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Arizona Grandfather Breaks Rocks for Golden Anniversary

April 5, 2014, 10:30 am
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Arizona Grandfather Breaks Rocks for Golden Anniversary
Press Release, March, 2014

Can your grandfather break rocks with his hands and head?

After training in traditional martial arts for 50 years, Grandmaster Hausel of Gilbert still practices 5 to 6 days a week and teaches 10 classes 3 days a week with periodic weekend clinics. The former professor of martial arts taught many hundreds of students karate, kobudo, jujutsu, samurai arts, self-defense, martial arts history, and women’s self-defense classes while at the University of Wyoming from 1977 to 2007. After retiring from the university, he moved to Gilbert and opened a martial arts school on the border of Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa and has students who travel from as far as Phoenix, Scottsdale, Queen Creek and Tempe three times a week and others who periodically travel from as far as Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, India and Vietnam to train at the Arizona Martial Arts center. He kicks and punches most every day except when he is searching for gemstones and gold and writing books.
In 1976, Grandmaster Hausel (a sensei at the time) broke roofing tiles with
his head for karate demos. While at the University of Wyoming, he actually
broke slabs of rock quarried north of Laramie at half-time demonstrations at
UW basketball games.
Fifty years ago, Grandmaster Hausel played guitar in a rock n’ roll band when the band decided to take classes at a local karate school because long hair was not popular. In 1964, if one had long hair, people actually restrained the person to cut their hair. So the band learned self defense. Even his high school administration bullied and discriminated against kids with long hair, so he took matters in his own hands, so to speak.

It was a different time. In 1964, bullying was encouraged. “But I highly recommend it. One had to learn to stand for what they believed in; unlike today, where adults cry over anything that doesn’t go their way. Our society has really wimped out over the past few decades”.  The Hall-of-Fame martial artistbegan when karate training was brutal. Even so, he elected to continue martial arts for the rest of his life. Martial arts should be a lifelong commitment - not a fling.
Soke Hausel taught rock breaking to UW students every spring.
Traditional arts provide opportunities for people to earn rank and learn to defend themselves. Unfortunately, there are many schools in Arizona that require 6-month, very expensive contracts in order to receive a black belt at what is known as a McDojo or a diploma mill, whether you can defend yourself or not. Traditional martial arts are about earning everything and are inexpensive!

“I feel like a 30-year-old in a 60-year-old body. I have more power and acceleration in my punches, kicks and blocks than at any other time in my life. Martial arts have kept me healthy even though I have a few back problems – but those were all related to younger times when I tried to lift too much weight for a skinny guy.”

Soke Hausel teaches martial arts at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate(aka Arizona Hombu) on the border of Gilbert and Mesa. He has a few thousand students scattered worldwide: many are university professors, teachers, engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, social scientists, law enforcement agents and artists. His son, daughter and grandsons are proficient in martial arts.
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Traditional Martial Arts Reality Show

April 27, 2014, 5:26 pm
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I've been contacted by about two dozen producers and associates, who are searching for another hit TV program. They contact me because of my expertise in rocks, minerals gemstones and martial arts. Because of the great successes of some shows related to gold and gemstones - nearly all of the contacts have been interested in this segment of my background. But I tried to create interest in traditional martial arts by the latest producer who was more interested in another program about gemstones. This is what I proposed.

Summary. Traditional martial artists speak of ‘the way’ or ‘path’. It is so embedded in traditional martial arts that the Japanese term for ‘way’ (do) shows up everywhere - such as judo, iaido, aikido, kendo, kobudo and even karatedo. It is this ‘path’ (as well as some other characteristics) that makes martial arts (budo) different from sport martial arts and MMA.

To be a traditional martial art, there must be redeeming and esoteric value, something that is lacking in MMA and sport martial arts. One might point to judo as a conflict to this philosophy. But, judo originally was a new form of jujutsu that became sport only after the passing of its creator Dr. Kano. Today, there are still traditional forms of judo, but most have been popularized as sport.

Location. The Way would be a reality program to take place in Arizona, with periodic trips to the mountains of Utah and Wyoming, to international martial arts clinics in New Braunfels, Texas and even include a couple of trips to Okinawa to educate the TV audience about martial arts. This program would follow select students and instructors as they train to become proficient in martial arts. It would include history, philosophy, martial arts training, and the backgrounds of the martial artists in their chosen professional fields.

The people. Adult traditional martial artists would be the focus of this program and include a group of highly educated professionals. Some of the more interesting characters could include Neal (a PhD biologist, university faculty member, and 6thdegree black belt), Patrick (engineer for Boeing, pilot, and 1st degree black belt), Paula (2nd degree black belt Japanese American of samurai lineage with a very interesting life story that alone could be made into a book or movie), Bill (3rddegree black belt and retired air force pilot), Ryan (1stdegree black belt and nutritionist at a local hospital), Alexi (green belt and school teacher), Dave and Megan (Dave is a  blue belt and chemist. His daughter Megan is a yellow belt and Japanese who attends public and Japanese schools in the Phoenix valley) and myself(grandmaster and geologist). 

Guests. Some guests would be included in the program - to include my instructor (Grandmaster and world head of Juko Kai International), Kirby (10th degree black belt), Ron (10thdegree black belt, friend, retired lawyer), my son Eric (5thdegree black belt, geologist, astrophysicist, physicist, astronomer and mathematician), my daughter Jessica (business manager and brown belt). 

Details. I'm excited about possibilities for a program on traditional martial arts. In the original Karate Kid movie, two types of karate were depicted: Miyagi-Ryu karate (traditional) and Cobra Kai Karate (sport). The movie best portrayed these differences in the personalities of instructors and students, but was also subtly expressed in discussions by Mr. Miyagi concerning use and lethal potential of traditional karatevs. fighting for a trophy.

I visualize a traditional martial arts school (dojo) as a backdrop (hopefully my school will work). The theme of the show would be about my students (a group of scientists, university faculty, teachers, librarians, engineers, accountants, lawyers, etc), their trial and tribulations in learning traditional martial arts and watching their progress over time.

The 'Way' would include history and philosophy of traditionalmartial arts as my black belts and I teach new people how to put on their angry white pajamas (known as a gi in Japanese), tie their obi (belt), bow, speak Japanese, and to walk, kick, punch and block the Okinawa way and even include some moment of lighter-side.

In various episodes, students would learn karate, kobudo(weapons), jujutsu, samurai arts, and self-defense and include programs that focus on kata and bunkai (katas are forms in martial arts and bunkai are their practical applications), shitai kori, tameshiwari (breaking rocks), tamishigari (test cuts with samurai sword - around Halloween, I like to recycle pumpkins by teaching my students to cut with a sword), kobudo (the traditional martial arts weapons) and the successes as our new students learn to control their focus, lose weight, gain self-confidence and are promoted in rank.

Our students learn many weapons including nunchaku, bo, hanbo, kama, sai, tonfaand others such as kuwa (garden hoe) and even modern equivalents such as ropes and key chains we carry every day. Kobudo was created hundreds of years ago on Okinawa after bladed weapons were outlawed by Okinawa King Shoshin. The Okinawan people were not sold on this policy, so they began developing farming and fishing tools as weapons of self-defense. In past self-defense clinics that I taught to groups including college students, faculty and librarians, I’ve introduced them to their tools of self-defense including books, magazines, coins, purses, staplers, etc.

In some programs I would introduce the audience to common Samurai weaponssuch as naginata (pole arm), yari (spear), jujutsu (throws), katana(samurai sword), tanto (knife) and include cutting pumpkins and cactus with samurai swords.

Because of my background, gemstone, gold and diamond prospecting could be introduced. When I taught martial arts at the University of Wyoming, each spring I would teach the martial artists what I called ‘Geology 101’, a class in breaking rocks.

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Martial Art in Arizona

June 22, 2014, 11:12 am
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The origin of martial arts,
color pencil sketch by Soke Hausel
Self-portrait of a Grandmaster,
sketch by Soke Hausel
It was about 1989 or 1990. I was finishing a five-year research project related to gold at South Pass Wyoming and submitted a group of eight 1:24,000 scale geological maps for publication including a compilation map at 1:48,000 scale for the entire greenstone belt and its gold districts. Our draftswoman, Fiddy, who was a very good artist suggested my maps were very detailed and artistic and that I would be a very good artist.

I laughed at her comment and indicated I was challenged by 'stick figures'. She followed up with a comment that seemed to have kick-started an unused part of my brain - "You should try sketching like you map, focus on details in small areas and let it grow into a larger picture."

That seemed to make sense - so I tried and was shocked that hidden in my brain, were the tools for sketching. Thank you Fiddy! So, I decided to do a variety of sketches of things that interested me. And of course, some were related to martial arts and in particular to Shorin-Ryu Karate, Kobudo, Samurai arts and self-defense.

So, while growing up, going to college and working as a professional musician, astronomer, geologist, author, martial arts instructor and professor, I had no idea that this talent lay hidden within me.

Okinawan sunrise, sketch by Soke Hausel
In 2013, I was presented a special award at the Juko Kai National Clinic in Texas. I was presented a certificate noting I as a 'martial arts genius'. And in my opinion, Juko Kai International is the most prestigious martial arts association in the world, so this was a great honor. I flew back to Phoenix Arizona, went home and continued teaching martial arts at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate in Gilbert and Mesa (Chandler, Tempe), Arizona.

Shaolin lady, Sketch by Soke Hausel
At first I was taken back by this award. Me a genius? I never received very good grades in school, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to feel comfortable with the title. Yes, I was creative in music, geology, art, writing and martial arts - so isn't this what genius is about? It was clear many martial arts groups and associations as well as geological groups had also recognized this characteristic in me. Over the years, I had been inducted into several Halls-of-Fame for martial arts and geological research. In the martial arts, I can visualize techniques before anyone tries a new technique and I can vocalize how to do these techniques. So for me, a person who is engineering-challenged, martial arts have been perfect because of its artistic overtones.

Stop in our dojo and say 'konnichi wa' . You can check out our martial arts and some of our martial art in the dojo. We are located on Baseline Road between Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa, Arizona. Just click on
MAP TO OUR DOJO.

Hi Seas, pencil sketch by Soke Hausel

What I hope to see in my backyard, sketch by Soke Hausel


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Traditional Karate in Arizona - Looking Back at 2014

January 7, 2015, 8:24 am
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Karate kata training at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate in Mesa and Gilbert Arizona.  Kata (forms) when
practiced correctly become a living encyclopedia of self-defense applications, meditation and unmatched physical fitness.
Here, students and black belts train together in naifanchi shoran kata in 2014.
Hard to believe that 2014 is gone. Let's remember 2014 and then look forward to another year at the Arizona Hombu located in the Phoenix valley along Baseline Road at the border of Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa, Arizona.

