Instructors
The late Master Sylvester Meola is the founder of Hillcrest. Hillcrest Academy started in a room above the boxing ring at the Alta House in Little Italy in 1976, and is now recognized as one of the largest schools for Jujitsu in the Cleveland area. All told, thousands of people (civilian, military, police) have been trained by Hillcrest Academy instructors through the years. Master Meola was promoted to master-level by Dr. Tetsuya Higuchi.
Jim is the director of Hillcrest. He is also the founder of a system of fighting called Combat JuJitsu. This system was created especially for one of the US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) training teams and taught personally by Jim and his select group of instructors. Jim was the recipient of the Adjutant Generals award for designing as well as teaching this program to the special forces unit. The group of Hillcrest Academy instructors who teach this system are called the M.A.L.E.T. team (Military and Law Enforcement Team). Jim is an internationally recognized master by the All Japan Jujitsu International Federation. Jim was promoted to master-level by Dr. Tetsuya Higuchi..
5th Degree
5th Degree
5th Degree
4th Degree, Emeritus
3rd Degree
3rd Degree
2nd Degree
3rd Degree
3rd Degree
2nd Degree
Video Clips From Hillcrest Instructors Techniques Demo
Frequently Asked Questions About Jujitsu
Hillcrest "Best Kids Martial Arts Instructors" (Cleveland Scene - 2004)
Studio 11 Tremont (Pilates, Yoga, Thai Massage)