Karate, Kobudo, and More in the East Valley of Phoenix.

Soke Hausel at the Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Hombu dojo, Mesa, Arizona. Tools of trade include kama
seen hanging from joeseki wall. Student in Shorin-Ryu learn empty hand (karate) and kobudo 
basics, kata, bunkai (self-defense applications), and kumite.

Kama, is a good Okinawa tool for trimming weeds and home invaders. It is a farming implement used as an extension of Okinawa karate and its use is taught in nearly all Shorin-Ryu Karate schools. But, keep in mind, this is a very dangerous tool and is never recommended unless you are taught by a qualified instructor. If you decide to ignore warnings, you are on your own and you'll need to be aware you can easily remove an eye, cut an artery, remove a finger, etc. For your own sake, be sure to have all of your health and hospital insurance paid up and a first aid kit handy. We train only with non-sharpened tools to retain our digits. Kama purchased from some outlets are razor sharp and extremely dangerous!

Like many Okinawan kobudo arts, this tool, likely adapted by peasants and royal guards for self-defense and protection, represents the martial art known as kamajutsu, and is part Okinawan kobudo and karate. At the Arizona Hombu, students learn to use Okinawan and Samurai tools and weapons in basics, kata, bunkai, and self-defense.

 

Traditional Okinawa karate, kobudo (the art of Okinwan weapons), Samurai arts, Jujutsu (a samurai art), and self-defense are all taught. Each one of these includes other individual traditional martial arts: just as kobudo incorporates kamajutsu. 

Some students are initially overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of martial arts taught, but it only takes a short time to realize all of the basics you learn in karate such as stances, forms, hand and leg movements, are all employed in each art, thus making all of the arts much easier to learn.

 

Before moving to Arizona and opening the Hombu dojo in Mesa in 2008, Soke Hausel, world head of Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai, taught martial arts classes, clinics at the University of Wyoming for three decades. 

Unfortunately, we closed our commercial dojo in Mesa, Arizona on March 1st, 2021 because of the plandemic. But, we still train in Arizona in Mesa and in Gilbert, and we are always looking for new members with integrity. In today's environment created by the democratic party, we all need to be as well trained as possible for self-defense. 

Soke Hausel teaches his students (12 to 74 years in age) in a number of martial arts, so that they feel a little more in control of the current government situation. If you support American values - you are welcome to train with us for a small fee no matter if you have no experience or considerable experience. Just contact Soke at sokeshodai@yahoo.com.

Be you chose a karate school, search the internet for instructors and schools. For instance, we recommend searching Soke Hausel for information. We do NOT support Facebook, Groupon, Twitter, or Linked-In. We support American companies that support the US Constitution.

Arizona Martial Arts Weapons Classes

Summer is here in Arizona and time to cut the heat with kama. Kama is an Okinawan farming implement used by peasants to defend against samurai, bandits, CDC and other government agents. This simple farming implement was used very effectively in the hands of an expert, who could produce sliced samurai in seconds.  

A kama is simply a sickle and used to trim crops. Since we love gardening in Arizona, we are getting ready to start training in this martial art at the Seiyo Shorin-Ryu Hombu. 

And you think its hot in Arizona? Try training with Okinawan kama and
learn what hot is. In traditional martial arts, students & faculty learn
all aspects of karate along with kobudo (martial arts weapons). 

Karate was created on Okinawa centuries ago as was Kobudo. These two were blended into one art known as Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo and taught to Okinawan royalty, their body guards and peasants. This is a traditional martial art, not sport. The difference is that in traditional martial arts, students are taught traditions, martial arts history, philosophy, respect, basics, kata (forms), applications of all techniques in kata referred to as bunkai, body hardening, and powerful strikes. There is no competition, and the only type of kumite (sparring) taught in traditional karate is one step in order to keep students from losing focus and power. 

Extreme body hardening.  
Hausel accepts full-force kick to
ribs by Sensei Gillespie, 3rd dan

Don't try this at home. Professor
Hausel takes full-force kick in
groin (unprotected) at half-time
at a University of Wyoming
basketball game and smiles.

Traditional martial arts are combat arts (jutsu) and many traditional arts include guidance for self-improvement (do). You will never see a trophy in a traditional martial arts school as competition and tournaments are considered antipathetic to progress in martial arts. 

In sport karate, one gears up with protective pads, cups, body armor, etc. In traditional karate, one learns how to accept full force strikes to vital body parts without any protective equipment. Most of our ladies are not into body hardening, so most skip this part of training as do several of the men - and it is not required.

Dai Shihan Neal Adam (6th dan) defends attack with gama
from Sensei Bill Borea (3rd dan) with bo, during kobudo
classes at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate. 

So, this summer, why not take a slice out of the heat and join our adult and family traditional martial arts school at 60 W. Baseline Road on the border of Mesa and Gilbert. Stop in and see why our martial artists are enjoying themselves and why everyone in the school are good friends. And why you are at it, we will teach you how to use the kama, other kobudo arts, samurai arts, self-defense and traditional karate.  Shorin-Ryu.

Adam Bialek practices with wooden gama and Neal Adam with bo during kobudo classes
at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate in Mesa, Arizona.

Kama - Martial Arts Weapon from Okinawa & Arizona

Pencil sketch, by Soke Hausel

"A deshi who bares kama scars, knows kama well"  - Soke Hausel.

We start all of our students of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Renmei in Arizona in both karate and kobudo (martial arts weapons) when they start training in karate. Karate and kobudo have always been taught together in traditional Okinawan karate, and there is no additional fee for learning kobudo. In Shorin-Ryu Karate, one is expected to learn both empty hand and weapons as the compliment one another and it is all part of their martial arts education. 

Dr. Adam trains with Adam Bialek during kobudo class
at Hombu dojo in Mesa, Arizona. Here, Adam defends
with kama while Dai-Shihan Adam attacks with bo
(6-foot staff).

One of several traditional weapons. Kama is a traditional Okinawan weapon used by peasants and farmers that must be respected. This respect grows exponentially as one progresses to the kusarikama (kama with rope or chain) as there is greater potential for a collision with this later weapon. 

We require martial artists train with dull bladed kama, as sharpen kama leaves scars. One of our Casper Wyoming members returned from training in Okinawa a few years ago where he purchased gama (a pair of kama) and proceeded to cut himself in the dojo after he discovered the blades were sharp as razors. Because of this, we only allow non-sharpen practice weapons as we only have so many bandages to go around.