2014 began at a snails pace following the holidays. When I ran the dojo at the University of Wyoming from 1977 to 2007, this was typical. There was a large influx of students beginning in the Fall semester that would decline around Thanksgiving. Students would sporadically wander into the university dojo following the New Year and then we would see another decline at Spring Break followed by another surge of students to be followed with a decline at summer semester.

Training at the Arizona Hombu, Mesa, Arizona
At the beginning of 2007, I decided to relocate our Hombu to Arizona. Over the past decades, I taught martial arts at four different universities, and all followed the same student population declines and surges - but by opening a private dojo, I thought these fluctuations would pass - not so - it appears the entire world follows this schedule. And as far as the students who are consistent in their training and appearance at the dojo, they are the few who move on to the level of yudansha.

In 2014, we had our surges and declines, but something else happened. We lost students to the poor economy. As far as I can tell, government continues to lie about how bad our economy really is. This is one of the primary reasons why we never see politicians in traditional martial arts - its because they cannot differentiate what is right from wrong and traditional martial arts are somewhat of an enigma to them because a person must be honest.

Training in kata, Sensei Harden practices oi-zuki
Overall, we have a high level of educated people training in martial arts at our dojo primarily because of my past association with four universities. In 2014, we lost people to the economy and had students move out of state to find work: one long-time student finally gave up and moved near his family. We also had two long-time students (engineers) who were transferred out-of-state by their companies because downsizing. Only a few years ago, we lost another engineer for the same reason. I have not seen any improvement in the economy since 2008 in my martial arts, geology or writing professions.

Anyway, let's look at 2014, now that it has passed.

Tuesday nights we trained in kihon and kata. During the year, we focused on the basic kata. Periodically, we split the class into groups while I taught more advanced students and other instructors - Dai-Shihan Adam, Sensei Borea, Sensei Harden and Sensei Scofield taught other groups of different levels. In the second, or more advanced class on Tuesday nights, we focused on advanced kata including Naihanchi Shodan, Rohai, Passai Dai, Unsu and Passai Sho.

Defending against an attacker with rifle.
Throughout 2014, Wednesday nights included advanced training in self-defense as well as shitai kori for a few high-ranking members of the dojo. Shitai kori is body hardening, and the most advanced form of this part of the art was created by Dai-Soke Sacharnoski of Juko Kai International in the 20th century. Wednesday evenings we work on defense against single attackers, multiple attackers, wrestlers, street fighters and karate and jujutsu practitioners. We include against armed assailants with knifes, guns, clubs, rifles, swords, hammers, etc. Much of the self-defense is part of the bunkaifrom kata and we emphasize the concept of hitotsuki or basically one-punch knockouts. This is one of the major differences between traditional karate and sport karate. Traditional karate teaches karate is a weapon and one must learn to finish an attacker with power and focus with just one or two strikes. In sport karate, focus is minor and students are taught point fighting for trophies. So we teach all of our students including various women's groups and seniors, to use power. If a person cannot finish an opponent in one or two strikes, there is something wrong with their technique.

Defending against an attacker with gun
Every so often, we'll add a new training exercise such as training in the park to give them the feel for defending on various surfaces. In the past, we've even turned out the lights in the dojo and strategically placed black belt muggers in the dojo allowing students to walk through one at a time.

On Wednesdays, we also teach use of belts, towels, ropes, coins, car keys etc, for self-defense. We'll even add in a few scenarios on how to defend in close quarters - such as on an airplane - we find this to be important as we have a group of students who are engineers and several who are pilots.

Thursday evenings, we focus on Shorin-Ryu kobudo, modern kobudoand samurai arts. These are all martial arts weapons including a variety of tools found around the house and garden. During 2014, our students trained in nunchaku and we focused on this weapon for much of the year learning to use nunchaku in basics, self-defense applications and also as kata. We learned six nunchaku kata over the year and also how to apply all moves in these kata as self-defense. After spending much of the year on Nunchaku, our class began training with nitanbo and now they are focusing onkama. Kama is a common garden tool used by both Okinawan and American farmers - it is sickle. In 2014, we training in self-defense application against an attacker with a sword, club, knife and also learned Gama shodan kata. In 2015, we continue to train with kama and will soon start learning gama nidan and then gama sandan kata.

using nunchaku to defend against knife attack
In the samurai arts class, we trained with hanbo and naginata much of the year and we then started with sojutsu. Our students learned to block, strike and throw opponents with the hanbo. We learned the long yari kata and then began training with bunkai. Later this year, our samurai arts class will start to focus on jujutsu and then katana.
Defending attack using nunchuks

During 2014, we also had the Arizona-Utah Shorin-Ryu karate and kobudo clinic as well as the Utah Gassuku. We plan to have the same two annual clinics in 2015 as well as attend the Juko Kai clinic in Texas. We are also expecting visits from some of our shihan and sensei from Colorado, Massachusetts, Utah and Wyoming in 2015. I should also point out that in 2014, my fondness of rocks led me to publish another book.

Shitai kori (body hardening). This aspect
of Shorin-Ryu karate is only taught to
our most advanced students. The
basics of the art are taught at the Arizona
Hombu and more advanced applications are
taught to a few students who are invited to
attend the annual Juko Kai International 
clinic in New Braunfels, Texas. Here Chase
Cassidy, 1st degree black belt from Gillette,
Wyoming learns to accept strikes to vital
parts of the body.

If you get some free time, stop in and visit our hombu dojo - we would love to meet you.
Arizona-Utah clinic at the Arizona Hombu in Gilbert - Mesa, Arizona


Self-Defense class at the Arizona Hombu

Gama (kama) training during kobudo class at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate.

Sojutsu samurai martial arts training with yari (okinawan spear)

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Happy Halloween from our Samurai at the Arizona Hombu dojo in Mesa

October 3, 2015, 10:46 am
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A few years ago, we started a tradition at the Arizona Hombu in Mesa to compliment our samurai classes by using the art of tameshigiri, or test cuts, with a katana. This turned out to be popular, thus we decided the best time of the year is after Halloween and about the time of Thanksgiving after the stores in the Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa area decide to get rid of the supplies of pumpkins. One year, we even received pumpkin donations from one store.

But because of the danger of someone losing a thumb, we only practice with a unsharpened katana. This practice can be brutal for pumpkins and pumpkin pie, but can you think of a better way to carve a Halloween pumpkin?

Ryan takes a slice of the pie - photo by NemecPhotography



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Traditional Okinawa Karate

December 3, 2015, 4:26 pm
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There are differences between traditional Okinawa karate and traditional Japanese karate. One difference can be seen in kata and how a sensei treats kata and how students are treated by Okinawa sensei vs. Japanese sensei.


Japanese sensei focus on sport; thus kata in Japanese dojo must be done with exact and specific stances. Punches and kicks must be exact and there are no possibilities of variation in any movement in any kata. In Japanese schools, students are constantly stopped and held in position at certain points of kata while the sensei walks around from student to student making minor adjustments. The 'ma' or timing and distancing are all important as focus is on winning in kumite (sparring) contests and performing kata in front of an audience.


In traditional Okinawa karate we focus on 'imi' or the meaning of the kata - something ignored in Japanese karate. There is no concern on winning - contests are not part of traditional Okinawa karate and we recognize that people have physical differences and abilities so we try to concentrate on developing power and focus for self-defense for each person. The meaning of kata is very important in Okinawa karate rather than the execution of the kata. In Okinawa karate, the student is taught what every move in every kata is used for and each kata is broken down into a group of self-defense applications that are practiced in insure that the student can defend themselves. (Seiyo-ShorinRyu.com)


https://www.google.com/search…






are many differences between Okinawa and Japanese karate. Okinawan karate was developed for self-defense while Japanese karate was developed for sport competition.


We can see some of these differences in stances. Okinawa Karate has higher, more natural stances (Seiyo-ShorinRyu.com). For example, the zenkutsu-dachi (front stance) can be almost half the length of a Japanese one (http://www.seiyo-shorinryu.com/dojojapanese.htm)


High stances will not build leg strength, but that's not the point http://www.seiyo-shorinryu.com/physical-fitness-karate The Okinawan Karate stances are meant to be practical for self-defense, since they can be quick.


Whereas the deep Japanese stance is designed to strengthen legs for competition http://karate-stances.blogspot.com/
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Advantage of Traditional Karate & Kobudo

March 1, 2016, 7:32 am
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What gives a martial arts practitioner the advantage over many others including opponents who are larger?

It is the constant, weekly training in martial arts along with training in proven methods - methods that have allowed many karate-ka over the past centuries survive aggressive attacks often unscathed. One of the effects of practice leads to mushin - that karate state of mind that allows muscle memory to do the thinking for us. But in addition to learning to react to aggression without thinking, karate teaches us secrets on how to increase acceleration in blocks and strikes, how to strike with the maximum, possible striking force, how to focus strikes for maximum effect, where to strike to provide the most pain, or to knock out the attacker, and how to develop shitai kori or body hardening. Karate does not give anyone invincibility, but it does provide an upper edge along with physical fitness and muscle. 

The weekly practice of kata - or karate forms, helps build these characteristics as long as the practitioner trains properly. Personally, I practice kata ever other day - as this seems to give me maximum benefit. But I also add weight training, body hardening, kobudo, and teaching to this regimen on other days and some on the same day to balance out my exercise routine - my normal routine has me training 6 to 7 days a week (which I have done for much of the past 50+ years).

If done improperly, training in kata can also have negative effects - so it is very important for a student to train in kata under martial arts instructors who understand kata as there are many sport martial artists who practice kata improperly leading to harmful effects.

I taught martial arts and self-defenseat the University of Wyoming for more than three decades and I tried to emphasize hitotsuki hitogeri philosophy and training - striking an attacker with focus at pressure points to end an attack in one strike - as you never know what the attacker intends or what is coming next. For those students who made it to yudansha (black belt) at our University of Wyominghombu dojo as well as our affiliated dojos, I could see the power literally with every block, punch and kick.

While teaching karate and kobudo at the University of Wyoming, I was very proud of our students and after we affiliated with Juko Kai International, our power, technique and body hardening methods continued to improve. But then, one day, things changed.

