martial arts

Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove

12 August 2020
George Rego
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By Lidia Kuliberda

(written for college level English class – evaluation essay)

Today’s world is full of violence; physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence. A lot of people want nothing else than to be kind, but they end up being victims in their relationships or workplaces. Violence can be found in intimate places or public places, homes or streets. It does not spread only in the adult world, but it often touches the world of kids. Bullying at schools is out of control. The school bus cannot be considered a safe place anymore. Numbers of cases for domestic violence and sexual assaults are constantly growing. It gets brutal quickly, from arguing to pushes, from pushes to fistfights, from fistfights to hair dragging, kicking, choking and using knives and guns.

“Do not mistake kindness with weakness.” Many kind people do not know that they do not have to be in their violent situations. Most importantly, they do not know how to effectively defend themselves. Flagler Country is extremely lucky to have Jukido Academy, a school that can teach you self-defense. Jukido Academy’s focus is not on sport aspects or competitions but on building skills to help an individual to get out of a dangerous situation and to not fall into being a victim in the first place. In an interview with Jaimie, a brown belt student of Jukido Academy, she was asked what you can gain through the practice and if someone really would be able to defend themselves in real situations. She responded, “Through the practice, you gain awareness and self-confidence! You learn more than just techniques, you learn the how and why they work and from that, you gain self-confidence. You are taught how to be aware of your surroundings and how to avoid situations that could put you in danger. Yes! You certainly learn how to defend yourself in real situations from someone bigger and stronger than you and using that against them!”

Focus on real self-defense is one of the many values ​​that makes Jukido Academy so unique. It is a true approach to martial arts that is missing in today’s world. It is not a money maker school, where children are babysat and every once in a while, they get colorful belts only because their parents pay for it. It is a school that is student-centered. The Master wants the student to discover their power and abilities they were never aware of having. Empowerment and growth are a motive behind every action. It is a traditional martial arts school where instructions, practices, and philosophy are passed from master to master with deserved honor.

Another factor of why Jukido Academy is so well established and well attended lays in its leader himself. Master George Rego, a fifth-degree black belt, is one of only seven living masters in the art of Jukido Jujitsu. He started his study as an eight-year-old boy under his master Shihan Arel, tenth-degree black belt and founder of the art. Master Arel saw in George Rego talent that, together with a tremendous amount of hard work, made this little boy at the age of sixteen the youngest Sensei in the world. Sensei Rego opened Jukido Academy in 1999. For over twenty years he influenced the lives of so many. He is an incredibly talented martial artist and highest quality human being. He sets an example of a man of character as a husband, father, leader, and teacher. He is humble, extremely giving and caring, strong spirited, open hearted, and with a genius mind. A mentor to adults and kids of all ages. When you engage with him, you just want to learn from him anything you can to become the quality of a person that he is. He can be the softest and kindest person in one moment and then the strongest, fastest, sharpest, and the most dangerous in the other- “An iron fist in a velvet glove.” Master Rego represents the art, showing you what Jukido can make you be if you follow the path, training, and philosophy. He shines as an example of what philosophy of Jukido Jujitsu teaches- truthfulness, honor, loyalty, courage, benevolence, justice, and politeness. He is a man who always does his very best in whatever task he encounters.

Master Rego is a very talented, intuitive teacher and a natural psychologist. His teaching is so gentle. Many individuals have a strong resistance, they do not believe they can participate in classes, they are fascinated by the beauty and power of the art but scared of the look and the sound of bodies slamming on the ground. Sensei Rego will always help a student to overcome fear. He can break down the most complicated moves into simple steps to make learning possible for everyone. A dojo is a family where one is helping the other grow. In an interview with Angie, an orange belt student, she was asked if someone is not too old or out of shape to start. She answers, “I would say Jukido Academy is very safe. You’re safe inside the dojo, and train to be safer outside the dojo. As they say, being too old or out of shape to work out is like being too dirty to shower. You start wherever you are, and slowly build up to where you want to be. No one is out to hurt you, only to help you become stronger. “

Jukido Academy teaches over a hundred students per week. The art is designed so even someone who is not too tall or well-built can defeat the attacker who is physically bigger and stronger. The school also specializes in women’s self-defense. One of the students, an orange belt Brandi shares, “I highly recommend Jukido Academy’s Self Defense classes for women in particular because it is life-saving! The training is hands-on and uses real force dynamics to defend against someone bigger and stronger, it gives women a realistic sense of what an attack is like and empowers them to fight back instead of relying on hope alone.”

