Evolution of Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu

The creation of Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu was set into motion by Richard Petronelli in 1999, as a tribute to his instructor Florendo Visitacion (Prof. Vee) who had recently passed. Professor Vee taught Petronelli his art of Vee Arnis Jitsu, which focused on self-defense for real life altercations. With the passing of Professor Vee, Petronelli visualized forming his own system based on the teachings of Professor Vee and incorporating his prior knowledge from his thirty years of martial arts training.

As the creator of a new martial arts system, Petronelli became the Soke (Japanese word for “the head family” – in the martial arts it can be translated to the leader of a style) and named his longest and most dedicated student, Marc Bochner, as the Soke-Dai (one who teaches in place of Soke). Bochner, sixteen at the time, had been a student of Soke Petronelli since the age of eight.

As the system continued to evolve, Bochner took the initiative and with the permission of Soke Petronelli, created the first Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu curriculum for the system with the help of Gary DiPauda, a Black Belt under Petronelli. Prior to this, the techniques and concepts taught were not written in a systematic form. As Bochner was teaching the majority of classes, he refined and adapted the curriculum in attempt to create a complete system of self-defense.

Bochner expanded the system of Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu by creating a youth program that focused on teaching children from as early as age seven to defend themselves from peer and adult adversaries. Bochner continued with developing a curriculum for realistic self-defense seminars that would teach participants important self-defense concepts and techniques that they could use to defend themselves. As Bochner entered college, he and Sensei Matthew Mendillo (Black Belt under Bochner), established the URI Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu Club which ran for five years and taught hundreds of students how to defend themselves. In addition, Bochner and Mendillo taught self-defense and rape prevention seminars at the majority of dormitories and sororities on campus. The seminars expanded to Salve Regina University (Newport, RI), Rhode Island College (Providence, RI) and Bentley University (Waltham, MA).

Soke-Dai Bochner continued to teach classes at the dojo (training hall) with the help of Professor Bruce DiTraglia (Black Belt under Petronelli) and Sensei Brian Baccaire (Black Belt under Bochner).

Over the 12 years of teaching and running the Academy of Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu, Bochner has updated the curriculum based on his study of the martial arts. In essence, Bochner has followed in the footsteps of Professor Vee and Soke Petronelli in creating a system based on his training in the martial arts. Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu, as it is taught today, is the reflection of Soke-Dai Bochner’s study of the martial arts. As of 2011, Bochner has published three books based on self-defense, been published in Black Belt Magazine and has produced, edited, and instructed the official Kuntao Jiu-Jitsu DVDs.

http://kuntaojiujitsu.com/evolution.html