One of my out-standing shihan, who had tremendous technique wanted my permission to attend a tournament. I had no problem, and I felt he did not need my permission - he was an individual with his own mind, but still it was nice of him to ask. I was proud when he and a couple of other students  returned with gold, silver and bronze medals in essentially every event they entered with the exception that they had all been disqualified in kumite for striking too hard - actually, this made me even more proud than the medals they had received in kata and kobudo.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize at the time what this was leading to. I thought this would be a one time event, but it continued and our students continued bringing home medals - and it was about this time I retired from the university and moved the Hombu dojo to Chandler, Gilbert, MesaArizona and left the University of Wyoming dojo to the same shihan who was into tournaments.

Later, I returned to the University of Wyoming for a series of clinics and then I discovered what tournaments do to a martial artist. It was sad. My shihan had good intentions, and his technique was nearly flawless when I left, but all of the tournament preparations left the students at UW without focus. Where had the focus gone? I believe the tournament preparations focused on no focus and more on performance. Tournament fighters were not allowed to strike with focus or power, and kata had to look more like a ballet than shadow boxing. I felt like I had been staved in the back and I lost my temper - but now I realize I just should have moved on and considered the UW dojo a loss.

So, when a person practices kata - they must focus every technique. Sometimes they need to do kata with as much power and focus that they can generate and other times they need to slow the kata down (but still with full or near full focus and power). Most good karate schools on Okinawa focus every single strike and block in kata. On Japan, they do the same, but they add ma - or timing, which can also cause some problems. On Okinawa (the source of karate), the students learn to visualize each self-defense (bunkai) technique while they practice kata.

University of Wyoming Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai 2003
So, as you train or 'shadow box' with your kata, and if you feel your technique lacks power and your imaginary opponent walks away laughing at you, you need to generate a lot more power and focus. And you need to do this each time you practice kata - the only thing you should ever change is acceleration of strikes and blocks - the focus must always be there and kata should never look like a tai chi form. One day fast, another day slow - in this way, your muscles learn to react fast with power, but also they learn to recognize each individual technique. And remember, how hard you train and how hard you strike will carry over to the street when you are attacked. If you train like tai chi, this is how you will defend yourself. If you punch like Bruce Lee, you will defend like Bruce Lee. This is also how you should train in kata bunkai (individual self-defense applications built in kata) - full focus and power. Unless your uke (partner) is well-trained in shitai kori, you don't want to hit him or her with full power during these exercises, but you can definitely strike the air adjacent to them with full force - just make sure it is off to their side and not directed at them - and don't wear gloves as these give your muscles improper feed back.

Now back to size. Karate can give you a distinct advantage. Remember the story of David and Goliath in the Holy Bible? Think it was a fable? Recently archeologists discovered artifacts in Israel, including a Hebrew text about this battle. The 1993 and 1994 discoveries indicated a Philistine giant name Goliath, an 9 foot 8 inch man, was defeated by a small Shepard boy named David in the 10th century BC. Goliath was wearing armor, about 120 pounds in weight, along with his sword and other weapons, and likely was a frightening figure - but can you imagine how slow he moved? He would have had gigantism and not only would have had awkward movements, but also poor vision. David could have ran circles around Goliath until he took one of his chalcedony projectiles (flint, agate, jasper) about the size of a golf ball and accelerated this rock to about 80 miles per hour striking Goliath in the forehead with a kinetic energy of about 90 joules - enough to kill him. An example of BC kobudo.

In martial arts, one can develop extremely powerful and fast strikes. So fast are some that they can accelerate a strike faster than a snake. And rocks and bricks are no match for focused strikes. And there are examples of martial artists knocking off horns of bulls with shuto (karate chop) and puncturing fuel cans with their toes.
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From Arizona to Texas and Back

June 13, 2016, 8:55 am
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At the Juko Kai Hombu in New Braufels - Hanshi Kirby
Roy (R) and me (L). 
On June 3rd, 2016, Dr. Neal Adam (Kyoshi/7th dan) and I drove 2,200 miles (round trip) from Gilbert Arizona to New Braunfels Texas to attend the annual Juko Kai International clinic taught by living legend Dai-Soke Sacharnoski. Since about 1992, I have been attending these clinics each year as well as many of the kobudo and kobujutsu clinics offered by Dai Soke. 

We arrived in New Braunfels about 11:30 pm (Texas time) and the next morning rose in time to drink a pot of coffee and then head to the New Braunfels Convention center to see many of my old friends in the martial arts and then to begin training in many combat techniques and finger joint lock restraints. I wish I could have video taped many of the finger locks as they looked extremely painful and I doubt there is anyone in the world who has mastered these techniques as well as Dai Soke. It’s always very rewarding to see everyone in Juko Kai, and to get time to train with my instructor. 

To get to the clinic, we left the Phoenix East Valley on June 3rd at 6 am and returned to the Phoenix heat late Sunday afternoon. The New Braunfel's temperatures were in the 60s when we left, and we were smacked in the face by soaring 115oF temperatures when we returned to Phoenix. But I must say, it didn’t feel any warmer than the chromosphere of the sun. Luckily, only a few parts on Neal’s truck melted. Unfortunately one was the cruise control and the other was the air conditioner.

After the clinic, we had another good week of training at the Arizona Hombu dojo. We have a wonderful group of people that includes nearly 50% female. On Tuesday night, June 7th we trained inkarate kata focusing on the traditional katas known as pinan nidan and pinan sandan as well as some bunkai. The bunkai are practical applications - or street practical defenses that are either obvious in the kata, or hidden in kata. After the karate classes ended, Suzette and Rihanna tested for rank and both did good. In the second class, we trained mostly in rohai and okan (wankan sho) kata. 

On Wednesday afternoon karate& kobudo, 5 brown belt students from Gilbert and Mesa continued with their shodan test. Rick, Janel, Tyler, Harmony and Dennis trained in Pinan Nidan, Pinan Sandan, and Tonfa Shodan and many bunkai and all did very well in this part of the test. Next week, they will test in Pinan Yondan and Tonfa Nidan and bunkai.

Wednesday evening, some of our students trained in self-defense and focused on continuous bunkai (practical applications) from pinan godan and moved on to tanto (Japanese knife), manrikigusari (chain) and keychain self-defense. In continuous bunkai, we take one particular application from kata and let the defender defend attacks using that waza (technique) in kata. They were then asked to finish each defense with a group of arm bars or throws after they first block and strike. This is designed to build muscle memory.

Suzette and Rihanna were presented certification of rank for yonkyu (2nd green) at the beginning of Thursday’s class. Being that it was Kobudo night the class focused on the first of six nunchaku kata and some bunkai from kata. Luckily, only one nunchaku broke during bunkai. This was followed by bo training. We finished the week with the samurai class by training in iaido - the art of the samurai sword.

Before each class, I said a silent prayer for my sister in law, Sensei Bill and also Senpai Regina who have health concerns. It was a typical week at the Arizona Hombu dojo.

God Bless!
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Martial Arts Clinics and Daily Self-Defense, Mesa, Arizona

August 5, 2016, 9:27 am
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Kyoshi Neal Adam, 7th dan, works over Adam Bialek during kobudo classes at the Arizona Hombu dojo, Mesa.





During the week of August 1st, 2016, I (Grandmaster Hausel) flew to Ogden, Utah from Mesa Gateway airport to teach a martial arts clinic in the Wasatch Mountains at a resort (East Canyon Resort) near Park City. Martial Artists from the Utah Shorin-Kai trained in empty hand (karate) self-defense techniques against armed and unarmed attackers. This was followed by hanbojutsu instruction - this is considered to be both an Okinawan kobudo art as well as a Japanese samurai art and uses a 3-foot stick known as a hanbo for self-defense. Personally, I like this art because one can find a stick, cane, or umbrella most anywhere as a substitute for a dedicated hanbo tool. And expandable police batons (ASP) also apply to this art.

The following day, senior members of the martial arts group from Murray Utah were taught sojutsu techniques. Sojutsu is considered both an Okinawan kobudo art as well as a Japanese samurai art. The following day (Monday), I bordered a plane in Ogden Utah and returned to Mesa Gateway airport.

Classes at the Arizona Hombu dojo resumed on Tuesday evening when we focused on kata. The Arizona students practiced karate forms focusing on taikyoku yondan kata - a kata designed to develop good kicking technique. We then moved on to self-defense related to wrist grabs. For instance, how do you defend a wrist grab followed with a sucker punch and how do you defend against a two-handed wrist grab while someone tries to pull you in their car - these are found in our kata and our students learn these so that when they practice kata by themselves, the self-defense applications are easily remembered. The way things are in the world and Phoenix, techniques like this one are very important for women and children. Personally, I can't understand why any father would not take their daughter and wife to learn martial arts. My daughter was attacked by her ex and she whopped him from her karate training as a teen when I was teaching at the University of Wyoming.

The Wednesday afternoon family class resumed training in naihanchi sandan and rohai kata focusing on the self-defense applications. In particular, rohai kata has some unusual moves interpreted as defenses against aggressive leg takedowns. This was followed by training with tanto (Okinawan knife). The evening class continued working on bunkai from Pinan godan kata with tekubi waza (wrist throw) before moving on to and tanto.

Thursday night, the group reviewed Nunchaku Shodan kata and Nunchaku Nidan kata and trained in nunchaku bunkai before reviewing Suuji No Kun bo kata and ending the night by learning a new iaido kata. Our classes at the Hombu dojo are open to private lessons as well as to group lessons for adults and families. We hope to see you soon.
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Karate Kicks

September 13, 2016, 9:47 am
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Thank you Best Businesses! We all try very hard to bring the best of martial
arts, martial arts history, philosophy and teaching to our students and we
are glad to be recognized for our efforts.

In traditional Okinawa karate, we focus on hands more than feet: possibly as many as 95% of techniques are hand techniques. This doesn’t mean kicks are not important and when used, they should be as devastating as any punch. But the Okinawans chose to call their art Kara Te and also Okinawa Te. Te means hand(s) (not feet). So one should anticipate many hand techniques.

Most kicks in Okinawa karate are designed to strike the lower extremities and many can be separated into keagi and kekomi. Keagi kicks are fast and referred to as snap kicks. This is because when done with focus, the gi pant leg will snap (or whip) against the ankle and shin. The keagi kicks use the ball or instep of the foot as the striking surface. However, a toe kick (tsumasaki geri) uses the big toe as the striking point, which is designed to strike the soft areas of the body. 

One of my students (Dr. Jesse Bergkamp) took a karate vacation to Okinawa a few years back. When he returned, he displayed a very impressive bruise on this stomach where he had been kicked during training. The bruise outlined the big toe next to four little toes that he received from an Okinawan karate practitioner. Many Okinawan karate-ka spend a lot of time with this kick. For instance, Chojun Miyagi, a past grandmaster of Okinawa Goju-Ryu was known for many feats of power including penetrating gas cans with his big toe.