It is especially beautiful to watch how Master Rego influences children. He genuinely loves kids and kids love him. He gives simple, easy to understand examples. Kids learn focus and discipline, they gain skills and understanding while having a lot of fun. Master Rego expects hard work. He has taught for over twenty years now, so he witnessed many of his young students grow up into strong spirited and successful adults. Some of the students serve in fields of army and law enforcement. Countless parents are thankful for life for the “Forever Strong” philosophy Master Rego installed in their kids.

If you wish to learn a true martial art and realistic self-defense, gain a master who becomes your coach, friend and helping hand in all fields of life; if you want to transform your life and build skills and confidence while gaining valuable friendships, all in a clean, safe and pleasant space visit www.floridajukido.com, and read all five stars google reviews. Start a journey of self-discovery and self-mastery through mastery of the art. “If you work for Jukido, Jukido will work for you” “Nothing so strong as gentleness; Nothing so gentle as real strength.”

Throwing is the “Instant Guard Pass”

15 January 2020
George Rego
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This video is a great demonstration of not just technique but the logic behind how branches of technique are designed to fit together. It’s an obvious concept, yet in the modern era of hyper-specialized combat sports, it often gets lost—something that was never the case in traditional Japanese combative approaches.

I’ve always said that the traditional throwing techniques of jujitsu (jiu-jitsu / jujutsu) and judo—aside from their physical impact and psychological disorientation—are the best instant “guard pass” there is. And that’s no coincidence!

Modern sport-based grappling, especially in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), has developed an intricate system of techniques to “pass the guard.” Against a skilled grappler, passing the guard (getting past an opponent’s legs when facing them) requires significant skill. Whether in competition or a real fight, legs are powerful tools, and one must approach them with caution and strategy.

While jujitsu and pre-WWII judo have always included techniques for passing the guard, BJJ spends more time developing this specific skill than any other grappling system. Why? Because of the deemphasis on stand-up fighting and the decline of high-level throwing skills.

Historically, in true combative settings, throwing overwhelmingly cleared the opponent’s legs immediately and impactfully, leaving them vulnerable to strikes, pins, joint locks, or strangles—without the need to engage in a prolonged battle to pass the guard. Instead of navigating around the opponent’s defenses, the throw removes the opportunity for them to establish a guard in the first place while inflicting damage.

The downside? Throwing takes time to master. Some judo sensei have been known to say, “Six years nage-waza, six months newaza”—emphasizing the long-term investment required to develop strong throws. But that same time investment exists in guard passing for those who lack effective throws. Without proper throwing skills, many grapplers default to tackling their opponents with basic takedowns (frequently a bad double-leg), often landing in the opponent’s guard—making guard passing a necessity rather than an option. This leads to an overemphasis on a skill that was once secondary to a well-rounded jujitsu strategy.

This isn’t to say guard passing isn’t valuable—it always existed in jujitsu and judo. But throwing has historically been the classical solution to avoid the need for hyper-specialization in this area. For those maintaining a self-defense-oriented approach, that logic still holds true today.

Ironically, some people suggest, “Learn judo for throws and BJJ for groundwork—it would be awesome to combine both.” But that’s exactly how the arts were originally designed! Jujitsu was always a seamless blend of stand-up and ground fighting. It was only through sport rule modifications and hyper-specialization that these once-unified skills were divided into separate compartments.

This BJJ competition video perfectly illustrates the traditional approach: A skilled thrower instantly passes the guard with a throw, maintains control post-throw, and seamlessly transitions into an armlock (juji-gatame) without any interference from the opponent’s lower body. This is the way jujitsu was designed to function—before excessive specialization fractured its natural flow.

Credit to those who keep the art intact, not just collecting skills but understanding why and how they logically fit together.

Katame Waza vs Newaza • What’s the Difference?

14 May 2019
George Rego
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Categories of Technique vs. Domains of Combat

Drawing of jujutsu / judo practice from the early “modern” period.

