Nejad Martial Arts

Discussion in 'Other Styles' started by nitroice0069, Aug 11, 2004.

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  1. nitroice0069

    nitroice0069 New Member

    Hey, I haven’t posted here much and I thought I would start by telling you about my MA (Nejad). I will just give you some facts. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I have only been taking MA for 7 months so I am sure there is a ton to still be found out.

    Nejad is made up of many different arts they include BJJ, TKD, Kenpo, Tang Soo Do, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, and Hapkido. There may be more but I don't know of them. My teacher is Master Robert Vingiquerra. He is a 6th dan Black Belt (The highest you can be in our system) He has trained with Grandmaster Dillman, Grandmaster Tracey Hannah, Grandmaster Nejad, Danny Inosanto (One of Bruce Lee first and best students), and more. He went to the Russia when he was 18 to represent the USA in a tournament. While there he won a tournament out of 1,000 people to be the first to start to teach Nejad in the states. We are the only dojo in the USA to teach Nejad. He was the #1 Master in Pennsylvania in 2000-2001 he stopped competing after that. Master Vingiquerra was also on The Dave Letterman Show to do a Stupid Human Trick. He kicked a balloon filled with water that was 9 feet 6 inches off the ground. At the time that was a world record. Master Vingiquerra wasn’t interested in being in the Guinness Book of World Records so he didn’t go to an event to authorize what he did. . Our dojo is home to the State and National 13-14 year old Black Belt Champion. The adult state champion, and the 10-year-old Brown Belt State Champion. Our dojo is one of the nicest in the state. It has over 5,000 square feet of training area. With 16 Powerline Wavemaster bags. 6 BOB bags. 2 VTS's. 2 Wing Chun dummies. Tons of Mitts, leg stretchers, a weight room, and more.

    Nejad is a more Scientific type of art. We are not very traditional and have no problem modifying something so it works with the anatomy of the body better. There are not many "flashy" kicks we only do what we see practical. We use some pressure points but we do not strike a lot in a row like Grandmaster Dillman teaches. They seem to work well, though I must say I have never used them in a real altercation yet.

    I hope this gives you a slight understanding and some information on Nejad. If you have any questions please ask I would be more then glad to answer them.


    JamEs
     
  2. dmcdonnell

    dmcdonnell New Member

    Nejad Martial Arts

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Everyone,

    I am a former student of Robert Vingiquerra. I am the 3rd person he ever promoted to Black Belt. I also attended high school with him, so I can comment on him both as a person, and as a martial artist.

    I began training with Robert in 1982-83, after my Isshin-Ryu instructor stopped teaching due to health reasons.

    Robert was running the school in Washington, PA for his Instructor at the time Behrooz Nejad for whom the system is named.

    Behrooz Nejad was a member of the Elite Guard for the deposed Shah of Iran, and when he left Iran on 1979-80, he settled in the St. Clairsville Ohio area. In later years, Behrooz was arrested in U.A.E. for a situation in which he shot a man during an arms deal (He was involved in small arms and security work on the side). Robert was a Nidan at the time, and became the de facto head of the Nejad system.

    The Nejad style at the time was comprised of the arts that Behrooz was ranked in. Based on what I was told by Robert and later verified through some research with other students, the core of the Nejad system was:

    Kyokushinkai Karate
    WTF Style TaeKwonDo
    Tai Nui Kung Fu

    In addition, Robert had a brown belt from James Hanna, Tracy Kenpo System. He added elements from the Kenpo into the Nejad system. (Nitroice0069, his name is not Tracy Hannah, the system is Tracy Kenpo, name is James Hanna.)

    The Nejad System is a NON-Traditional, eclectic system. Over the years, Robert has changed the system to make it a more complete system. As for the type of fighting that we did at the time, it was point fighting based, but done continuous, and hard contact.

    I received my black belt in 1990. I then started training in Shotokan, receiving my black belt in 1992, and then began training at PA Karate Academy under Don Garon, where I remain to this day. More about me later..