Sensei Hausel in 1969 or 1970 at the University of Utah with 
geophysicist Tim Smith. This was captured with an Instamatic camera, 
so it is a bit grainy. Probably, only a handful of you remember 
the Instamatic. And yes, I did have hair on top of my head in those days. 
Common kicks include the front snap kick (mae geri keagi) and front thrust kick (mae geri kekomi). The striking point of the front snap kick is either the ball or instep of the foot. The thrust is similar to the snap kick, however, the heal of the foot is used in thrust kicks. As you bring your knee high in mae geri kekomi, focus your concentration on your heal and thrust the heal into your opponent. It isn’t as fast as a snap kick, but it can generate a lot of power. 

The side snap kick, yoko geri keagi is also a quick kick that uses the blade of the foot; whereas the side thrust kick, yoko geri kekomi, requires the heal to be thrust into an attacker. Then there is another side kick known as yoko tobi geri that is better known as the flying side kick usually reserved for Hollywood. Overall, it has little practical application but is seen often in videos and photos. Similar to the flying side kick is mae tobi geri - the flying front kick. This kick has practical use as emphasized in the 1984 Karate Kid movie. It appears as a double jumping kick but the initial move in this kick is designed to get airborne allowing the second foot to follow with power. This type of movement also works as a sucker kick which can get an attacker to respond to the first movement (first foot) leaving them open to the second kick. 

Mae Geri keagi (front kick) - 1994 photo 
of Shihan Hausel at the University of Wyoming. 
Note the ball of foot is the striking point
Maewashi geri is a roundhouse kick. The ball or instep of the foot is used in this keagi kick. Most roundhouse kicks are directed at the side of the attackers knee, stomach, or ribs and referred to as chudan maewashi geri, but a higher kick referred to as age maewashi geri is usually directed to the head. Gedan maewashi geri (low roundhouse kick) is excellent as a foot sweep. One of my past instructors - Sensei Toshio Osaka, was a master at this. Similar to gedan maewashi geri is ashi barai geri known as a foot kick and prominent in some kata such as naihanchi and is similar to ashi barai (foot sweep). It is directed to the ankle or calf to drop an attacker. 

A kick with a similar trajectory to age maewashi geri is that of mikazuki geri also known as kozumi geri - the crescent kick. Use the bottom of the foot as the striking point such that the heal and ball of the foot strike an attacker. When done correctly, the foot will be perpendicular to the floor with toes pointed up in the air. When this kick is performed in the opposite direction (to the outside), it is referred to as axe kick, known as kakato geri.

Other common kicks in karate include hiza geri (knee kick). With this kick, you should direct your knee into your attacker’s stomach, chest, face, or inside or outside of thigh. This is always a good follow-up technique after a punch or as a defense against a double lapel grab. 

Back kicks can be very powerful. They are often hard to detect and difficult to block, but they also leave the karate-ka vulnerable as one will lose site of an attacker for a fraction of a second. Another of my past instructors (Sensei Tom Anguay) was a master of the back kick and even broke another’s leg using this kick during a contest on Hawaii. Sensei Patrick Scofield of the Arizona Hombu also has a wonderful story about his father who trained in Shorin-Ryu Karate on Okinawa as a marine. His father, a sandan (3rd dan) black belt, knocked down a wall of cinder blocks with a back kick. Now that’s power!



1975 photo of Sensei Hausel demonstrating Yoko Tobi Geri 
with Senpai Eddie Begaye at the University of New Mexico - 
captured with an Instamatic camera.
Ushiro geri (back kick) gets the karate ka to use his or hers body weight to add to the force of the kick. Another type of back kick is known as the spinning heal kick (ushiro maewashi geri). In Shorin-Ryu, we generally try to focus on the heal as the striking point in this kick. Similar to the back kick is fumikomi - or foot stomp. The kick is designed to attack the instep or toes of an attacker.

One last kick of interest is seldom used in Shorin-Ryu, but I have seen in used periodically. This is tatsumaki senpuu kyaku geri. It is a popular Korean kick that is referred to as the tornado kick.



Sensei Hausel demonstrates yoko geri kiagi (side snap kick) on 1.4 billion year old Sherman granite in the Laramie Mountains east of Laramie. 
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Breaking Rocks or Breaking Hands

January 12, 2017, 1:52 pm
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When it comes to tameshi waza (breaking techniques), I’ve seen martial artists break re-breakable boards, boards, roofing tile, sheets of ice, cinder block and rocks. The most impressive to me is rock.

Decades ago, many in the US were under the erroneous impression that karate required constant training of the edge of one hand. According to this urban legend, this training was designed to develop a callused surface that could be used to break through most anything - and this was all there was to karate! In this respect, one didn’t need a gi or even a sensei, all one needed was to beat the side of their hand on a hard concrete surface every day. Then at some point, they would walk into their local police station to register their hand(s) with local law enforcement agencies as a deadly weapon. And if ever challenged, they would have to warn the challenger that they were a karate expert and their hands were registered and considered deadly weapons. No, I’m not making any of this up - ask any senior in your dojo who is from the Baby Boomer era.

I can still remember a drama we watched on our black & white TV, where a bad guy was trying to kill a good guy with his “judo chop”. The hero of the show barely got out of the way of several strikes that destroyed chairs and tables, until the hero shot him. My mother explained to me and my brother, in order to get a karate hand, one had to constantly hit concrete for years until their hand was callused, ugly and deformed.

Rock breaking at the University of Wyoming Campus Shorin-Ryu karate club. 
Note the Casper Formation limestone slabs and blocks on the brick wall and 
in Soke’s hand. The wall itself, consists of Fountain Formation friable 
sandstone mined from quarries around Laramie.
The next day, I started training my hand on our concrete porch in the backyard - this lasted for possibly a couple of minutes at the most until I quickly lost interest because it hurt and was boring.

Today, we know that karate has much more to offer - and no matter how long we train, there is still more to learn. And when it comes to tameshi waza, this is a very minor part of karate. It’s not breaking that’s important - it’s the confidence building that’s important, whether it comes through breaking inanimate objects and training in self-defense in the dojo.

I began training in Kokushin Kai karate as a teenager a couple of years after I tried hitting my hand on our backyard concrete porch. In Black Eagle Federation dojo we often heard stories about Mas Oyama. A powerful man who could destroy piles of boards and roofing tiles, bulls, or anyone who wanted to fight him with their bare hands.

Oyama loved to fight! In one instance, he fought 300 full-contact kumite matches in three days (no pads or gloves, just bare hands & feet). The fourth day, he was battered and bruised but showed up to continue fighting. But the contest had ended: no one else showed up. We all figured Oyama was super human who could walk through walls or quickly change into his gi a phone booth. In addition to Oyama, there were stories and legends about other amazing martial artists, such as those affiliated with Juko Kai International as well as those from Okinawa such as Chojun Miyagi, Gogen Yamaguchi, Mirio Higaonna. At the time, we didn’t know who Bruce Lee was, but he would later grab our interest after the Green Hornet show made its way on TV.

Many great Okinawan martial artists are described in a book by Soshin Nagamine entitled “Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters”. Another book entitled “20th Century Warriors” by various authors, published in 1971, provides accounts on some other martial artists. And then you will find other examples on the internet.

Outcrop of cross-bedded Nugget Sandstone 
near Red Canyon, Wyoming. These are actually fossil sand 
dunes and thus consist of sandstone.
When it comes to breaking objects with bare hands, some handconditioning and finger strength is helpful, but not necessary. Tameshi waza requires proper technique under a qualified instructor: otherwise you might break something besides a board or rock. If you plan to break boards: like rocks, not all boards are equal. The greener the wood, the more difficult it is to break. Dried boards are easy to break, and plywood is impossible to break since it is layered with wood grains set at different angles to make it very tough and strong - like jade. I suspect the best board breakers in the world are employed at lumber yards, as wood isn’t cheap - the same for roofing tiles, cinder blocks and blocks of ice.

"Twirling is for marching bands & cheerleaders, not forkobudo"– Soke Hausel

A few years back, our dojo set up an information booth at the Islands in Gilbert business fair, and a Gilbert taekwondo school brought in their crack black belt demo team. Their kobudo demonstration left much to be desired - the less than deadly twirling with ultra-light-weight plastic bo pleased youngsters in the crowd, but for anyone with martial arts or fighting experience, it was clear this was useless. Then the group brought out boards and I do not exaggerate when I say I had no idea that anyone manufactured slabs of wood so thin. I wish I would have picked up a piece of a discarded board fragment just to confirm these were only about 1 mm thick! So, what is the point of breaking boards so thin? Luckily, no flying insects ran into the boards, as I suspect a well-fed flying grasshopper could have split one of those. I really don’t mean to be negative, but this was a poor martial arts demo. Even so, it had kids flocking to their dojang which may not bode well for the future of traditional martial arts.

When you decide you are ready to break your first rock, learn a little about rocks, it may save your hand. Even though rocks are cheap (unless you buy from a landscaper in the Phoenix valley), they vary in hardness, toughness and break-ability. For instance, friable sandstone is one of the easier rocks to break (but it may leave grains of sand stuck in your forehead if you decide to try atama waza - breaking with your head). Friable and cemented sandstones can be found by using geological maps for your area. For instance, examine the geological map of Wyoming and search for the Chugwater Formation. A similar red-bed sandstone occurs in Arizona, Colorado and Utah known as the Navajo Formation. If you are familiar with the John Wayne westerns; spectacular buttes of Navajo Sandstone were used as backdrops in some of his movies. As for the Chugwater Formation, it is easy to spot along the edges of mountain ranges and hills. It has a distinct reddish color that will stain your karate gi with rust (iron oxide).

Cambrian trilobite in Wheller Shale, House Range, Utah
If you drive on highway 287 north from Rawlins, Wyoming; immediately north of town are Chugwater Formation red beds. Or if you visit Red Canyon between South Pass and Lander, Wyoming, the base of the canyon is blanketed by Chugwater Formation sandstones. But the roadside is surrounded by gray, cross-bedded, sandstones (fossilized sand dunes) of the Nugget Sandstone that are also great for breaking. The Nugget Sandstone forms thin beds that weather to sand and to flat, elongated pieces of friable sandstone perfect for breaking.

