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Urban Biography

Professor Urban Muhammad is a 7th Dan in Sanuces Ryu Ju Jitsu. He was born in Harlem, New York, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Urban began his martial arts training under Mr. Richard Wood when he was 16 years old. Mr. Wood was a 6th Dan In Goshin-Do Karate at that time. In 1968, at the age of 18, Urban entered the United States Marine Corps where he continued his martial studies with martial artist of varying degrees and styles. In 1970, upon receiving an honorable discharge from the service, he moved back to Brooklyn where he began training with the Honorable Dr. Moses Powell, the founder of Sanuces Ryu Ju Jitsu. During the early part of the 1970’s Dr. Powell taught a series of fighting forms that were called the Pia Forms. These forms were not taught to all of the students--for reasons only known to Dr. Powell. However, for Urban they proved to be one of the greatest blessings that he would receive during his martial studies. The Pia Forms, according to Professor Muhammad, have proven to be like the “Rosetta Stone” of martial arts. In addition to the Pia Forms, Professor Muhammad’s early studies in Sanuces included being taught by Great Grand Master Professor Vistacion and the legendary Soke Li’l John Davis. Under Dr. Powell, Urban received his first Dan in 1974 and was awarded his current rank of Professor, or 7th Dan, in December, 1999.

Professor Muhammad teaches that if you take away the rank of the lead students of Dr. Powell, you would still be able to identify them because of the superior skill and knowledge. He often says, “It is my hope that I will always be judged not by my rank in the Sanuces system, but by my ability to serve as an instructor capable of instilling the principles, morals, and character in students that Dr. Powell developed in us through his teachings or Sanuces Ryu Ju Jitsu.”

In 1980 Urban moved to Long Beach, California, and opened the Urban School of Self Defense. For the past 27 years, the Dojo has flourished as a community institution for the advancement of both youth and adults in the study of Sanuces.