America`s Finest Self Defense Academy Inc.

Florendo Visitacion was born June 10, 1910 in Bacarra, Illocos Norte, Phillippines, and began learning the Martial Arts when he was 10 years old. At that time in the Phillippines, there were traveling instructors who toured the countryside giving demonstrations and seminars on the techniques of their particular styles. This is not unheard of even today, as practically every weekend in the United States there are seminars and demos by Martial Artists attempting to develop a following or propagate their styles. Just like the current Martial Arts seminar teachers, those in the Phillippines of early 1900’s taught for a fee, thus earning money for imparting some of their Martial Arts wisdom. Florendo Visitacion’s older brother and uncle were frequent students of the traveling martial artists and in turn taught these techniques to young Florendo. Even then, a diligent student, the young Florendo began experimenting with the techniques he had learned trying to bridge the gaps between them.
Like many others in the early 1900’s Florendo Visitacion saw United States as place to make his mark in life. He journeyed first to the growing Filipino community in Hawaii where he lived for approximately two years, and onto the West Coast of the United States. He joined and served in the United States Army during World War II and after the war (Honorable Discharge in 1946) decided to remain in New York City. He graduated high school from Boco Hall Academy and continued to Long Island University and Manhattan’s Pace College, where he took selected courses. An avid reader, Florendo Visitacion began reading widely on the history, techniques and adaptation of the martial arts. While in New York City, he also studied various martial arts styles. His various instructors in the early 1950 are included: Charles Nelson (Self-Defense), Kyose Nakae (Traditional Jujitsu), Lou Angel (Goju Ryu Karate) and Jerome Mackey (Karate). Prof. Ogata (Kendo and Jujitsu), Ivan Villegas (Judo), and Swami Vraygiananda (Indian Martial Arts – Varmannie).
Combining this martial arts instruction with his earlier training in Chuan Fa and Jujitsu, student Florendo Visitacion developed his own unique collection of martial arts techniques and wound them together into a system called “Vee Jitsu Ryu Jujitsu” (later known as Vee Jitsu 55, because of later changes). This system was a combination of the techniques and approaches of many identifiable styles including: Karate, Judo, Kung fu, Aikido, Goshin-Jitsu, and military commando hand to hand fighting. The strong reliance on powerful and time-tested techniques made the Vee Jitsu system widely accepted in New York City of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Instructor Visitacion began his jujitsu system in September 0f 1955 to a collection of students. Over the next ten years Florendo Visitation received formal training in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu (Ray Law) and Arnis (Remy Presas, Rene Latosa and P. Laneda) and his own organization of students of the “Visitacion arts” grew in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. On February 6, 1966, just after the delineation of Vee Jitsu ’65 system, Master Visitation was presented with a Godan (5 th Dan) certificate from the American Jujitsu Institute. He also has certificates indicating him to be a Master Instructor of Arnis and Kali, and a “Master of the Esoteric Principles of Okazaki Jujitsu and Judo”. Sometime later, based on his revolutionary work in the propagation of Jujitsu instruction in the New York area, and because of his development as the founder of the Vee Jitsu systems, he was presented a Judan (10 th Dan) certificate. Since the mid-1960’s Florendo Visitacion has been recognized throughout the martial arts community as a master of Jujitsu and an innovative instructor of effective self-defense systems.
As the founder of the Visitacion Arts, Master Florendo Visitation did not remain idle or stagnant in the further development of Jujitsu. He again refined and modified his jujitsu system in 1975 (Vee Jitsu ’75) and began adding elements of Arnis, or Filipino Stick fighting (Vee Arnis Jitsu), into the Visitacion arts. He also developed a set of instructional kata, which show the strong influence of chuan fa, to be utilized in teaching the Vee Jitsu system, called Vee Te. Master Visitacion has said that the development of the Vee Jitsu Ryu Jujitsu system came about as a direct result of being receptive to unsolicited ideas, especially when teaching, yet he cautions that before thinking about embellishing on that which has come before, one must master that basic principles of the martial arts. In 1990, at age 80 and after more than 70 years in the study of the martial arts, Florendo Visitacion was requested to server as a member and parton of the World Headmasters Council, an international governing body of recognized martial arts head and grand masters, whose purpose is to provide recognition to legitimate heirs and masters of martial arts styles, while ensuring that self-promoted and fragmented martial arts systems are not given the status of recognized styles.
Even today, Master Visitacion remains in a constant state of learning, and subsequently the Vee Jitsu system is constantly growing and refining. Master Visitacion, a stickler for notes and documentation never relies strictly on memory for that which can easily be referred to in notes. By maintaining notes on all the various techniques, he reminds himself of the origin of the technique, the general and specific uses of the technique, and the best method of instructing. Because of the emphasis by Master Visitacion on continued growth and experimentation, his students have continued over the last forty years to push the limits of their personal martial arts journeys. Today there exist instructors teaching Vee Jitsu ’55, Vee Jitsu ’65, Vee Jitsu ’75, Vee Arnis Jitsu, and Vee Te, not only in New York City, but also in locations throughout the northeast, mid-west, southwest and even such places as the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. There are currently several versions of the Visitacion Jujitsu system practiced. These include the original Vee Jitsu ’55, the more wide spread Vee Jitsu ’65, the Vee Jitsu ’75, the Vee Arnis Jitsu, and the teaching tool the Vee Te. While each of these components present variations on the basic and advanced techniques, each is solidly founded in the principles of the Visitacion Jujitsu system. These include:
Principles of the Visitacion Arts:
 Attack the attacker, not the attack
 Closest weapon to closest target
 Attack weakness, not strength
 Maximum effectiveness with minimum effort
 As little damage as possible, as much as necessary
 No set responses
This proverb by Confucius has been used to describe the learning and teaching methods of Professor and Master Instructor Florendo Visitacion:
“He who claims to know all is a fool, for his learning has ceased; He who knows naught and knows he knows naught is the enlightened one;For his wisdom will be great”
On January 4, 1999, at the age of 89, Professor Visitacion passed away, leaving behind a legacy of brilliant martial arts and artists. He was the spiritual father and ‘step-father” to countless numbers of martial artists in the New York City area, and he influenced many more around the country – indeed, the world. Some of Professor Vee’s senior students are: Moses Powell, Robert Cooper, Calvin Meyers, Frank Edwards Sr., Frank Edwards Jr., Gary R. Cooper, Thurman Miller, Johnny Davis, David James, Sugar Crosson, Jose Velez, and the late Ed Pugh. We all miss him dearly.