In an era of McDojos and 90-day black belt programs, Rick Greene is the real thing.
Greene began training in 1978 — 48 years ago — and never stopped. A traditional Japanese Jujutsu practitioner, he grew up the small kid in a tough neighborhood where conflicts got settled with fists. Consistently undersized, often outnumbered, but never without resolve. Those early street encounters planted a lesson deep: physical size is not the deciding factor in a fight. Instinct, strategy, and will matter just as much.
In 1978, almost by accident, he walked into a local Jujutsu class. That chance encounter became the turning point of his life. Under his first instructor, Joan Gilbert Sensei, he found more than techniques — he found a path. She gave him a rock-solid foundation, and lit the flame that grew into a lifetime of study, teaching, and leadership.
Over the years, Greene expanded his training, studying Kenpo-Jutsu under Soke Clement Riedner — who later recognized him as Shodai Soke (founder) of his own art: Midori Kazoku Bushi Jujutsu.
Today he holds the rank of Judan/10th Dan. He is 73 years old. He runs the Bushikan Dojo in Yorktown, Indiana. He is a retired police officer with two grown sons. He has authored three books on the martial arts, and built a reputation as both a technical innovator and a fierce defender of authentic, street-effective Jujutsu.
The DAOS take: this is what lineage looks like. Not a certificate bought online — nearly five decades on the mat, a founder's rank earned through a lifetime of work, and at 73 still running a dojo and passing it on. In a culture that chases the new, Rick Greene is proof that the old ways still work. Respect the elders who kept the art alive.
Dr. Rick Greene, Shodai Soke — Midori Kazoku Bushi Jujutsu, Bushikan Dojo, Yorktown, Indiana.
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