- Florendo Visitacion
Florendo M. Visitacion (
7 June 1910 -4 January 1999 ) was a Martial artist and instructor. Visitacion, commonly called Professor Vee, was born in Ilocos Norte,Philippines in 1910. He began informal Judo training with his brother and uncle at the age of ten. In 1928, he moved to Stockton,California where he studyingFilipino martial arts from available sources.After spending two years in the Hawaiian Islands in 1926, Visitacion arrived in America in 1928, then served in the Armed Forces during the Second World War.Fact|date=May 2008 He arrived in New York City in July, 1946, graduated from high school at Boro Hall Academy in Brooklyn, then attended Long Island University for a year. He took a liberal arts course for a summer at Pace College of Business in Manhattan, but it was the martial arts that interested him most. An avid reader, Visitacion poured over hundreds of books, newspapers and magazines dealing with various forms of self defense.
Vee Jitsu
On September 5, 1955, he introduced Vee Jitsu. before that Visitacion went on a personal journey where he devoted many years to the study of different fighting styles. After studying several styles he realized that mastery of a particular system was not always necessary, what was essential was the ability to understand its useful principles and how to apply them effectively in a given situation. It was important for a student of the fighting arts to absorb only what was practical and tailor the art to his or her needs. It was by doing so, he felt, an individual could learn and choose from a variety of techniques, thereby improving one's fighting skills.
In 1950, he moved to
New York . A year later, he trained under ex-marine Charles Nelson, also a World War II veteran and an expert in the art ofMongolian wrestling . Nelson was particularly adept in joint locking techniques, he later augmented his training by learning modernjujutsu underKiyose Nakae , author of the book "Jiu jitsu Complete". He also took upjudo and the Indian art of Varmannie. In 1958, he studied under R. H. Sigward, the author of "Modern Self-Defense".In 1960, Visitacion joined the American Judo and Jujitsu Federation, He was appointed the director of its Northeast Division.Fact|date=April 2007 During one trip to an AJJF conference in California, he met and began a life-long friendship with
Wally Jay , the founder ofSmall Circle Jujutsu . He also befriended the late Raymond Tabosa, a noted master of the Filipino martial art, Kali.Thanks to his Friendship with Tobosa his interest in Filipino martial arts was renewed, he began a ten-year study of Arnis Lanada under Amante Mariñas. He also learned additional techniques from
Remy Presas of the school ofModern Arnis as well as training from Leo Gaje, a noted expert inPekiti Tirsia , a Kali system. In 1978, the Arnis America Organization headed byLeo Gaje gave him the Datu award in recognition for his work in promoting Filipino martial arts. Five years later, he also received the prestigious instructor's rank from Amante Mariñas and the World Arnis Federation.Fact|date=May 2008Teaching
Visitacion began his career as a martial arts instructor during the mid-1950s and for over three decades, he actively taught his art at different locations throughout the
New York metropolitan area. Over the years, his system would produce a number of martial artists and instructors, some who founded their own fighting styles, these includeMoses Powell , founder ofSanuces Ryu Jujutsu, and John Davis ofKumite-ryu Jujutsu .He continued cross-training and researching other fighting systems including several different styles of Chinese
kung fu including;Southern Praying Mantis ,Yang style Tai Chi Chuan , Baqua Chang, andWing Chun . He also studied basickarate techniques from Lou Angel. He continued to refine and make changes to his system. As it evolved, so did its name, at one point he renamed it Vee Jitsu Te, Vee Jitsu Ryu Jujutsu,Vee Arnis Jitsu, all to show the systems evolution.Modern Vee Jitsu Club
In the spring of 1979
Ken Brown was given permission by Visitacion to establish the Modern Vee Jitsu Club. The Club was founded as the C.W. Post College Long Island University (Greenvale Center). Brown integrated more than two decades of Jujutsu knowledge with the principals of human anatomy,which form the foundation of the Modern Vee jitsu academic curriculum. he taught a comprehensive training program for lethal and non-lethal application of force. The present Modern Vee Jitsu instructional course was established on these principles. Visitacion and Brown established a training course utilizing the 1 thru 24 training system. This course included: Anatomical Resistance Maneuvers (A.R.M.). This aspect of the curriculum taught stabilization of the combatant with the use of wrist, arm, and shoulder control techniques, the techniques are non lethal but effective in close quarters. The second part of the course Digital Anatomic Manipulation (D.A.M.) involved controlling an adversary using pressure on finger joints, the strategy is unique for defense against larger opponents. The final aspect of the course prior to graduation was Multiple Attack Defenses (M.A.D.), this was an advanced course that stressed the lethal use and application of Vee Jitsu techniques, this course also included the use of all the Modern Vee Jitsu weapons disciplines: firearms, knife, and stick techniques. Over the next Twenty-six years the Modern Vee Jitsu Club has expanded its teaching under the direct tutelage of Visitacion.Death and heirs
Florendo Visitacion died on
January 4 ,1999 in New York City. His martial art continues under Robert Evans, the Head of the System, only he is certified to promote in all aspects of the Vee-Jitsu System, all other are only allowed to promote in there own respective Vee jitsu systems.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
