Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana
Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana
INFO
Organization: Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana (OKO)
FoundED: February 15, 2008
Successor: Great Grandmaster Jason Groff
Contact
WEB: ordonezkajukenbo.com
Phone: (877) 214-5960
EMAIL: okovicepresident@gmail.com
Location: 1250 S Buckley Rd I-171
Aurora Colorado 80017
Kajukenbo Black Belt Society
ABOUT
The Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana (OKO) is an international Kajukenbo organization dedicated to preserving and continuing the legacy of Kajukenbo co-founder Frank Ordonez.
The organization traces its foundation directly to senior Kajukenbo practitioners who were promoted and mentored by Ordonez. On February 15, 2008, a select group of those practitioners formally established the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana in his honor.
Today, the OKO supports Kajukenbo practitioners and schools throughout the United States and internationally. The organization emphasizes the traditions of Kajukenbo, martial arts development, fellowship, and the continued transmission of Frank Ordonez's legacy to future generations.
Great Grandmaster Jason Groff, 10th Dan, serves as President and Chairman and is recognized by the organization as successor to the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana.
History
Kajukenbo Co-Founder Frank Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana
Kajukenbo co-founder Frank Ordonez was born February 15, 1927, in Puunene, Maui, Hawaii. As a teenager, he studied Jujitsu under Sam Luke Sr., an instructor in the Kodenkan Jujitsu tradition of Professor Henry Seishiro Okazaki. During this period, Ordonez met fellow Kajukenbo co-founder Joe Holck.
After witnessing the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ordonez enlisted in the United States Army. While stationed at Fort Shafter in Honolulu, he participated on the Army boxing team with Peter Choo under Thomas Toyama.
Ordonez later brought Choo together with himself and Holck for cross-training in Jujitsu and Kenpo. In 1947, while living in Halawa Housing, Ordonez invited his childhood friend and godbrother Adriano Emperado to train with the group. These early training sessions became part of the foundation from which Kajukenbo developed.
The group that became known as the Black Belt Society continued developing Kajukenbo through the late 1940s. Ordonez remained involved with Kajukenbo throughout his life, teaching, mentoring senior practitioners, and contributing to the development and organization of the art.
During the late 1950s, while living on Kwajalein, Ordonez continued teaching and authored the Kajukenbo Prayer. In 1968, he prepared the incorporation documents for the Kajukenbo Self Defense Institute.
Frank Ordonez continued to mentor senior Kajukenbo practitioners for decades. On February 15, 2008, several practitioners promoted by Ordonez established the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana to preserve and honor his legacy.
Frank Ordonez passed away on October 30, 2017, at the age of 90.
Senior Advisory Council
Great Grandmaster Jason Groff — 10th Dan, President and Chairman; successor to the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana.
Senior Grandmaster A.J. Carroll — 9th Dan; Chairman of the Senior Advisory Council.
Senior Grandmaster Dean Goldade — 9th Dan; martial artist and instructor with more than four decades of training.
Senior Grandmaster Manuel Villaseñor — 9th Dan; European Representative for the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana since 2010. Received his 9th Dan from Frank Ordonez in 2017 and was recognized as Senior Grandmaster in 2023.
Grandmaster Zen Dawson-Giles — Grandmaster; began martial arts training in Judo in 1974 and continues to teach in Colorado.
Grandmaster John S. Truman Jr. — 9th Dan; began studying Kajukenbo in 1975 and was promoted by Frank Ordonez.
Grandmaster Mike Fermin — 9th Dan; began martial arts training in 1968, earned his first black belt in 1980, and has taught since 1977.
Professor Steve Shover — Kajukenbo 8th Dan and Kenpo 10th Dan; practicing martial arts since 1968 and teaching since 1975.
Professor Ron Baker — Kajukenbo 8th Dan; Professor and Lifetime Member of the Ordonez Kajukenbo Ohana.
