Q: What is the name of your Organization?

A: Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana

Q: When was your Organization founded?

A: February 15th, 2008

Q: What kind of martial arts style do you practice?

A: Kajukenbo

Great Grand Master (GGM) Jason Groff, Chairman of the Board

Q: Who is the Great Grand Master or head of your Organization?

A: Great Grand Master (GGM) Jason Groff is a 10th Degree Red/Gold Belt in Kajukenbo and the Successor to the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana. GGM Groff has over 50 years’ experience in martial arts, a U.S. Army Veteran, and retired Law Enforcement Officer. GGM Groff is the Chairman of the Board of the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana.

Q: How many degrees of rank are currently in your system?

A: The OKO has Ten Degrees of Rank in our Black Belt system. First through Fifth are Instructor level, Sixth and Seventh are Master Level, Eighth is Professor Level, Ninth and Tenth is Grandmaster Level. We also have a Colored Belt system from White through Brown.

Professor Dennis Stewart, OKO President

Q: Who is the president of your organization? Tell us about your president?

A: Professor Dennis Stewart, Dennis began training in Martial Arts in 1965 and has 40+ years experience in Kenpo Karate. Kajukenbo – 8th Dan – Professor Ordonez Kajukenbo President Proff. Stewart was inducted into the Karate for Christ International Hall of Honor in 2018, and currently teaches at Karate for Christ of Arizona with his son, Joseph Stewart.​

Q: What martial arts associations are you affiliated with?

A: We are Ordonez Kajukenbo, and we have over 31 schools that we are affiliated with: 2022 Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana School Affiliations 1. Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana – Jason Groff 2. Karate for Christ of Arizona – Dennis Stewart 3. Christian Kenpo Fellowship – Chris Stewart 4. Karate for Christ International – David Dunn 5. The Learning Lab – Dennis Duarte 6. Wolf Den Martial Arts Academy – John Atkinson 7. Bladed Mind – Nain El Guzman and Rick Ramos 8. One on One FMA – Sacramento, CA – Harry Greene 9. Island One Martial Arts – Dennis Duarte 10. Island Style Kajukenbo – Kato 11. Napier Martial Arts – Bob Napier 12. Mills Martial Arts – Jamey Mills 13. OKO Colorado – AJ Carroll 14. AJ Carroll’s Kajukenbo School of Self Defense 15. DSAL Boxing Academy – Mickey Lopez 16. Kajukenbo De Mingo – Manuel Villasenor 17. Fermin Martial Arts -Mike Fermin 18. Kempo Unlimited Hawaii – Tommy Lam 19. Advanced Kenpo Karate System – George Versola 20. Dojo Romano Italy – Mr. Romano 21. Oklahoma City Combat Sambo/Combatives– Aaron Dodson 22. Texas Martial Arts Center – Lou Ivie 23. Teja’s Fight Science – Dean Goldade 24. Gamma Martial Arts – Philip Gelinas 25. Gaylord Texas Kajukenbo – GM Armando Saldana 26. Eguaras Ohana Martial Arts – Louis Eguaras 27. Professional Self Defense Institute – Steve Shover 28. A.K.C.M. Manuel Villaseñor 29. MPBC Karate for Christ – Chris Stewart 30. Kajukembo Training Center – William T Villanueva Matias 31. VEA Martial Arts Center – Mike Cardenas 32. Scientific Combatives Group-Zen Dawson-Giles 33. Ju-Ka-Kung Kempo – Sifu Eric Cardona Sanchez 34. Ross Tremayne, Yamabujin Senjutsu – Yama Bujin

Q: How many founder(s) are in your original organization? And tell me about them?

A: Kajukenbo has Five Founders: Frank F. Ordonez — Danzan-ryu Jujutsu, Kenpo, and Boxing Adriano Directo Emperado — Kenpo Joseph Holck — Judo and Danzan-ryu Jujutsu Peter Young Yil Choo — Tang Soo Do and Boxing George Chang — Kung Fu

Q: What is your organization’s next big event, tell us about it and the excitement to look forward to ?