    The Nejad system, has evolved under Robert to include a lot of what he learned from various instructors, seminars and training camps, many of which we both attended.. Robert attended seminars hosted by my instructor with Dan Inosanto, this I can verify..

    As for the rest, I cannot speak for his experience in them, as I do not train with him any longer.

    One thing that has been blown out of proportion, is the whole International tournament thing.. No it was NOT related to the Olympics in any way.. in approximately 1993-94, Robert was invited to attend an international tournament hosted in St. Petersburg Russia, and promoted by John Kanzler's Eatern USA Martial Arts Association. It was one of the first such events since the fall of Communisn in 1989, and deserves the credit for at least making an attempt at such an event.

    As far as credibility, Robert always demanded from us, that we drilled hard at the basics, and would not promote us unless our technique was as close to perfect as we could get it.. He never cut corners and I am living proof, it took 8 years for me to earn my first Shodan.

    Robert is NOT superman, but I can vouch for the fact that he is a legitimate instructor, who brings the best out in his students. He always encouraged me to investigate other arts and become a more well rounded martial artist.

    I have gone on to train in arts such as Muay Thai, Jun Fan, Kali/Eskrima, Jeet Kune Do, Silat, Okinawan Kenpo, Shootwrestling, CSW, BJJ, and Kenjitsu.

    I noticed in James' profile on another board that he was born in 1989 and that he was just beginning his journey.. He made the same post there, and no one replied.. When I joined here, I noticed the same post and tons of replies that were really giving the guy a hard time, based on some of his assertions, that is completely understandable..

    What I am basically saying about Nejad Martial Arts and Robert Vingiquerra in general, is that the art itself gave me solid basics and a good grasp of KICK/PUNCH/KATA Karate. It never a full contact style. I have not trained there since 1991, so I can not say what changes he has made to the curriculum though.

    Robert is a nice guy, very respectful to both Pareents and students, and a really good instructor who always stressed the basics with us and made us train with an eye towards perfecting technique rather than collecting belt ranks.. Any claims as to rank above 2nd Dan, or in other arts such as BJJ, Hapkido, JKD, Kali, etc, should be addressed to him, as I would not know this...

    Here is a 50MB video clip of Master Behrooz Nejad
    http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/bmp/nejad.asp

    Dave McDonnell
     
  3. wcrevdonner

    wcrevdonner Valued Member

    As a side, 'nejad' means 'race' in persian. Just in case anyone wants to know...
     
  4. AAAhmed46

    AAAhmed46 Valued Member

    Well, it sounds interesting.
     
  5. raganaga

    raganaga New Member

    Tai Nui Karate/Nejad Martial Arts

    hi Dave and everyone,

    interesting reading. and it was very very cool to find that bit of video online!! i was a member of that ohio valley class in the video [sadly i wasn't present that day for video taping]. the first guy sparring with Behrooz for the camera's is one of my best friends, Donny W. he lives down the street from me, and he'll get a big kick out of seeing the video!! it was very cool to see so many familiar faces from 20+ years ago! seeing them all brought back a lot of fun memories!

    a couple clarifications though; [the schools in washington, pa, west virginia, and ohio were all running concurrently. i make no claim as to which school was first but i still teach Tai Nui/Nejad Martial Arts today btw in WV, and i believe it is still taught in Ohio as well]...
    and... the patch or mandala for Tai Nui/Nejad Martial Arts has a black scalloped edge, is eight sided, and circular [sort of] which represents Kyokushinkai. the red and white yin yang as background represents Wing Chun kung fu, and in the center is the Tae Kwon Do fist. so, the three core styles that make up Tai Nui karate are...