In the world of Japanese martial arts, particularly judo & jujutsu, one often hears the terms katame-waza (grappling techniques) and newaza (ground fighting) used interchangeably. Even the best teachers do this and for ease of class instruction it is almost always permissible. Because of this, however, occasionally students ask, “What is the difference between katame-waza & newaza? Are they two terms referring to the same thing?”

The easiest way to answer is to understand that Japanese combative techniques can be broken down and organized in several different ways all of which are valid. Each way has its merits and depending on the context, a sensei might use one over another. For the sake of this short essay and answering this particular question, we’ll focus on the two broad ways this organization usually takes place.

One method is to organize combative skills into branches or categories of technique. In pre-World War 2 Judo, this was broken down into:

  1. Atemi-Waza (Striking Technique)
  2. Nage-Waza (Throwing Technique)
  3. Katame-Waza (Grappling Technique)

Notice, there isn’t any Newaza or “ground fighting” technique in there. Or is there?

Katame-Waza refers to grappling techniques. Many grappling techniques take place on the ground. So, in some sense it seems that Katame-waza (grappling) encompasses Newaza (ground fighting). However, not all grappling techniques take place on the ground. Many joint locks and strangulation / choking techniques happen in the standing position, especially when one is thinking about the these arts as true fighting arts as opposed to sporting contests.

So that settles it, right? All newaza is katame-waza but NOT all katame-waza is newaza, right? Well, not exactly…

Juji Gatame • Cross Body Arm Lock

You see, katame-waza simply categorizes specific types of techniques as GRAPPLING. It doesn’t state where the specific grappling technique is taking place. It could be standing, on the ground, or even sitting in a chair. It is a category of technique without reference to WHERE the technique is taking place. Yes, much of grappling happens on the ground but that isn’t always true.

The other way of breaking down combative skills isn’t based on Categories of Technique model but rather based on the specific DOMAINS OF COMBAT. There are more than these two, but broadly speaking we can say they are Tachi-Waza (standing) and Newaza (ground).

Simply stating “ground fighting” doesn’t necessarily mean strictly and exclusively grappling techniques are in use. It is 100% true that newaza or ground-fighting is most dominated by the category of technique broadly known as grappling (katame)…but if someone attempts a kick from the grounded position or performs an elbow strike from top position they are STILL engaged in newaza, they just used a striking technique (atemi) while in the ground phase or domain of combat. Thus, newaza is referring to where the battle is taking place or the domain of combat (most dominated by grappling) and it is not in itself necessarily any one type of fighting technique. You can be striking on the ground (newaza) and grappling on the feet (tachi-waza). You can clearly throw standing but you can also perform throws from the ground. In Japanese these are called nogare-kata or simply positional reversals. In the terminology of the modern sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), these are often referred to as “sweeps.” The fundamental principles are the same even if the domain of combat (standing vs ground) has changed.

As opposed to pre-WW2 judo, the modern version of sport-based Judo has entirely eliminated atemi-waza or striking techniques. As such, katame-waza (the grappling category of technique) and ne-waza (the domain of combat that takes place on the ground) are in all but the most rare of cases referring to grappling on the ground.

Outline of the Branches of Technique of Pre-WW2 Kodokan Judo

Nonetheless, those who preserve the art as a true martial art for self-defense should understand both the categories of technique and the particular domains of combat models for organizing and outlining an understanding of the art. In standing phase of combat (tachi-waza) one can strike, throw, and grapple (joint lock, choke, etc.). In the ground phase of combat (newaza) one can strike, throw, and grapple.

Most frequently, although not always, the various forms of sparring (randori or kumite) sees the domains of combat broken apart to closely correspond with particular branches of technique. Atemi-waza or striking often happens in karate kumite or kickboxing-style sparring with the usual exclusion or minimization of serious attempts to throw the opponent or apply grappling holds. In jujitsu & judo randori or free sparring it is usually throwing on the feet and grappling on the ground. This is where the fuzziness between the terms so often happens. The impression one is left with is that (in this case) katame-waza & newaza are one and the same…practically speaking in some forms of practice they are but they are actually referring to two different models of understanding: domains of combat or categories of technique.