Past AJJF Professors

Professor Willy Cahill was born in Honolulu on November 21, 1935.  His parents, John and Abbie Cahill, were Professors and founders of the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation and were also affiliated with the Northern California Judo Federation. Training in the martial arts was an early acquired skill for Willy and he competed in judo from an early age. Willy was a co-founder of Jujitsu American along with Professor Wally Jay, himself a black belt student of Professor Okazaki.  Willy has been recognized as a Danzan Ryu Jujitsu Judan (10th dan) by Jujitsu American, American Jujitsu Institute and Shoshin Ryu Yudanshakai. He was very successful in competitions and has coached numerous judo teams, including the U.S. National Judo Team and the 1988 U.S. Judo Olympic Team. Since 1963, Cahill’s Judo Academy has produced over 1,000 national and international medal winners, and four Olympic and Paralympic coaches. The Cahill’s Judo Academy in San Bruno, California celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008. Willy took over Cahill’s Judo Academy upon the death of his father, John, in 1962.  He moved the club to San Bruno that year and has taught continuously since that time. Prof. Cahill has received numerous awards, including being named to Black Belt Magazine’s Black Belt Hall of Fame as Judo Coach of the Year.  Professor Cahill retired from the AJJF in the mid 1990’s.

Information from Danzan Ryu:  An Unbroken Tradition (1992) by permission of the author, Mary L. Boland. Additional information provided by Bob McKean, July 8, 2008.

Professor Rory Rebmann, began studying Judo & JuJitsu in 1959 at the age of 11 under Prof. Ray Law in Oakland, CA. He remained a student until Prof. Marie Law closed the dojo at the end of 1969 following Prof. Ray Law's passing earlier that year. He was promoted to Shodan in 1964, and received his title of Professor in 1978. He ran a few dojos with fellow Profs. Congistre, Aspinal, and Birmingham. In 1973 he and his wife Patricia moved to Livermore, CA and started classes with the YMCA. Prof. Rebmann promoted his first student to black belt in 1976. Amador Judo and JuJitsu Studio was expanded in 1983 to its own location and has grown to be known as one of the premier Judo & JuJitsu studios in the country. Amador has promoted over 80 students to blackbelt in jujitsu, and 18 in Kodokan Judo. The dojo has garnered many awards and National titles, producing 18 Team National Kata Awards and over 200 National Kata Champions. In Judo the dojo has won 3 National Team Titles, 9 straight State Judo Team titles, and has produced over 100 different State and National medalists including sending Players to represent the US in international competition. Prof. Rebmann currently holds the rank of Hachidan in the AJJF, Judan in Shoshin Ryu and is a Rokudan in Kodokan Judo. He has served the AJJF in a number of ways: he is a retired member of the BOP, he is a past executive director, was the AJJF President from 1984-1990, and then was the VP from 1990 - 2001. He and his dojo have hosted the National convention several times: in 1971, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1998, and 2011. In 2010 he was inducted into the Danzan Ry JuJitsu Hall of Fame. He also was awarded the 2001 Shoshin Ryu Instructor of the Year award, and in 2000 he received the Kodenkan Heritage Award. You can find Prof. Rebmann teaching at his dojo 6 days a week. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his granddaughter Alexa and his family.

Professor Nerissa Freeman began studying Danzan Ryu Jujutsu in 1990 with Cynthia Frueh Sensei. She earned the rank of shodan in 1995 and went on to study other martial arts, including judo, western boxing, Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil, Muay Thai, and Toyama Ryu Battodo. In addition to her martial arts training, she is a licensed physical therapist and a Certified Massage Therapist. She also completed Advanced Training in Danzan Ryu Restorative Therapy and is a graduate of the Basic Level of the Original Okazaki Restoration Massage under Keith Okazaki Sensei. She hosted or co-hosted many AJJF events and continuously volunteered in various administrative roles within the AJJF from 1998 - 2025, including being a member of the Danzan Ryu Seifukujitsu Institute Standards Committee. In 2012, she founded Wasenshi Kan Martial & Healing Arts in Roseville, California. In October, 2025, Professor Freeman passed on the role of school head to her most senior student, Joshua Harrelson Sensei. Although retired from the AJJF, she has continued teaching in Wasenshi Kan’s massage programs and actively practices Battodo under Mike Esmailzadeh Sensei.