    Kyokushinkai
    Wing Chun
    Tae Kwon

    Master Nejad knew other styles of course and included them in what he taught, but the three core styles were as represented on the mandala.

    i knew Behrooz personally, as did my dojo friends locally, who also taught. it's still in my class notes from 20+ years ago [straight from Behrooz's lips to my pen and notebook]. we were all taught it that way [and taught it ourselves] from day one.

    originally the mandala or logo said Nejad Martial Arts U.S.A. around the outside. but when we acquired the exclusive use of a large area to be used as our dojo in bridgeport, ohio we became Ohio Valley Martial Arts [in which Behrooz still taught the original Nejad Martial Arts until he went overseas, i still have a couple of the Nejad MA tshirts around]. at that time the words Nejad Martial Arts U.S.A. were replaced with Ohio Valley Martial Arts but the central mandala, the teachings and the Master remained the same ... 20+years later i still use the Nejad Martial Arts patch and teach Nejad Martial Arts. i trim the words Ohio Valley Martial Arts away from the actual mandala when i give out a patch to a student, since we are no longer together as that organization... and i'll try to include a link to a scanned patch picture here... in fact i'll scan a 20+ year old tshirt too and super impose the patch on top...

    Nejad Martial Arts U.S.A.


    i also have a 5 foot Nejad Martial Arti mandala hanging on the wall in my dojo facing the door as you enter. i realize this is an old thread but i was happy to find it and wanted to share.

    anyway, thanks a million for the vid clip. it was a huge treat!!!

    peace,
    tony stanley
     
  6. Melanie

    Melanie Bend the rules somewhat.. Supporter

    I have to say this sounds fascinating, has this been exported to the UK yet to your knowledge?
     
  7. LanceWilliams70

    LanceWilliams70 New Member

    I know this thread is pretty old, but I just ran across it recently when looking up some info on Nejad.

    I started training with Behrooz when I was about 9 or 10, when he was still teaching out of the YMCA in Elm Grove, WV. Then moved to the location in Bridgeport, OH while he was still teaching. The Donnie W that Tony mentions above is my Brother-in-Law. I know Donnie started training with Behrooz a few years earlier, when they were in part of the old Wheeling Hospital in North Wheeling. I wish the video was still available to view! I wonder if I was in the background somewhere!? lol

    I talked to Donnie about this thread over the weekend and was sad to find out that Tony Stanley passed away several years ago from cancer.

    From what I remember, after Behrooz was deported, the Dojo continued in Bridgeport for a few years, but eventually fall apart. I can not remember why. Several of the Senseis started another Dojo in Wheeling in the upstairs of the old Reymann Brewery, which is now abandoned (http://www.abandonedonline.net/locations/industry/reymann-brewing-company/). I know Donnie Waddell, John Wilson and Larry (I can not remember his last name) taught there. After I went to college in the early 90's, they moved to a location across the street from Centre Foundry and Machine Company in Warwood, WV. I also believe John Wilson broke off and had his own Dojo for sometime. I believe it was at this location was where and when Tony Stanley came back and finished his black belt. I will have to talk to Donnie and see when they stopped teaching at that location.

    I am not sure who is still teaching the style in the Wheeling area anymore. I know Behrooz had a group in the Washington, PA area too, but I do not know much about them. I remember as a kid, went a few times to the Washington Mall and did demos.

    I know in the Bridgeport location, they also taught Bong Sool.

    I can remember Behrooz telling a story about a time when someone tried breaking in to his apartment and he fought with the man. Afterwards he took the man to the hospital and they though he had hit the man with his car and would not believe they had fought.

    Behrooz had a special needs son, which was why I was always told he left Iran and why he came to the Ohio Valley (because of a school there). I remember him talking about when he was in Iran he took his son to the doctors and they told him to take his son out to a field and shoot him because there was nothing they could do for him. I am sure there was more to it, but that is what I remember.

    Even after he was deported, his wife and son (and I believe a brother) stayed in the Ohio Valley. Every once in a while someone would claim they saw Behrooz in town. A few claimed that they saw him driving and that when they later drove past his wife's house, the car they thought they saw him driving was in the drive way. All rumor, of course.

