WESTBROOK – Gorham’s Allan Viernes has been teaching martial arts in Maine for 20 years as of this month, and 15 of those years have been in Westbrook, first in a gymnastics building and later at the Dana Warp Mill.

Now, Viernes has made another move, to 821 Main St., where he hopes a higher profile for his Greater Portland School of Jukado will spur even more interest in his martial arts facility.

“In terms of visibility, the traffic going by, day to day, it’s incredible,” Viernes said.

The art is called Jukado (pronounced, JOO-kah-doo), a relatively modern martial art created by combining elements of karate, kung fu, judo and aikido. The school has a belt ranking system for its students, with black belt being the highest level. Exactly how long it takes to get to that level, Viernes said, depends in large part on the student.

Viernes’ mother, Terry Suyon Mayer, a native of Hong Kong with a black belt in all four component arts, invented the new form in 1972. At the time, she was living in Brandon, Vt., and ran a Jukado school there until retiring in 1996.

The art, Viernes said, combines common karate and kung fu elements such as kicks and blocks with grappling techniques common to judo and aikido. Viernes said his mother created the art with people of all sizes and physical conditions in mind.

“She wanted Jukado to be something where you didn’t have to be big and strong,” he said.

But it’s not just about self-defense. A sign in the window of the new dojo reads, “Got Character?” and Viernes stressed that he also teaches that real strength comes from the head and heart, not the fists and feet.

“It takes more of a person to walk away from a fight, then (to) be in one,” he said.

Viernes’ wife Jennifer, who is a top instructor at the school, said it’s about teaching people how to defend themselves when absolutely necessary, but also how to not want to fight.

“We train in these techniques for years to perfection, and hope we never have to use it,” she said.

Viernes, 53, was born in the Philippines, but grew up in Hawaii, moving with his mother to Vermont in his late teens, and graduating from Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon in 1977. From there, he joined the U.S. Army, and served for 15 years as an infantryman and paratrooper. He was discharged in 1992.

His last assignment in the army was as a recruiter, working in Portland.

“I really fell in love with the place,” he said.

He has studied martial arts since 1964, beginning with aikido. He has a black belt in both aikido and kung fu, along with the Korean art of Hwa Rang Do. He has also studied karate and judo, and of course, Jukado, under his mother’s tutelage.

“Jukado is in my blood,” he said.

So much so, that shortly after getting out of the army, he decided to open a school in Portland. It was a humble beginning, first teaching out of his basement, and later at the AMVET’s building on Washington Avenue, then later still in an old warehouse in South Portland.

Viernes brought his school to Westbrook in 2007, borrowing space from the Maine Academy of Gymnastics. He first learned of the place, he said, because his daughters were taking gymnastics classes there.

A year later, he moved the dojo to the Dana Warp Mill, where he stayed until June 30 of this year, when he moved to 821 Main St. Viernes said he liked the Dana Warp Mill, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy the 10,000-square-foot building on Main Street for $450,000, only a little more than what city records assess its value at.

Through the years, Viernes said the building, which went on the market in the spring of last year, has been used by a variety of businesses, including a pool hall, rental business, call center, and, most recently, a photography studio. Viernes said he had to do very little remodeling on the upper floor, and even the basement will be a good place to offer kids’ classes and have office space.

“What a perfect building,” he said. “It’s just exciting.”

The school has about 300 students already, and Viernes said he thinks being on Main Street, right in the downtown area, will make his membership grow even more.

“(After moving) we signed up 15 new students, just like that,” he said.

His students are all ages, from children to adults, both men and women. Viernes is planning an official grand re-opening at the school on Oct. 6 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., when he will invite the general public to view demonstrations and learn more about Jukado.

Viernes has passed on the new Jukado tradition to his family. In addition to his wife, his two daughters, Evelyn and Emmy, also teach Jukado.

“I’m just proud for them to be able to share this,” he said.

Allan Viernes shows off his new Jukado studio at 821 Main St. Tuesday, as a class goes on in the room behind him. Viernes has been teaching the martial art for some two decades. 
Allan Viernes will host a public grand opening of his new Jukado dojo at 821 Main St. in Westbrook on Oct. 6. Viernes has been teaching martial arts for some two decades.