For one demo performed by University of Wyoming Campus Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo Club at half-time at a basketball game, I collected two, large, Fountain Formation sandstone blocks from an old rock quarry on the 9th street road north of Laramie once mined for building stone used on the UW Campus. For the demo, I broke one rock with my fist, and the second with my head. Breaking rocks are crowd pleasers simply because people know how hard rocks are and most people have a hard time believing anyone could break a rock with their hands, feet, let alone with their head.

Shales and mudstones are often found near or interbedded with sandstone. In western Utah, there is a thick succession of dark gray Wheller Shale in the House Range and Drum Mountains. Rock hounds scour these rocks to search for trilobite fossils. The Mowry Shale in Wyoming is also a good source for this kind of rock, and also a great place to get your vehicle stuck in bentonite in the Spring. Shale is easy to break and weathers to thin slabs. But be cautious and keep bandages handy because shale can produce sharp conchoidal fractures when broken. If you are from certain parts of Canada or Colorado, you may be also be familiar with oil shale - another type of shale. If in Florida - limestone is everywhere and is the reason why there are so many circular lakes with gators. Limestones in weakly acidic water often produces sink holes.

My favorite rock for breaking is limestone - mother nature’s concrete. Search geological maps for limestones and sandstones in the Casper Formation and gray limestones in the Madison Formation in Wyoming. In Arizona and Utah, the Kaibab Formation is a good source for limestone.

Mine back [roof] with copper-stained 
Naco limestone in the Good Enough mine at Tombstone, Arizona
Everyone has heard of Tombstone, Arizona. When we think of Tombstone, most visualize Wyatt Earp, when they should instead be thinking about Naco Limestone! The reason Earp ended up in Tombstone was because of the silver-lead-gold-manganese-copper mines dug in the Naco Limestone. Limestone is massive calcium carbonate mined in many places in the west for Portland Cement. Nearly all limestone precipitated in prehistoric oceans and slowly lithified and was later uplifted on continents providing geologists with physical evidence of ancient bodies of water. Much limestone is white or gray. The reason I like limestone is that it is very hard & often weathers to large, massive slabs perfect for breaking. And while at the University of Wyoming, great breaking rocks are found most anywhere along the eastern edge of the university, particularly near the UW golf course.

Sometime when you are out visiting the Snowy Range near Centennial Wyoming - if you know where to look, you can find stromatolites. Stromatolites are a form of limestone precipitated by cyanobacteria. Stromatolites at the top of the Snowy Range were deposited 1.7 billion years ago in an ancient ocean. Because of thin layering, these often form flat slabs great for breaking. A few years ago, I put together a website on gemstones that includes some down-loadable publications. So when in Wyoming, you can find a stromatolite outcrop by using a book, “Guide to Mining Districts, etc., of the Medicine Bow Mountains…” that will lead you to this rock. Imagine a 1.7 billion year old sub-tropical ocean sitting at the top of the cold, dry, Snowy Range mountains.

Side kick on 1.4 billion year old Sherman granite in Laramie Mountains
In this same region, are very thick successions of quartzite. Quartzites are ‘abused’ sandstones. Just like sandstone, quartzite is formed of sand (silica) grains. The difference is quartzite started out as a sandstone, was deeply buried in the earth’s crust where the overlying thick pile of sediments applied considerable lithic pressure that caused the temperature to increase. This resulted in the sandstone to partially melt with some silica from the sand grains cemented the sandstone to produce a hard, brittle, rock. The fact that quartzites are brittle, means they can be good for breaking - but don’t forget - they are very hard.

In the Phoenix Valley in Arizona, good rocks are hard to come by because of past volcanism. The valley is filled with very hard and tough igneous rocks that include rhyolite, andesite, and basalt. Most people know what granite is - well rhyolite is nothing more than a fine-grained equivalent of granite - and we all know how hard granite. All of these igneous rocks are hard to break because they are composed of a variety of crystals that have a variety of orientations similar to plywood.

I only discussed a few common rocks used for breaking. There are hundreds of other types of rocks, so after you break a sandstone, limestone, or rhyolite, you might try others. A few years ago, I published a book about rocks that also describes some minerals and gemstones. But always look for elongated, flat rocks - your hand will thank you.
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Arizona Karate Instructor & Geologist Selected for International Awards

June 13, 2017, 3:13 pm
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The year 2017 has been another good year for a valley martial arts instructor and geologist. Grandmaster Hausel of Gilbert was notified of his selection for awards acknowledging his lifelong dedication to martial arts, geology and writing! 

Along with General Colin Powell, Hausel was selected for theAlbert Nelson Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award and with Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, he was selected for Who’s Who in Martial Arts. 

Earlier, in 2017, the Hall-of-Fame martial arts instructor was also notified of selection to Great Men & Women of Science, the Cambridge Certificate for Outstanding Scientific Achievement and now for Best Martial Arts Teachers in Phoenix for Expertise. 

Grandmaster Hausel taught martial arts for more than 3 decades at the University of Wyoming prior to moving to the valley to teach at ASU before opening the Arizona Hombu dojo in Mesa. He currently teaches karate, kobudo, self-defense and samurai arts to adults at the dojo at the 60 W. Baseline Center. Grandmaster Hausel began training in martial arts in 1964 as a long-haired member of a rock n' roll band known as the Churchmen. Since he started training in martial arts, there have only been a few days that have passed by when he has not trained or taught martial arts during the past 50+ years. Even when he was in the Army, he trained at night in the barracks, and when he worked from a tent in Montana, Wyoming, Australia and Alaska, he still trained in karate.

Hausel attended an international diamond conference in the Western Australian outback and accepted a challenge from some Japanese geologists-martial artists to break the tops off of silicified termite mounds using the classical karate chop known as 'shuto'. In Alaska, training was challenging. At night, he would return to camp and practice kata until mosquitos covered him from head to toe. Luckily, he was never harassed by bears - but one of the other geologists was treed by a bear that ran off when another of the camp geologists shot it between the eyes with a .357 magnum. The bear left with a red streak and headache and came back for more the next day when one of the Eskimo samplers finished the bear with a 30-06. 

Then there is the other side to him. The Hall-of-Fame geologist with 45 years experience found gemstones, gold and diamonds and authored hundreds of books, papers and abstracts mostly on the geological sciences. His geological expertise helps in breaking rocks and teaching his students about rocks and what types of rocks are breakable with the bare hands and which ones are not.

Hall of Fame martial arts instructor, Soke Hausel
teaching students the proper way to break rocks
According the Hausel, "Ok, ok, I'm crazy about martial arts - I love to teach martial arts and it is rewarding to me to see  my students progress, and enjoy what they are learning. We have a fantastic group of adults at the Arizona Hombu dojo in Mesa that includes accountants, research professors, professors, scientists, engineers, school teachers, retirees, physical therapists,  nutritionists, personal trainers who range in age from young adults to retirees. All my life I've taught adults at four different universities".

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The Art of Karate

September 30, 2017, 2:04 pm
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Sometimes a martial arts instructor, other times a
geoscientist, writer, public speaker, or artist
About 1989 to 1990,the author was not only teaching karate, kobudo, jujutsu, and samurai arts at the University of Wyoming in the Physical Education, Kinesiology, Extended Studies and Club Sports Departments; but, also employed as a research geologist at the Wyoming Geological Survey and periodically took leave of absence to work as a consulting geologist for various mining companies around the world. In 1988 and 1989, six other geologists and myself discovered a giant gold deposit in Alaska. The company hired a draftsman at the Wyoming Geological Survey to produce professional quality maps of my work at Donlin Creek Alaska, and the same person was drafting my geological maps of the South Pass greenstone belt which was published in 1991.

One day a geologist, the next a martial artist
One day, this draftswoman mentioned while working on the my maps that he would be a great artist. I laughed and told her that he couldn't even sketch a stick figure. Fiddy disagreed and said all I needed to do was to focus and sketch small areas in detail just like my maps. Hmm, that comment actually made sense and opened a whole new world for me. So, I tried sketching and was surprised by this hidden gift given by God to me. So, I did my first sketch in 1989 or 1990. Without that one comment, I likely would never have found that my pencil carried art. So, I sketched things that had different perspectives and including castles, dragons, dinos, geologists, prospectors, martial artists, and more.

MARTIAL ARTS were uncommon in North America in the 1960s, but they peaked our interest from 1966 to 1967 as Kato fought a variety of villains on the Green Hornet TV series while espousing Zen philosophy. Martial arts took center stage again from 1972 to 1975 as Kwai Chang Caine preached harmony in the Kung Fu martial arts TV series. In 1975, a Shaolin monk named Lee fought a renegade martial arts monk who broke the code of ethics of the Shaolin Temple in the movie Enter the Dragon. And who could forget that likeable character Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 Movie, The Karate Kid. Miyagi preached Zen while teaching Daniel san pragmatic karate exercises to defend against a group of teenage thugs. Even though fictional, these programs espoused a code of ethics to live by while following the premise of "No First Attack" - a philosophy of traditional karate and 'traditional' martial arts.

Martial Art, by Soke Hausel
Many have the erroneous impression MMA (mixed martial arts) is martial art. Ever hear MMA competitors espouse positive philosophy, harmony, a path to enlightenment, or even concern for another human being? This is one of several characteristics that separate traditional martial arts from street fighting & combat sport such as MMA, boxing, cage fighting and sport martial arts. Traditional karate is not sport, it is a way of life as well as a weapon of self-defense - it is about perfection of the practitioner!

So, what is martial art? Visualize a boxer. A trained boxer is taught by a friend how to kick someone in the groin. Wow, so now is boxing magically transformed into a mixed martial art? Is it that simple?

Actually, it is much more complex than one could imagine. And just because someone advertises that they teach mixed martial arts usually means that they have boxing, wresting experience and usually only minor (if any) martial arts experience. Mixed martial arts is a catch-all phrase for people who want to be martial artists likely have no martial arts credentials. 

The Shotokan tiger by Soke Hausel
In traditional martial arts, there is an established lineage and history of certification and credentials - but there is nothing really writing down about the procedure, nor any government regulations (thank goodness). So, we need to first examine the words 'martial' and 'art' to try to get a handle on what a martial art really is.

Martial is defined as 'military-like' and is pragmatic; however art is more difficult to grasp as it is an 'esoteric expression' meaning different things to different people. When researching martial arts dictionaries for a definition of martial arts, it is difficult to find one that provides any kind of meaning - and in most cases, it is obvious that even those martial artists who have compiled martial arts dictionaries were unaware of what a martial art is, as in most cases, a definition is not included. 