    I found another article written by Mr McDonnell above about Behrooz:
    http://iranian.com/Letters/2000/October/behrooz.html
    "October 10, 2000

    What happened to Behrooz Nejad?

    I have an interesting tale and a request for your assistance. My name is David McDonnell, I am a 35-year-old web developer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have a story of one of my first martial arts instructors. An Iranian named Behrooz Nejad. He was living here in this area from 1979 til approx 1986(?).

    The story is a sad one, but interesting nonetheless. You see, Behrooz came over with the Shah in 1979 after the revolution. He was a member of the Shah's elite guard, tasked with the Shah's protection. After arriving here, not needed in his former capacity, Behrooz settled in the St. Clairsville, Ohio.

    He opened a karate school there, and in nearby Washington, PA, where I met him in the summer of 1981. I learned a great deal from him, and was overjoyed to see his story featured on a local TV news magazine show. That is shortly before things fell apart.

    Behrooz often complained about his life being very easy and boring, lacking the excitement it once had. That was all about to change.

    After a while, he stayed primarily in his local area teaching at the main school, and the Washington school was given to his top student in the Washington, PA area, a close friend of mine that I went to school with. We kept in close touch with our teacher Behrooz.

    Things took a terrible turn. While on a business trip to Saudi Arabia, Behrooz was arrested for murder. You see, in addition to the schools and consulting work with the local sheriff's dept, Behrooz was also an arms dealer. I never bothered to ask whether this business of his was legitimate or not, quite frankly it did not matter to me. It was his life and he could do as he wished. I guess the man owed him a large sum of money.

    We have often wondered what happened to Behrooz. Saudi Arabia has very strict laws regarding murder, usually beheading or firing squad.

    Here's where my need for information comes in. I have often wondered what fate befell him, whether he was executed or if he was released, or serving a life sentence, etc. The murdered man's name was Shabani, he was approximately 47-years-old at the time of his murder.

    Would you be able to help? I am trying to find the answer to these questions."
     
  8. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Anyone else thinking

    [​IMG]

    Loads of 'Grand Masters', vague mention of competitions, but no details..

    Also:
    "We are the only dojo in the USA to teach Nejad"

    "Our dojo is home to the State and National 13-14 year old Black Belt Champion.[/B] The adult state champion, and the 10-year-old Brown Belt State Champion."

    Well, duh - if you're the only school teaching this bunch of balony in the country, you're bound to have the 'champions' training there.
    Downside is, your school also has the worst students in the country, within your particular art...
     
  9. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Ah, nuts.. Should've checked the dates!

    [​IMG]
     
  10. LanceWilliams70

    LanceWilliams70 New Member

    I never knew the style as Nejad....that was just the name of the business/dojo "Nejad Martial Arts". The style was always referred to as "Tai Nui".

    And I like your comments there Dan! lol
     
  11. bluefrenchfries

    bluefrenchfries New Member

    There's no need to be a jerk Dan. I took Tai Nui for years--it was my first mixed martial art--and I take great offense to you referring to the style/art as "balony" (you didn't even spell baloney correctly) and saying a school you are unfamiliar with and have never heard of, let alone been to, are bad students.

    Everyone's keyboard is just as big as yours, please have/show some respect.

    Bill Sparks -- Wheeling, WV
     
  12. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Well, this is a thread that just won't die :rolleyes:

    I'm not being a 'jerk' - I'm being critical of the information put before me.
    And when any school uses "trained with 'Master' Dillman" as a selling point, it tells an awful lot about the school in question.

    Take offence if you must, but as the saying goes "the truth hurts".
     
  13. bluefrenchfries

    bluefrenchfries New Member

    Lance, does Donny have any Tai Nui mandalas you guys could scan in and/or upload? Or snail mail me? Or that I can drive to you and grab? I want to put a patch on my jiu jitsu gi, among other things like a scrapbook. I never got one from promotion.

