ANTHONY BOTTAN: Shihan Tony Bottan began his study of Jujitsu in 1966 at the original Fuji Dojo in the Bronx, New York, under Grand Master Philip Scrima. By 1977 he had reached 4th degree Black Belt and held the position of senior instructor at the Bronx School, under the Grandmaster.

Shihan Bottan has taught Jujutsu in several other locations around New York including the Glenwood Houses Community center, Kingsborough Community College, and several martial arts schools in Brooklyn. He also has taught at locations in the villages of Freeport, Rockville Center and now North Valley Stream on Long Island.

Shihan Bottan was also a guest instructor for the Long Island University Martial Arts Instructor Certification Program. He also ran the keynote martial art demonstration at the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for 2 years.

At the age of 39, Shihan Bottan became an active tournament competitor in the NY metropolitan area. He competed from 1989 to 1995, primarily in the self defense division, and won numerous 1st place honors.

Shihan Bottan also studied Hakko Ryu Jujutsu and received recognition as a 3rd degree Black Belt in that system. He studied Sosuishitsu Ryu Jujutsu under Sensei M. Calandra and holds a 2nd degree Black Belt in this classical system.

Shihan Bottan currently holds the rank of 10th degree Black Belt in Fuji Ryu Jujutsu and teaches both Fuji Ryu and Sosuishitsu Ryu in North Valley Stream at the Kempo Martial Arts Dojo located at 337 N Central Ave, Valley Stream, NY 11580

LINDA RAMSY: Master Linda Ramsy, an 8th degree black belt, has been in the martial arts for over 25 years. She received her Black Belt in Fuji Ryu Jujutsu from Master Rahim El-Amin in 1985 and her 6th degree Black Belt from Grand Master Philip Scrima and Master Tony Bottan. Master Linda currently holds the rank of 8th degree Black Belt.

Master Linda is well known for her expertise in Womens self defense and has taught many seminars on the subject and sat on numerous government sponsored committees on Women’s issues. She has appeared on Geraldo Rivera and 20/20 and has acted in martial arts movies. She also received numerous awards including the “Tribute to the Masters”presented on TNT by Wesley Snipes.

Master Linda is also a well known Tournament competitor with numerous 1st place wins. To her credit she hosted the National Womens Martial Art Camp in 1993 where 567 women attended. She has held many teaching positions including one at Princeton University and continues to teach Fuji Ryu at 2132 E Tremont Ave, Bronx NY.

JOHN BRANCATO: Sensei John Brancato has been studying the martial arts since 1984. Along with his 7th degree Black Belt in Fuji Ryu, Sensei John is also only one of a handful of active instructors in New York State who is certified in Chanbara (Goshindo) under Master Dana Abbott. Goshindo is a padded weapons art closely related to Iaido, Kendo and Kenjutsu. He also holds the rank of Shodan in Sosiushitsu Ryu Ju Jitsu, a classical Japanese Ju Jitsu system dating back to 1650. He also holds a 1st Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do from the New York Institute of Martial Arts. Sensei John studied under Master Tony Bottan since 1991.

Sensei John has always stressed to never be afraid of what other martial arts have to offer. He has shown so much confidence in Fuji Ryu that he continually has other martial artists come to our dojo to conduct classes. An instructor who is not afraid to have others come in who might “steal” his or her students is worth more than any of us could ever pay. As an instructor, Sensei John adopted Sensei Bottan’s confidence in Fuji Ryu by having other martial artists come to conduct classes. This has proven to be an eye-opening experience for myself as well as for our students.

Sensei John’s goal as an instructur is to train students and instructors to be better than him from a mental, physical, and teaching standpoint. “Mental” means awareness and being combat ready when necessary. “Physical” means movement, not strength, which includes actual self-defense. Sensei John feels that only by achieving these goals can he help Fuji Ryu to move forward and continue as one of the best self-defense systems offered.

Sensei John is a great instructor because of his Dedication. He always tells his students the only difference between us is that he has more time on the mat … that’s it!!

YURY ABRUKIN: Yury started his martial arts training in November 1993, at the Brooklyn JUJUTSKAI Dojo under the supervision of sensei Tony Bottan. He was promoted to first degree Black Belt (SHO DAN) in May 2001 and has mastered the Fuji Ryu Belt charts and safety rules. As part of his black belt training he taught and tested students of all levels. Yury was promoted to second degree Black Belt, official instructor level, on May 2004, and was promoted to 4th degree Black Belt in 2015, and is currently an assistant instructor at the dojo located at 337 N Central Ave, Valley Stream. Over his years of study, Yury has participated in many demonstrations, most notably the Cherry Blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

ROBERT JUSTINIANO: Sensei Robert Justiniano was born in the lower east side of Manhattan in 1957. In 1966, at the age of nine, he was beaten up by the neighborhood bully. This encounter prompted him to pick up self-defense. Soon thereafter he was taught to box by a neighbor who was a Golden glove boxer. He trained diligently every day after school until he became good enough to defend himself. Needless to say, the bullying ceased. In 1968 at the age of eleven he started training in martial arts. From 1968 to 1971, he trained in the art of Shotokan Karate taught by his older brother Rafael. He obtained the rank of 3rd Kyu. For 6 months in 1974, he took up the art of Fu Jow Pai under Grand Master Wai Hong in the Bowery. In 1989, he started his training in Fuji Ryu Jujutsu under the instruction of Master Anthony Bottan. He currently holds a rank of Ni Dan in Fuji Ryu Jujutsu and a 3rd Kyu in Sosuishitsu Ryu Jujutsu. He currently resides on Long Island.

FABIANA CELLINI: Sensei Fabiana Cellini began training in martial arts in 2002 when she was invited to watch a class in Fuji Ryu Jujitsu. She observed that although the students were all different belt levels and had specific moves, the whole class was working together as a team. It was clear that the moves were effective and practical regardless of rank. It was an easy decision to join. After participating in the class for a few months, it was clear that Fuji Ryu Jujitsu was beneficial not only for self-defense but also concentration, self-confidence, and self-discipline. During the next 16 years, Fabiana trained up in belts until she earned the rank of 3rd degree black belt in FujiRyu Jujutsu in May 2019. She also earned the rank of Mokuroku in Sosuishitsu-Ryu (classical Jujitsu) in June 2017.

Within the same time frame of her training, Fabiana established a great career in education as a NYC teacher and science educator. The structure and discipline of martial arts allowed her to improve her pedagogical skills in curriculum planning and classroom management. By applying the same focus and concentration to her classroom, she was better able to support her students’ academic success. She is currently building a program of self-defense for elementary and middle school students during which they will become more confident, be more aware of their surroundings, stay safe, and develop a structured discipline that will positively affect their academic experiences and life skills.