Explore the story of Bill Underwood, the man behind Defendo — a practical, no-nonsense self-defense system that trained soldiers, police, and civilians in real-world combatives.
Early Life and Influences
Bill Underwood was born in 1898 in Liverpool, England, during a time when Western martial arts were beginning to mix with Eastern fighting styles. As a young boy, he was fascinated by boxing and wrestling, both popular sports in Britain. But what truly captured his attention was jujutsu, a Japanese art that had started spreading across Europe in the early 1900s.
Underwood studied jujutsu under British instructors who had learned from Japanese masters traveling through England. These lessons taught him the power of leverage, balance, and using an opponent’s force against them — ideas very different from boxing’s raw striking power.
The First World War and Harsh Reality
When World War I broke out, Underwood joined the British Army. The chaos and violence of close combat changed his view of martial arts forever. Traditional sports or fancy techniques meant little when lives were on the line. He saw the need for fast, simple, and effective moves — something that worked under fear, exhaustion, and confusion.
After the war, he began shaping his own ideas about fighting: using the shortest path, attacking vital targets, and ending fights quickly.
Emigration to Canada and Early Teaching
Underwood moved to Toronto, Canada, where he worked various jobs but never stopped teaching and refining his self-defense techniques. By the late 1930s, he had become well-known in the local police and military communities for his tough, practical instruction. He started calling his system Combato, focusing on strikes, locks, throws, and disabling techniques without wasting motion or energy.
From Combato to Defendo
During World War II, Underwood trained Canadian soldiers and commandos in hand-to-hand combat. His methods were brutally direct — elbows, knees, neck locks, and takedowns designed to stop enemies fast. But after the war, he realized civilians and police needed a more controlled system that could stop attackers without causing fatal injury.
So, he redesigned Combato and renamed it Defendo — a system that was powerful, simple, and legally safer. Defendo became widely adopted by Canadian police forces and military trainers.
Legacy and Recognition
Even into his 80s and 90s, Bill Underwood was still demonstrating Defendo on TV shows and in newspapers. He could flip younger men with ease and never bragged — he said the system, not strength, did the work.
His contribution to modern combatives has influenced countless teachers after him. Many current systems — from police defensive tactics to reality-based self-defense — still echo his principles: simple, direct, and effective.
