Lineage

In 1968 Judo Sensei, Stanley Israel owned two Dojos, in Brooklyn, NY, the Midwood Dojo and the Bay Ridge Dojo. Sensei Riccardi toyed with the possibility of learning Aikido and visited the Midwood Dojo where Sensei Eddie Hagahara (now an 8th Dan) was teaching. The dojo manager passed his name on to Sensei Stan Israel who was at that time looking for a Ju Jitsu Instructor for the Bay Ridge Dojo. The next day Sensei Stan called and invited Sensei Riccardi to be a guest instructor for a class at the Bay Ridge Dojo. A few days that class he called Sensei Riccardi and offered him what would become his first professional martial arts teaching job at Bay Ridge Dojo. Sensei Riccardi reluctantly accepted, and but with that, he became the very first of Prof. Vee’s students to actually teach the Vee Jitsu curriculum exactly the way Prof. Vee taught it to him. Bay Ridge Dojo has the distinction of being not only the very first dojo to teach Vee Jitsu Ryu but also the very first dojo to hang Prof. Vee’s picture in a place of honor for all to pay homage as they entered and left the mat area. Prof. Rick Riccardi has the absolute distinction of being Prof. Vee’s most senior student and personally  knowing him from 1962.

In 1971, For his dedication and commitment Sensei Riccardi became the very first student that Prof, Vee awarded a Master certification in Vee Jitsu Ryu Ju Jitsu.

As time went on, Sensei Rick Riccardi began to take exception to the fact that the absence of any type of organization, and business expertise several of Prof. Vee’s former students, who were doing their own martial arts styles were coming back and convincing Prof. Vee to elevate them in rank.

It was then that Sensei Riccardi began struggling with the fact that Prof. Vee was allowing himself to be taken advantage of by former self-serving students whom he (Sensei Riccardi) over the years had never met or ever seen in Prof. Vee’s dojo, or on the mat. When asked why, Prof. Vee’s reason was “I just want to help them out.” Very sadly, due to the absence of any business acumen or understanding of sound general business principles, Sensei Riccardi told to tell Prof. Vee that he was no longer able to properly and professionally function under the situation as it currently existed.

With the stipulation that he stay under his teaching, Prof. Vee suggested that Sensei Riccardi should consider creating his own organization. However, it took a few years for it to actually happened.

Obviously this the right solution to the problem, because if you look at all the various schools listed under the Vee Jitsu banner, you will immediately notice that no two schools are teaching the same curriculum and that there really is no central Vee Jitsu organization, or person that even knows what Vee Jitsu looked like or how it was taught in 1965 or what Prof. Vee called “Vee Jitsu 65.” To my knowledge, there are only three or four of us who actually still do.

In 1976 Master Riccardi was the very first of Prof. Vee’s students to be promoted to 6th Dan, with the title of Professor in Vee Jitsu Ryu by Prof. Vee.

At that time, Niseido® Ju Jitsu was still in its infantile stages, but while perfecting his own system of Ju Jitsu, Prof. Riccardi remained under the absolute teachings of Prof. Vee, who taught the Wednesday evening class at the Bay Ridge Dojo. In December of 1985 Prof. Vee promoted Prof. Riccardi to the rank of 10th Dan with the title of Grand Master in Vee Jitsu Ryu Ju Jitsu.

Through the years Prof. Riccardi remained loyal to Prof. Vee and is proud to say that he received all of his ranks from Ikyu Brown Belt to 10th Dan in Vee Jitsu Ryu Ju Jitsu directly from Prof. Vee, and that he is to this very day, the absolute, longest and most tenured student of Prof. Vee.

Niseido Ju Jitsu and the Niseido Ju Jitsu Federation remain deeply rooted the Vee Jitsu Ryu Ju Jitsu as originally taught by Prof. Vee.