The Overlook Dictionary of Martial Arts defines martial arts as "... an encompassing term usually reserved for the Asian fighting arts, although it can refer to any fighting discipline with or without weapons". This definition for martial arts is incomplete at best. More enlightening is A Dictionary of the Martial Arts which didn't even try to define martial arts, the very basis of the dictionary! The authors likely felt it was too difficult of a task to summarize martial arts because of its esoteric aspect. In the Overlook Martial Arts Handbook the author writes, "The term 'martial arts' means those arts concerned with the waging of war". 

Defending castle - sketch by Soke Hausel
By separating the two words - 'martial' and 'arts', some insight occurs. Martial has several definitions. One that stands out is"characteristic of, or befitting a warrior". When discussing martial art we refer to bushido, the 'way of the warrior'. This is an important concept because 'way' used in this sense refers to 'path'. But what is path? “A path is a course of action, conduct, or procedure: the path of righteousness”. This definition implies a path should lead to righteousness: a concept common in traditional martial arts.

Dictionaries provide several meanings for 'art' including, "... the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance". Another definition: "Skill in conducting any human activity: a master at the art of conversation”. Also, “a branch of learning or university study, especially one of the fine arts or humanities, such as music, philosophy, or literature".

Based on these concepts and incorporating philosophy of Gichin Funakoshi and Shoshin Nagamine, two well-known and influential Okinawan Shorin-Ryu karate martial artists; martial art should lead to righteousness (this is why it is rare to see politicians in traditional martial arts). Some might point out that the Russian Premier trains in judo. But there is traditional judo and there is sport Judo. Putin trains in sport judo. But still, it is an anomaly.

Tai chi in the Arizona sun, sketch by
Soke Hausel
Martial arts should be beautiful, stir the spirit, and involve higher learning and should lead to a lifelong path of self-enlightenment – like religion. It should complement religion and not contradict religion.

In a discussion of the martial art of karate, Nagamine (2000) wrote, "If there is no kata, there is no karate, just kicking and punching". He emphasized that since, "... kata is karate, one must then embrace 'do mu gen' proverb which asserts: There can be no end to learning". He concluded "karate begins and ends with the study of kata". So if we are to believe Nagamine (as well as other Okinawan masters) karate must contain kata and kata must be the primary curriculum, otherwise it is not karate and not martial art. And kata contains exercise, self-defense, interpretation, philosophy, and moving Zen.

The blending of Zen with empty hand (kung fu and karate) and weapon's training resulted in Shaolin monks becoming formidable fighters and resulted in the world's first martial art. So if one agrees this was the beginning of Chuan Fa or martial arts, it is apparent Zen, meditation, self-defense exercises and forms (kata) are necessary ingredients to be a martial art.

Many martial arts attach the suffix 'do', such as aikido, budo, kendo, judo and karate-do. By doing so, it translates as 'way' or 'path'suggesting that the martial art will lead to a path of enlightenment. There are also just as many martial arts that attach the suffix 'jutsu', such as bujutsu, kenjutsu, jujutsuand karatejutsu. These are considered martial combat and most lack kata. However, in every case, the "jutsu" systems have traditions and also provide ways for self-improvement, unlike MMA.

Okinawan sunrise by Soke Hausel
Peter Urban (1967) wrote that martial arts refer to fighting arts and suggested a more valid interpretation came from the word budo which translates as 'the way of the fighter'. Urban further wrote that the integration of techniques with the spirit are important. The way or path is intended to lead to the attainment of perfection or what is often known as self-realization, enlightenment, or simply maturity. Be it karate, kendo, judo, jujutsu, iaido, kobudo, aikido, kyudo, Urban (1967) wrote that "based on the idea of virtue, the followers of martial arts are in effect descendants of samurai of old. It is the aim of all martial arts instructors to work toward promulgating this spirit of ancient Zen warriors, a spirit which is more than mere knowledge of fighting techniques - it is the attainment of a virtuous way of life!"

Geisha, by Soke Hausel
Martial arts incorporate the term ryu. Ryu is a traditional system or style of martial arts that implies family. This means Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kaimembers are a family of traditional martial artists with a soke (Head of Family). It is peace of mind we seek through martial arts training. "There are many paths to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but only one peak".

Karate Aerial Photo by Soke Hausel
Traditional karate and other Okinawan martial arts were kept secret on Okinawa until the 20th century when karate was introduced to mainland Japan in 1922. Within a short time, the Japanese modified the effective self-defense art into sport. To this day, traditional Okinawan karate is still considered a weapon rather than sport (unlike Japanese karate). Traditional karate focuses on (1) junbi undo (warm-up and strength exercises), (2) kihon (basics), (3) shitai kori (body hardening), (4) kata (forms), (5) health, and (6) bunkai (practical applications) - but it's most important aspect is the perfection of its participants!

A bunch of Junk, by Soke Hausel

Zen Garden, by Soke Hausel



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MARTIAL ARTS CONTRIBUTES TO BRAIN AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

July 24, 2018, 11:42 am
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To those of us who train constantly in martial arts, the positive benefits are not surprising.  But now, scientists are beginning to study these effects.

Several scientists are looking into links between emotional wellbeing and physical health. Its vital to note that martial arts has been shown to improve a person's emotional wellbeing, according to a recent 2018 article from Bangor University in Wales. In one study, older adults, aged 67-93, were asked to take part in: (1) Karate training, (2) Cognitive training, or (3) Non-martial arts physical training over a 3 to 6 month period. The older adults in Karate Training showed lower levels of depression and a greater level of self-esteem after the training period, compared to the other groups.

In a Italian study, a sedentary group was compared to a group of people training in karate. The Italian researchers found that taking part in karate can improve a person's working memory. They used a test that involved recalling and repeating a series of numbers, both in the correct order and backwards, which increased in difficulty until the participant was unable to continue. 

Researcher, Dr. Ashleigh Johnstone at Bangor University reports - There is far more to martial arts than its traditional roles. Though they have been practiced for self-defense and spiritual development for many hundreds of years, only relatively recently have researchers had the methods to assess the true extent of how this practice affects the brain".

Now that scientists are performing imagining scans of people's brains, I suspect it is just a matter of time until a study is done that will likely show an increases in size of the hippocampus by karate practitioners. This is because in karate, one provides an constant influx in oxygen to the brain through intense training, and Traditional (non-sport) karate practitioners are constantly being challenged to learn new techniques (waza), applications (bunkai) kata, kobudo and samurai weapons. In addition, all of these are taught to both sides of the body providing a means to enhance both sides of the brain.  Even after training in martial arts for 55 years, I find I'm still constantly learning. It's been said by previous grandmasters in Okinawa karate that there is "No end to learning in the martial arts".
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Be PREPARED! The Way of Karate

November 11, 2019, 12:01 pm
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Being prepared (kitai) for self-defense is very important in training in karate. When I started training in karate in the Black Eagle Federation kyokushinkai dojo in the 1960s, we were taught to do many repetitions to imprint muscle memory so that we would not have to think during a crisis situation - just naturally react. In addition to constant blocks, kicks and punches, we trained over and over with foot sweeps (ashi barai), jujutsu throws, and ending up in the proper stances. To get to the point where one can naturally react with good proper technique, one must train in full contact as this builds lightning reflexes - but at the same time, few people today (as it was years ago), can handle full contact, so as an instructor, your dojo may be close to empty.

Other important aspects are bunkai (self-defense applications) done with full force and acceleration. In this case, one must strike at the air instead of their partner to be sure they are striking with considerable energy and also to be sure that their training partner shows up again for training. In years past, when I trained at the Juko Kai national yudansha clinics, I typically sought out a training partner - R. Smith, who blocked as hard as I did, and hit just as hard and fast as I did - it helped build technique, muscle memory and confidence.

Another important aspect is training in Kote Kitae - or body hardening. We did this intensely when I trained in kyokushinkai karate as we do in Juko Kai. Taking full-force blocks, kicks and punches will hurt at first, but after some time, it become a unique form of mediation that allows one to block out the pain and also anticipate the strikes.

And when ever you train in your martial arts and your instructor tells you to do 10 repetitions and he or she does not stop you after you've done the given number of reputations, think of this as a bonus, and do as many as you can until you are told to stop or move on. If you don't, you will never be an outstanding martial artists.





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Karate, Kids, and Legitimacy

February 20, 2020, 11:09 am
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Recently, my grand-daughter started karate classes at three different dojos in the Phoenix valley. She obviously wants to train with grandpa at his dojo, but for some reason, her parents decided the other locations were better for her: guess they don't understand this is an insult, as it would be for any grandparent. I'm a very good instructor with considerably more experience than all of the black belts (if there are any) combined in these dojos.

Before I moved to Arizona, I taught my son and daughter karate at the University of Wyoming, and both became legitimate black belts. My daughter even had to use her training in self-defense from her Ex, who is twice her height and mass. He ended up calling the Cheyenne police department for help after trying to beat up my daughter. It's likely a good thing I didn't hear about this until later, as I would have provided him with a nice plot in my backyard, but still, I think it's entertaining my little girl beat the living - well you know. I also taught two of my grandsons karate. Their dad, a cop, often would attack the little guys when they were least expecting it just to be sure they were learning self-defense. Just imagine being doubled over by a 5 year old's mae geri (front kick). So, yes they learned well. Over the years, I've taught more than a thousand martial artists at four major universities, Gold's Gym, my own dojo, and elsewhere. I am a member of the black belt hall of fame, recognized as a Who's Who in Martial Arts Legend, and I am certified as judan (10th dan) by two well-known grandmasters - one from the US and the other from Okinawa.

Back to my grand-daughter. To make things worse, her parents started her at three local dojo in Gilbert, Arizona - all three could easily be McDojo, but I can't say that for sure, since I refuse to take part in this game. And after the first two proved to lack any form of legitimacy, she was recently sent to a Lifetime Fitness gym dojo. Last night, I saw videos of a training session taken by my wife, and if these people are legit, I would be shocked. 

The videos show complete chaos. Kids scattered all over the gym with no supervision, groups of kids standing in circles talking, and only one or two were doing any karate entire night. And the sensei, (apparently a sandan) continued to walk back and forth with his hands behind his back, and NOT providing ANY input or instruction the entire night. To be honest, I have no idea why he was even there?  Not once did he provide any instruction to anyone.

But the other two schools that my grand-daughter was signed up for, may have even been worse. One advertised they were MMA - a dead giveaway they most likely lack legitimacy (although a few legit schools have actually call themselves MMA because the name is popular). This is sad as MMA does NOT have values of traditional karate or any traditional budo, and anyone can claim to be yudansha (black belt) or instructor (sensei) in MMA, even though there only experience may be wrestling in high school. Remember, any one can walk into a martial arts supply house and buy a black belt for $5 or $10. But wearing that belt correctly requires years of training, experience, expertise, and a long lineage! 