A: 14th Annual Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana Gathering in Mesa, AZ, it’s an opportunity to meet new Members face-to-face, and to train, fellowship, and have fun. https://www.ordonezkajukenbo.org/oko-events

14th Annual OKO Event October 15th, 2022

Q: What have you been doing to promote and make your organization better?

A: We have two Facebook pages, a Public and Private Members page, a website, a newsletter, and our Annual Events.

Q: How many members are in your Organization?

A: We have over 300 Members worldwide.

Q: What is your Organization’s goal?

A: To Honor and Continue the Legacy of Kajukenbo Co-Founder Uncle Frank Ordonez, to share our knowledge of the Martial Arts, and to serve our community.

Q: Tell us about your Organization’s history?

A: The Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana’s founder, Frank Ordonez (February 15, 1927 – October 30, 2017), was born February 15, 1927 in Puunene, Maui, HI. During his teens he studied Jujitsu from Sam Luke Sr. an instructor from the Kodenkan Jujitsu of Prof. Okasaki in Honolulu, HI. This is where he met Joe Mitsuno Holck. After witnessing the bombing of Pearl Harbor from his home, Uncle Frank enlisted in the U.S. Army. While stationed at Ft Shafter in Honolulu, Uncle Frank was on the Army Boxing team with Peter Choo, a Tang Soo Do practitioner, under the training of Thomas Toyama. Uncle Frank invited Peter Choo to cross train with him and Joe Holck in Jujitsu and with Thomas Young in Kenpo. This laid the foundation for Kajukenbo. In 1947, while living in Halawa Housing, Uncle Frank invited his child hood friend and God Brother Adriano Emperado, a student of Kenpo Prof. Chow, to come train with Joe Holck and Peter Choo in the abandoned Barracks adjacent to his home. Peter Choo invited his friend George Chang, a Kung Fu practitioner, to come and train as well. These 5 Kajukenbo Founders called themselves the Black Belt Society. Kajukenbo was founded in 1947 in the State of Hawaii. It is the first American Mixed Martial Art, combining 5 major disciplines together.

Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana’s founder, Frank Ordonez

Q: Does your Organization have an Oath?

A: THE KAJUKENBO PRAYER Almighty and eternal god, protector of all who put their trust in thee, accept the humble homage of our faith and love in thee, the one true God. Bless our efforts to preserve the integrity of the United States of America, a nation founded on Christian principles, enlighten our roles, guide our law makers and protect the sanctity of our homes, and bless our efforts in these exercises, whose sole purpose is developing our body to keep others mindful of thy commandments. Give us perseverance in our actions, so we may use this as a means to keep closer to you the one true God. In the name of thy beloved son, Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen. – Frank Ordonez, Kajukenbo Co-Founder –

Q: Does your Org. have a Statement of Faith?

A: We train with our Spirit, our Mind, and our Body.

Q: Does your Org. have a signature martial arts philosophy?

A: We train with our Spirit, our Mind, and our Body.

Q: Does your Org. have a method of training?

A: The “Commonality of Technique,” and hard old-school teachings and training.

Q: Where does your Org. originate?

A: The Palama Settlement in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Q: Does your Org. have a specific Curriculum?

A: Yes, we have our own OKO Curriculum. The trainings we do augment the Curriculum.

Q: What are the branches in your system?

A: We honor all lineages, branches, and methods of Kajukenbo.

Q: Does your Org. have special events? Annual or otherwise?

A: Once a year we hold an Annual Gathering Event.

Q: What is your specific discipline?

A: Kajukenbo is a self-defense system based on Asian martial arts, with American flavor. Those martial arts are represented in the four syllables of the KA-JU-KEN-BO name. ‘KA’ represents karate, JU’ represents judo and jujutsu, ‘KEN’ represents kenpo and ‘BO’ represents Chinese and Western boxing.

By Raul Garcia

Raul Garcia Jr. Garcia, is an award winning journalist, who has trained in martial arts with various teachers (John Valdivia, Kenbo Karate; Manuel Lozano, Kuk Sool Won; Tammy Williams, Dan Timlin’s Mid Michigan Academy of Mixed Martial Arts) and styles during his life. He is currently a student of Kajukenbo Gaylord Method Grandmaster Armando Saldana.

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