    I took across from Centre Foundry, where my Dad worked with Donny. My Dad just passed away yesterday and I was just kinda surfin around the web distracting myself and ended up here. Incredibly sad to hear Tony passed away, he was a huge role model for me.

    I have incredibly fond memories of my time training in Tai Nui. It laid a solid foundation that served me well through other styles, including amateur freestyle wrestling in school. I trained at Sezko TKD for a little bit, and even as a white belt my balance and fundamentals were so concrete I put their red and brown belts at my size and age to shame.

    Even at it's lowest levels, Tai Nui is a very practical and effective art. At it's highest, it proved capable of bodyguarding a Royal Shah...which says quite a bit in my opinion.

    Although I now train other styles, due to it's eclectic philosophy I will always identify as being a practitioner of my root base and consider myself at the core a disciple of Tai Nui.
     
  14. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    bluefrenchfries, welcome to MAP.

    Lance hasn't logged onto MAP since August 2014, so I fear you'll not get a reply.

    Sorry to hear about the loss of your father.
     
  15. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    George Dillman and child blackbelt champions... Not the hallmarks of quality.

    Not knocking the kids themselves.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2016
  16. bluefrenchfries

    bluefrenchfries New Member

    The truth doesn't hurt, and there is such a thing as using tact and class to make your point. Based upon your replies you possess neither. I have never been to the school NitroNoice describes, I am only defending Tai Nui and Behrooz Nejad's eclectic Martial Art.

    As a self-appointed ambassador of Tai Chi you should show more concern carrying the banner, as you represent your art with much disrespect and rudeness. Tai Nui is not a McDojo, the kid was probably just trying to brag a little. It's your choice to not cut him some slack, but please do not disrespect Tai Nui as a Martial Art.
     
  17. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    I'd like to point out that, generally, royalty don't go to a local dojo and pick a bodyguard - there are close-protection agencies who supply guards with a wide range of skillsets - hand2hand combat being one of the least important aspects.
    But, I'd love to see some sort of evidence that a practitioner of this art was picked as a royal body guard, purely based on his practice of this method, and not having been a member of a reputable agency.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2016
  18. bluefrenchfries

    bluefrenchfries New Member


    Thank you Simon. I was a member here a decade ago but lost my credentials. Back then the video and image were still accessible as well.

    I get the whole "we love outing McDojo's" thing, but if a critical member walked into the school I trained at with their hands on their hips, very quickly they would drop their arms to their sides and at the very least hold their judgements and observe. Seems Kobra Kai isn't the only place the respect element isn't being taught nowadays...
     
  19. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Your belly-aching would tend to suggest otherwise.

    This isn't a wuxia novel or movie, and I don't have to help this school save face by hiding behind flowery phrases, or out-and-out pretense that what they peddle is good. If I think that, based on the evidence provided thus far, this school isn't great, then I'm going to say so.
    You are free to disagree with me, and by all means provide more information/evidence to change my perception.

    What on earth is a 'self appointed ambassador of tai chi'??
    I don't "represent my art" - this isn't feudal China, the only thing I represent is myself and my own school. If I am known for being honest, and calling a spade a spade, then that is fine with me.
     
  20. bluefrenchfries

    bluefrenchfries New Member

    I see reading comprehension is another of your gifts. :rolleyes:
    But just in case the thread didn't previously spell it out clearly enough for you, Behrooz Nejad was a bodyguard for the Shah of Iran first, then relocated to the United States and opened schools in the Ohio Valley as a means of supporting himself and his family.

    This will be my last reply with you, I value my time more than educating ignorant skeptics that can't even put forth time to read what is right in front of them. In other words, you will now have to satisy your ego trolling someone else, preferably someone nearby in the UK that will remind and/or teach you what consideracy among martial artists is...but chances are you are probably just some miserable kid in a wheelchair who undoubtedly hates their entire existence on Earth. Whether true or not, I pity you regardless. Take care.
     
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