Too bad parents have no idea what martial arts are? But this isn't surprising, as many North American martial artists don't even know. My own personal instructor, has told me a few times over the years that he often gets inquiries to join his Japanese/Okinawan/US association, and at least 85% of the people who apply have absolutely NO legitimacy. I never paid much attention to his statement until this recent incident with my grand-daughter. And I suspect, he is right, and it could be even higher.

Even though my grand-daughter is suffering through this, her parents are getting what they paid for. I just pray she doesn't end up getting hurt. People don't realize kids have growth plates; and fractures of these can result in serious problems down the road. In particular, joint locks on kids need to be limited and closely supervised - and it really appalled me when some years ago, I witnessed a kids class at the Chandler community center in aikido. Aikido is all about joint manipulation! 

And when kids are taught basic karate punches known as tsuki, they have to be closely monitored constantly, to keep their wrist straight, otherwise, they can easily fracture their wrists just by punching a bag. PARENTS - you need to be aware of this!!!

The second school my grand-daughter attended is located in Gilbert not far from Lifetime Fitness. My wife told me some lady in street clothes walked around the dojo screaming Japanese and English words, while a couple of older students in yellow belts (keep in mind, a yellow belt has practically no experience) taught kids how to hop, skip, jump, tumble, do push-ups, etc. Yes, can you imagine that, the martial arts school was not teaching them more than 2 minutes of karate. In the 2-minute period of karate, my wife told me the kids were taught a high block (jodan uke), a front kick (mae geri), and an outward block (soto uke). PERIOD!!!


Google Earth air photo showing our location at the traffic light marking MacDonald and Baseline.
Click on photo to enlarge.

So, the next time you check your dojo or instructor, do a search on the internet of his/hers dojo or of his/hers name. Next, look inside the dojo for a dojo license (this should be provided by a legitimate international martial arts association), and look for copies of his/hers diplomas. This is where it gets a bit challenging, knowing what is a legitimate, and what is not. Take a few notes and do some internet research. Most high-ranking martial artists know what to look for, but we keep some secrets to ourselves to be sure  illegitimate martial artists don't get wind of it. For example, some years ago, a German martial arts association gave me a diploma for the rank of judan (10th dan) in jujutsu. I kept the diploma to show my students some phony characteristics of a McDojo diploma.

So, the next time you shop Walmart (Baseline and Country Club Road), snack at Culvers, or shop at Gilbert Costco (South Country Club Road), you will be near my training center. So, stop in, I would love to meet you. We reside in the 60 W. Baseline Road complex at the northeast corner of Baseline and MacDonald. Sundevil Auto is right across the street from our school. 

I'll be waving at you from under our simple sign - "KARATE" over our door, and Shorin-Ryu on our window, and we teach much more than karate. 

I have certifications in many martial arts and teach traditional Okinawa karate, kobudo (the art of Okinwan weapons), Samurai arts (if you are a Kill Bill fan, this is the place to be), Jujutsu (actually a samurai art), and self-defense. And each one of these arts includes several individual traditional martial arts. Some are initially overwhelmed by the amount of martial arts taught, but it only takes a short time to realize all of the basics you learn in karate including stances, forms, hand and leg movements, are all employed in each art, thus when you learn one, you are actually learning all of them, and I start everyone out in Shorin-Ryu karate.

We have a comfortable gallery with free cold bottles of drinking water, and you are very welcome to watch our classes and ask questions before or after class. 

Soke Hausel, the world head of Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai has been training and teaching martial arts for nearly his entire life. He is not only a hall-of-fame martial arts instructor and a Who's Who martial arts Legend, but also a hall-of-fame geoscientist. You can find all of this information on the internet.

Before moving to Arizona and opening the Hombu dojo in Mesa in 2006, I taught classes, clinics, and seminars in karate, kobudo, self-defense, women's self-defense, samurai arts and more at the University of Wyoming for three decades along with researching mineral deposits. So, I love talking to people. My experience in martial arts is extensive, and I was awarded one of the highest honors for any westerner in martial arts in 2013 - that of Meijin Wajutsu which translates as martial arts genius.


You can try calling us at the above number, but we have been plagued by hundreds of robo and telemarketers making our phone almost useless. So, much of the time, it is easier to stop by and see us. And no, we do not hire salesmen and we do not try to pressure anyone. We only want those people to sign up who are interested in learning traditional martial arts. We hope to see you soon.

Oh, and I almost forgot - if you are tired of running into questionable martial arts teachers and schools in the Phoenix Valley, be sure to Google or Bing us, and please do a search of my name (Soke Hausel) - I have nothing to hide like apparently some  other schools in the valley. Copies of my certificates are posted so anyone can see my lineage and legitimacy - see if any other dojo does the same?
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KARATE, KOBUDO, SELF-DEFENSE, SAMURAI ARTS and MORE for ADULTS & SENIORS

October 8, 2020, 3:15 pm
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Self-defense training in traditional karate in 
Arizona.

Many seniors and other adults assume they are too old for martial arts, and no schools are available to teach senior and adult martial arts. Nothing is further from the truth. In traditional (non-sport) martial arts, there are schools that follow the old Okinawa traditions of teaching martial arts to adults and seniors, and many will not take kids and teens under 16 years of age. 

Traditional martial arts are designed to improve a person's outlook on life, by keeping members healthy through physical and mental conditioning. The intense training of martial arts, often produces weight loss, and good circulatory systems, through proper breathing, stretching, meditation, and diet. Just take a look at the Okinawa people - they have many centurions because of their physical health and diet, more per capita than any other group in the world.

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Karate (空手) Acceleration

April 12, 2021, 4:10 pm
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In Okinawa karate, we emphasize proper transfer of energy from a punch, block, or kick, to the interior of the body of an attacker. This is sometimes called chinkuchi. Chinkucki is a subtle, but important, characteristic of Okinawa karate that takes time to develop and understand. It is something one needs to learn to order to develop a killer punch referred to as a one-punch knock out! To punch, block and kick in Okinawa karate, relax except for the fraction of a second when you make contact. Keep in mind that Okinawa karate systems train for combat, while most Japanese karate trains for tournaments. So, there are differences. To develop chinkuchi, learn kime. Kime and chinkucki, are about acceleration - something every karate practitioner needs. I can not emphasize this enough! Movements in karate need to be: (1) relaxed! (2) accelerated! (3) focused at the last possible moment, (4) accelerated! and (5) focused! I know I listed accelerated and focus twice, but this is because these are so important and DIFFICULT to get American martial artists to develop. Study Chinto (aka Gankaku in Japanese) kata performed by Akamine Hiroshi. Watch his kata for focus and acceleration (see about 4 minutes into the video) - it is nearly perfect. Watch it and periodically video tape yourself to see if you are gaining similar acceleration and focus in technique. A fast transfer of momentum implies the amount of force transferred to a target will be large all at once - this is the secret of one-punch knock outs.

Another important characteristic of Okinawa karate is mochimi. Mochimi refers to relaxation and flexibility. Punches, blocks and kicks should be performed relaxed and should contract only at the point of impact (not while you 'launch' your fist), and finish relaxed, which is different from Japanese karate where striking techniques are stiff throughout the process. 

Newton's second law of motion states that Force is equal to Mass multiplied by Acceleration (F=m.a), indicating that heavier fighters can strike with greater force than light fighters based on mass alone. But because of the magic of karate, through proper training, a light-weight fighter can increase the force of strikes by acceleration, and by wisely using body mass with timing and shuffle steps (i.e., tsugi-ashi or yori-ashi), grabs, posture, hip rotation, and shoulder movement. Few of us are as endowed in the martial arts as Bruce Lee with perfect balance, body movement and acceleration. Even so, we can greatly improve our abilities with daily practice and good instruction. 

To use mass effectively, execute every technique with good biomechanics and put more body weight into your punch just like the featherweight Bruce Lee (note how he moved forward to effectively use his body mass).

To increase mass participation with acceleration, practice kata (your body memory tool) at least twice: first, concentrate of mass participation practicing kata at slow to moderate speed: next concentrate on acceleration (you don’t need to move between steps fast, it’s your punches, blocks, and kicks that need to be accelerated to the max, with focus). If you have enough energy left after running through your kata twice (you should feel considerable energy spent), you can run through the kata a third time focusing on mass and acceleration working together. 

When you practice for mass participation, work on hip rotation, foot movement, stance, breathing and the mechanics of blocks, strikes, kicks, and slow the kata down (but you SHOULD hear the sound of your gi sleeve snap on your wrist and forearm and on your ankle and shin when you kick). Acceleration, on the other hand, is the rate of change of speed. In other words, it's about how quickly you increase the speed of your mass in the shortest time possible. Next time you see a hummingbird, watch how quickly it accelerates. In one second, it can cover 50 of its body lengths; whereas, a Euro-fighter jet’s top speed will only cover 39 of its body length in one second (Scott, 2009). To improve acceleration, relax your body and muscles in your arm, then accelerate your punch as fast as possible, with focus - I recommend video-taping yourself and watch for ways to increase power and speed. Also dedicate time to improving your biomechanics and acceleration with properly timed release of breath.

When you punch, stand with your back straight, keep your spine and neck erect. Avoid leaning forward, as this will upset balance. Focus on hip movement - you must use hips properly to increase kinetic energy of your strikes. And of course, breathe. Learning to breathe (kokyu) correctly will influence your punching power, speed, stability, and endurance (Jutras, undated).
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Japanese/Okinawan Terminology in the Karate Dojo

April 16, 2021, 4:54 pm
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Opening-Closing Classes

Kiotsuke (or) Seiretsu -      Line up (or) Attention
Otaga ni rei -                     Bow to one another
Shomen ni rei                     Bow to Shomen (front)
Soke/Sensei ni rei              Bow to Head Founder/or Instructor
Mokuso -                           Meditate
Domo arigoto                   Thank you very much



Exercises

Applications                  Bunkai
Basics                             Kihon
Body hardening              Shitai Kori
Calisthenic exercises      Undo
Forms                             Kata
Preparation exercises     Junbi undo
Throwing Technique     Nagewaza

Counting

Ichi, Ni, San, Shi (Yo or Yon), Go Roku, Shichi (Nanna), Hachi, Ku, Ju (counting to 10)
10 to 19 - add Ju as a prefix. Thus 11 is Juichi.
Time - add ji as suffix thus one o'clock is Ichiji.

