Defendo
| Also known as | Combato, Underwood Systems |
|---|---|
| Focus | Hybrid |
| Country of origin |  Canada |
| Creator | Bill Underwood |
| Parenthood | Jujitsu, Western Grappling, Boxing |
| Olympic sport | no |
Defendo is a martial art and self defense system created in 1945 for law enforcement by Bill Underwood, a British-born Canadian. Underwood was originally the creator of Combato (in 1910) a "non-boxing or wrestling" unarmed combat system which he taught in Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario.
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History [edit]
Combato had its beginning in the Liverpool theatres with jiu jitsu demonstrations of traveling Japanese wrestlers, Yukio Tani and Taro Miyake. As a boy, Underwood idolized these experts, rapidly establishing himself as a prodigy. The name "Defendo" was created on August 15, 1945 in New York City by Pat Underwood, Bill's daughter.
Underwood at the time was a guest in the United States training U.S. Army Rangers and for the American FBI in unarmed combat. Bill Underwood was frequently requested by American and Canadian Law Enforcement Agencies to teach them his Combato system as the War was officially over but he initially refused on the basis that Combato was too aggressive. Underwood was asked to modify his system to remove its lethal applications and focus on the Law Enforcement applications of self-defense, compliance and control tactics. He realized that he could not call this system Combato, so his daughter Pat Underwood proposed that he call the system "Defendo".
A new name [edit]
From 1945 to 1950 Underwood began to teach his developing self-defense system in Canada and the USA under this name. In 1950 Bill Underwood published under copyright "Defendo, Police System of Self-Defense". This book became one of the first open-hand Police Tactics manuals for many Police Departments in Canada and the United States[citation needed]. From 1950 to 1969 Underwood travelled in Canada, the United States and in the UK (1965) teaching his system. In 1969 Canada, under copyright Bill Underwood published "Defendo, Occidental System of Self-Protection". From 1969 to his death on February 8, 1986 in Newmarket, Ontario Canada Underwood was well known for his system and honoured and profiled frequently by the North American media.
Media [edit]
In 1980 a short documentary on Underwood's life and work with Combato and Defendo, entitled Don't Mess With Bill was nominated for an Oscar at the 53rd Academy Awards in 1981. The film was produced by Pen Densham and John Watson.[1][2][3]
Between 1980 and 1981 Underwood appeared four times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He also appeared at that time on all of Hollywood's major talk shows including Real People, That's Incredible, Merv Griffin on all occasions promoting and teaching his system of Defendo.
References [edit]
- Underwood Family's Archives
- Publication: Bill Underwood's "Police System of Self-Protection", Toronto copyright 1950
- Publication "Defendo" Occidental System of Self-Protection, Toronto, Copyright 1969
- Current and past Canadian Forces Persons - Intelligence
- Toronto Star Publications
- Canadian Provost Corps.
- Martial Arts Illustrated, June 2004 Cover and Feature
- Canwest News Service: Ottawa, 2003
- British Royal Armouries Museum: 2003
- Toronto Metropolitan Police Archives
- The Canadian National Exhibition Archives: Toronto, Canada
- Johnny Carson Archives, Los Angeles California
- Academy Awards Archives, Los Angeles California
