The System

Defendo is the 'Occidental System of Self Protection' created by the late Bill Underwood.                   Best described as 'British Jujitsu', Defendo employs strikes, joint locks, pressure points, chokes, takedowns and nervous system manipulations to control or incapacitate attackers.
Defendo is a powerful self-defence tool that the average person can learn in a short space of time, effective regardless of the size, strength and fitness of the exponent or their assailant. The system also serves as a useful add-on an experienced Martial Artist can plug into the system they are already using, to either enhance their existing skills, or to add a whole new range of techniques and principles to their repertoire. Defendo is also ideal for law enforcement officers, security personnel and any individual who may come into contact with a violent member of the public as part of their working day.
Students' training begins with 'The Triad'; 5 Grips, 4 Leverages and 12 Pressure Points which form the heart of the system. Once mastered, students' understanding of The Triad will allow them to learn the more advanced levels of Defendo which address all manner of self-defence scenarios and progress to more severe responses to more dangerous situations.

The Founder

Bill Underwood was the 5 foot 2 inch man nicknamed the 'Human Atomic Bomb', 'Mighty Atom' and 'Little Giant Killer', and was one of true pioneers of hand-to-hand combat in the 20th Century. William J. Underwood was born in Manchester towards the end of the 19th Century, and by the time he was 12 years old his family were living in Liverpool, and was Bill earning pocket money selling programmes at the Vaudeville Pavilion theatre. At the time the venue played host to legends such as Harry Houdini, Buffalo Bill Cody and Charlie Chaplin, and one particular act showcased the amazing abilities of two Jujitsu experts Yukio Tani and Tara Maki. Like everyone else Bill was captivated by their demonstration, during which they threw weightlifters and strongman around the stage as if they were ragdolls. Bill soon struck a friendship with these 2 masters, and they began to teach him some of the basic techniques and principles of their craft. Unbeknown to anyone, Bill was a prodigy in the making. With limited exposure to these masters, he began to develop and build upon the techniques he had learned, which ultimately led to the evolution of a unique and improved system.                                     Bill's family later emigrated to Canada, and in 1914 Bill was sent overseas with the Grenadier Guards of the Royal Montreal Regiment. He was still developing his hand-to-hand combat system at this time, which he called 'Combato', a system he was forced to use to extricate himself from numerous life and death situations in the trenches. Bill was actually captured and brought behind enemy lines during the first German gas attack at Ypres in 1915, but ultimately escaped from his captors, killing several German soldiers with the techniques he had created. The following year he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as a pilot and learned gunnery from Canada's Billy Bishop, and later became friends with Roy Brown, the man who would later shoot down the Red Baron.                                              When the Second World War began Bill attempted to enlist in active duty, but was turned down after being told this was 'a young man's war'. But Bill was fiercely patriotic and refused to let the issue go, and joined the Toronto's Queens Own Rifle Reserve. Once there he asked his commanding officers if they were interested in the unarmed combat system he had developed. At first Bill was treated with great scepticism. By now he was in his 40s and slightly rotund, but Bill simply asked them to provide a handful of their toughest soldiers, assuring his commanders he would 'deal with them'. After Bill put several soldiers into the hospital, all of whom had boxing and wrestling experience, his superiors immediately commissioned Bill to begin training troops. 'Combato' had officially made its debut, and this was especially important at the time, as Western troops had to address the threat of Japanese arts such as Judo and Jujitsu. Bill eventually was commissioned to train elite soldiers, spies and assassins at 'Camp X' in Toronto, Canada. He even trained the elite squad codenamed the 'Super Six' whose intended mission was to go behind enemy lines and assassinate Hitler himself, although the mission was ultimately abandoned when enemy forces learned of the plot and began to deploy Hitler look-a-likes and decoys.                                                                                                        When the war ended Bill was uncertain of his future, as Combato seemed to have little purpose in peaceful times. However, it wasn't long before Bill was contacted by Law Enforcement units such as the F.B.I., C.I.A., R.C.M.P. and various police departments throughout Canada and the United States, expressing an interest in enlisting Bill to train their officers. Initially Bill refused; Combato's purpose was to maim or kill, and was far too aggressive for Law Enforcement applications. Following repeated requests however, Bill eventually agreed to remove the lethal techniques from his system and focus more on compliance and control. In 1945 while Bill was considering what to call his new system, his daughter Pat suggested 'Defendo'. The name stuck, and Defendo was born.
For almost the entire remainder of his life, Bill Underwood taught Defendo to Law Enforcement Officers, Security Guards, Bodyguards, and civilians. Defendo had to be easy to learn, as Bill was often training law enforcement officers who were due to start active duty in a matter of weeks. The system was therefore designed to be very simple and extremely practical, and just like it's predecessor Combato, has been 'Battle Proven' in real situations in which violent suspects had to be brought under control. In later years Bill enjoyed sometime in the spotlight, appearing on various television shows including "That's Incredible", "Real People" and The Johnny Carson show. In 1980 a short film about him entitled "Don't Mess With Bill" was nominated for an Academy Award and Bill walked the Red Carpet with the stars of the era. Bill Underwood passed away in 1986 at a nursing home in Ontario at the age of 90, and when he died Defendo very nearly died with him. However, thanks to the efforts of a handful of dedicated Instructors and a highly enthusiastic public response the system is beginning to thrive again, moving from strength to strength ever since Clive Elliott brought the system home to the UK in 2003.
Amongst all the men who contributed to the world of hand-to-hand combat and self-defence in the 20th Century, Bill Underwood was truly exceptional. Other pioneeers like Fairburn and Sykes had extensive training in traditional Martial Arts, and used this as the foundation of their own systems. Bill Underwood had no formal training, and yet created two complete and entirely distinct systems, drawing on nothing but a very brief childhood exposure to Jujitsu, and his own innate genuis. These unique origins place his work in a category of its own.
Through Defendo Bill Underwood has left us a truly unique piece of British History, a self-defence system that is simple, easy-to-learn and extremely effective.