Dojo Kun

Karate ni sente nashi                                 There is no first attack in karate
Makoto no michi o mamoru koto              Have devotion in seeking a true way
Reigi o omonjiru koto                               Always act with good manners.
Doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto         Cultivate a spirit of effort and perseverance.
Kekki no yu o imashimeru koto                Refrain from violent and uncontrolled behavior
Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto             Work to perfect your character.

Dachi (Stances)

Back Stance - Kokutsu-dachi
Cat Stance - Neko-ashi-dachi
Crane Stance -Genkanku (Tsuri) dachi
Cross-leg - Kosa (juji) dachi
Front Stance - Zenkutsu dachi
Fighting Posture - Kamae (kumite) dachi
Horse Riding - Kiba Dachi
Heels Together - Musubi Dachi
Immovable Stance - Sochin (Fudo) dachi
Kneeling Stance - Iaigoshi dachi
Left Stance - Hidari dachi
Natural Stance - Soto hachiji (yoi) dachi
Pigeon-Toe Stance - Hachi (hangetsu) dachi
Right Stance - Migi Dachi
Side Stance - Yoko dachi
Sumo Stance - Shiko Dachi
T-stance - Tobuku dachi

Uke (Blocks)

Cross Block - Juji-uke
Downward block - Gedan Barai
Elbow block - Hiji uke
Grasping block  Torite-uke
High block - Jodan uke
Inward block - Uchi uke
Leg block - Ashi uke
Open (knife) hand - Shuto-uke
Outward block - Ude (Shoto)-uke
Palm Heel block - Teisho-uke
Rising block - Age uke
Sweep block - Hari uke

Keri (Kicks)

Back Kick - Ushiro-geri
Back Roundhouse - Ura-maewashi-geri
Crescent Kick - Kozumi-geri
Front Kick - Mae-geri
Flying Front Kick - Mae-tobi-geri
Flying Side Kick - Yoko-tobi-geri
Knee Kick - Hiza-geri
Leg Sweep - Ashi-barai
Rising Roundhouse - Age-Maewashi-geri
Roundhouse - Maewashi-geri
Side Kick - Yoko-geri
Snap Kick - Keage-geri
Thrust Kick - Kekomi-geri
Toe Kick - Tsumasaki-geri

Uchi (Strikes)

Augmented Punch - Morote-zuki (tsuki)
Backfist - Uraken (Reiken)-uchi
Chicken Hand Strike - Toride-uchi
Double (Over-Under) - Yama uchi
Elbow Strike - Hiji (empi)-uchi
Finger or Thumb - Yubi-uchi
Hammer-fist Strike - Kentsui-uchi
High Punch - Jodan-zuki
Hook Punch - Kaku-zuki
Knife-Hand Strike - Shuto-uchi
Low-Level Punch - Gedan-zuki
Middle Level Punch - Chudan-zuki
One-Knuckle Punch - Ippon Ken-uchi
Opposite Hand - Gyaku-zuki
Palm-Heel Punch - Teisho-uchi
Ridge Hand Strike - Haito-uchi
Rising Punch - Age-uchi
Rising Elbow Strike - Age-Hiji (Empi)-uchi
Spear Hand Strike - Nukite-uchi
Vital Point Strike - Atemi-uchi 

Martial Arts Titles

Sensei - instructor
Shihan - Master Instructor
Soke - Grandmaster, president
Sokeshodai - First generation grandmaster.
Soke-Dai - Vice President
Kyoju - Professor.
Hanshi - refers to a senior expert considered as "teacher of teachers."
Kyoshi - refers to an advanced teacher.
Renshi - "one who has mastered himself."
Senpai - senior student
Yudansha - black belt members
Mudansha - lower rank (kyu) members
Okuden - refers to entrance to the secret ways

Kumite (Sparring)

Ippon kumite - one step sparring, typically used for self defense drills
Sanbon kumite - three step sparring
Kiso kumite - structured sparring drawn from a kata (bunkai).
Jiyu kumite - free sparring
Randori- Free sparring (Judo)
Kachinuki - old style contests

Greetings/Responses

Hai - affirmation, as in 'yes' (should be used whenever you are corrected by your sensei)
iie - no
Domo - thanks
Gomen nasai - Excuse me
Onegiashimasu - Please
Wakarimasu - I understand.
Wakarimasen - I don't understand
Sumimasen - apology, sorry

Uniform

Obi - belt
Gi - training uniform
Karategi - karate uniform
Judogi - judo uniform
Hakama - traditional pleated and bloused pant

Dojo

Kamiza- Front of dojo.
Shomen - front, same as the Kamaza
Kamidana - shelf or shrine at the Shomen.
Shimoza - back of dojo.
Joseki - right side of dojo as one enters - where senior students line up.
Shimoseki - Left side of dojo.
No-Geiko - training outside in the elements.
Tatami - mats

Kobudo

Hojojutsu - the art using a hojo cord (rope).
Tanto - dagger
Tonfa - rice grinder handles ? or baton with handle
Ryu fundo kusari - weighted chain
Manrikigusari - chain
Tessen - war fan
Kusarigama - kama with weighted chain
Naginata - Halberd
Yari - spear
Bo - wooden staff (usually 6 feet in length).
Hanbo - half staff (3 foot in length).
Tsue - Cane
Tanbo - short stick
Kuboton (hashi) - hand stick
Kioga - collaspable baton
Eku (Iku) - oar
Tekko - knuckle duster
Surushin - weighted chain
Katana - samurai sword
Kama - sickle
Nunchuku - nunchuks
Sai - three pronged knife
Kumade (Ra-ke) - rake
Kuwa - hoe
Sojutsu - methods of the spear
Kagi - Car Keys

Jujutsu

Nihon jujutsu - Japanese jujutsu
Tori - the practitioner who carries out the throw or technique
Uke - (Partner) the practitioner who accepts the throw or technique
Atemi - strike
Koryu jujutsu (ancient jujutsu techniques)
Edo Jujutsu (old style jujutsu)
Gendai jujutsu - modern jujutsu
Goshin jujutsu - non-traditional jujutsu lacking in lineage
Judoka- practitioner of judo (term usually reserved for those who are 4th dan or higher).
Benkyo-ka - "scholar"
kenkyu-sei - "trainees", practitioners below the rank of 4th dan
Kodokan - place for teaching the way (Institute of Judo in Tokyo)
Nage-waza - throwing techniques,
Ne-waza - groundwork
Kansetsu-waza - Joint locks
Te-waza - hand techniques.
Koshi-waza - hip techniques,
Ashi-waza - foot and leg techniques.
Mae-sutemi-waza - sacrifice techniques in which the thrower falls forward.
Ushiro-sutemi-waza - sacrifice techniques in which the thrower falls directly backwards.
Yoko-sutemi-waza - Sacrifice techniques in which the thrower falls onto his side.
Kansetsu-waza - Joint locks.
Shime-waza - strangle or chokeholds.
Osaekomi-waza - pinning techniques
Ukemi-waza - falling techniques

Martial Arts Styles

Hozoin Ryu - Japanese spear system
Karate - art of the empty hand
Kobudo - art of ancient weapons
Shorin-Ryu - Pine forest style or Shaolin style of karate
Jujutsu - art of softness or way of yielding.
Judo - translates as gentle way.
Yarijutsu - spear fighting system
Sojutsu - spear martial art
Iaido - the way of sword
Kenjutsu - sword applications
Budo - martial arts ways
Bujutsu - martial arts fighting methods
Bushido - the way of the warrior
Toide - ancient Okinawan art of grappling, joint manipulation and joint separation
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Utah Black Belts train in Arizona

May 13, 2013, 6:12 pm
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Shihan Kim Schroeder and Sensei Jeff Schroeder train with hanbo
Each year, the Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Hombuwelcomes members of the Utah Shorin-Kai for advanced training in karate, kobudo, samurai arts, etc. When the hombu was located at the University of Wyoming, members from the Utah martial arts association would travel to Laramie to train at the university. Now that I'm no longer at the university, the Utah martial artists jump aboard a plane in Salt Lake City and travel to Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport, rent a van or two, and drive to Mesa to stay at Days Inn while training at the Arizona Hombu dojo.
Explaining a technique for locking an attackers wrist to two Utah brown belts
Sensei Paula from Gilbert and Shihan Neal from Phoenix work
on restraints at the Arizona-Utah Karate Clinic.
Ryan from Mesa works on advanced martial arts technique with Jesse from Tempe.
This year, we welcomed some of the Utah yudansha (black belt rank) and sempai (senior brown belts) from the Utah Shorin-Kai who came to train in advanced martial arts techniques and hanbo on May 3rd and May 4th, 2013. The group arrived at Sky Harbor on Friday morning and checked into their motel near the Arizona martial arts training center on the border of Gilbert and Mesa near Baseline and MacDonald. On Friday evening, the Utah group led by Kyoshi Rob Watson, 8th dan, arrived at the martial arts facility and exchanged hugs, handshakes and greetings with a few members of the Arizona School of Traditional Karate.

After exchanging greetings and renewing friendships, we bowed in, warmed up, and started our training with hanbo. The hanbo is a 3-foot bo (stick) often seen with ninja or jujutsuka. I was introduced to this very practical art by my instructor several years ago. Weapons similar to hanbo include tonfa, nitanbo and kioga. The kioga, also referred to as kibo, is a common tool of law enforcement that is referred to as ASP or expandable baton. The difference between the use of the hanbo and kioga is that the hanbo is always the same length, but many techniques are similar. The difference between law enforcement officials and martial artists is that law enforcement training is limited in use of this tool. True traditional martial artists never end training and use the hanbo to activate pressure points and use it for blocks, strikes, restraints and throws. Following two hours of training with the hanbo, the Arizona-Utah group retired until the next morning.

On Saturday morning, training began in advanced empty hand (karate) techniques. These included blocks, strikes, chokes, throws and restraints. The group trained for five hours before the clinic ended. At the end of the clinic, Kyoshi Rob Watson, 8th dan and Renshi Todd Stoneking, 6th dan, and members of both Arizona and Utah said their goodbyes and it was the consensus that the time went by too fast. But many had bruises to remember. I will travel to Utah in the fall for the Utah gassuku (adverse training) at the East Canyon resort near Park City.

Professional photographs during the training were taken by Amanda and Ryan Nemec of NemecPhotos. We are very thankful and appreciated by the excellent quality of the photography at this year’s clinic.
The 2013 Arizona-Utah clinic ends with bows to one another.
Bunkai (application) from Meikyo kata
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