opponents with his skills.

Taido Martial Arts
In his second fight against Mahito, Yuji showcased his proficiency in Taido Martial Arts. It's a specific combat discipline that draws from ancient, uncanny martial arts techniques that were momentarily able to surprise and hurt the special grade.