WATCH OUT for GRANDPA-san!

 

Teaching the art of 'tameshiwari' outside geology museum
at University of  Wyoming in Laramie (UW photo service). 

One martial artist from Gilbert, Arizona enjoys training in martial arts as much as he enjoys rocks, stars, writing, research, music, and Sindonology. It all began in 1964, when safety equipment for full-contact karate included an athletic cup - period! Oh, and also a lot of guts since no one had thought to use padded gloves, shoes, or head gear of any kind as the entire body and head were considered good targets for full force punches, kicks, elbows and knees. After all, this was 1964! Soke Hausel indicates that athletic cups were totally useless against receiving full-force front kicks to the groin. Usually, one would just lie flat on the tatami and groan! Even so, over the decades and after training in more than a dozen martial arts while earning several black belts, he was inducted into Halls-of-Fame for martial arts, science, and as a polymath.

While on a sojourn into mosquito-infested Alaska consulting for WestGold in the late 1980s, Soke lived in a tent while searched for gold surrounded by bears, caribou, and extremely aggressive mosquitos. Even so, he continued training in karate and kobudo at every opportunity. But by time he left the Kuskokwim Mountains, a group of 7 geologists (that included Soke) made history after discovering the Donlin Creek lode gold deposit - the mother lode: one of the largest gold deposits discovered in all of history - a deposit with a minimum value of $133 billion at today's gold price of $3,325/ounce! But some think that the deposit may contain more than double the drilled resources (Dr. Paul Graff, personal communication).  

Back at the university, Soke periodically took breaks from field research after walking all day in the hills at South Pass, Seminoe Mountains, Rattlesnake Hills, Laramie Mountains, Owl Creek Mountains, Granite Mountains, Medicine Bow Mountains and the Sierra Madre of Wyoming, to kick and punch flies, trees, and rocks. And his lightning fast reflexes saved him more than once from fangs of rattlesnakes.

While searching for diamondiferous kimberlite in the State Line, Iron Mountain, and Indian Hills districts of Colorado and Wyoming, as well as consulting for various companies on a number of diamond deposits in North America, he initiated research on colored gemstones. On a trip to the Australian outback to study rare diamond deposits associated with olivine lamproite (one of the rarest rock types on earth), he found himself among pesky noSeeUm flies and YesISeeEm kangaroos and crocodiles. He and a group of Japanese karate-geologists were challenged by breaking silicified peaks of termite mounds using shuto uchi (knife-hand strikes). The mounds were perfect targets for tameshiwari (rock breaking) since they had conical-shaped tops on mounds of 5+ feet or more, and were as hard as concrete.

When he wasn't breaking rocks with a geologist hammer, he was breaking rocks with his empty hand. Soke is a certified kyoju (professor of martial arts) by Juko Kai and taught karate, kobudo, jujutsu, samurai arts, and self-defense classes and clinics in the Departments of Physical Education, Kinesiology, Extended Studies, and Club Sports. He also offered annual clinics to ROTC, Religious Studies, Faculty, Staff, Students, Sororities, and the Public, for over 30 years at the university. In-between classes, clinics and research, he traveled to consult for mining companies, lectured to 400+ groups, and wrote and published nearly 1,000 abstracts, professional papers, magazine articles and books. 

Part of his training for physical fitness included running stadium stairs, weight-training (squatted 800-pounds at a body weight of only 160 pounds), and lots and lots of kata, bunkai, and body hardening (kitae kori). And like any other martial artist, he periodically pulled a muscle or two, injured his lower back lifting too much weight and was one busy guy! Soke suggests people get physically old when they lose too much strength in their legs. Thus, it is very important to exercise one's legs if you plan to use them when you become a senior citizen. He indicates one of the best exercise he knows for legs is to get two grandsons and place one on each foot, and then go for a walk! And don't forget about your arms! Other exercises that he does every week are katas (karate forms), squat kicks, stretching, and linear squats. For instance, today (May 5, 2025), Soke, at an age of 75 and body weight of 182 pounds, pushed 900+ pounds of weight discs (20 45-lb discs) along with the 100- to 170-pound sled for a total of 1,000 to 1,070 pounds! 

In 2023, grandpa/Soke at a local gym in Gilbert, Arizona stacked 720-pounds on a leg press. In April, 2023, he was seen lifting 5-times his body weight (175-pounds): when he again squatted 900-pounds of weight discs using a leg press. A few days later, he squatted 920 pounds. But he realizes that the incline press is nothing like squatting free weights, where one must focus on balance and have a strong back, legs and knees. But he notes that at his age, he is lucky to still practice karate 8 or more times a week and to "be able to walk around".  So, if you are a senior, you should quit thinking that you are old and start exercising regularly and especially train in Okinawa karate and kobudo! If you don't, you are likely to end up like many seniors who push around walkers! 

When not in the gym, soke teaches a small number of black belt students in Mesa and provides training for a group of seniors at his church. His seniors all feel better prepared in today's society after learning to use canes, car-keys, pens and even a short sticks known on Okinawa as hanbo, tebo, and kubotan - and even magazines! 

Soke has dedicated much of his life to learning karate as well as kobudo (the ancient art of weapons/tools for self-defense) and continues searching for local church groups in Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa, to teach free, weekly, martial arts classes, as well as a social groups (seniors, women, etc) in the East Valley. 

Karate and Aging.

Grandmaster Hausel squats 400 pounds at a 170-pound body weight at the
University of Wyoming(photo courtesy of UW Photo Service). Former kyoju no
budo (professor of martial arts), the grandmaster was often seen squatting 400
and 600-pounds and even successfully squatted-800 pounds at Half-Acre Gym
on Campus. Today, as a senior citizen, he pushes 800 lbs with his legs on an
inverted squat machine, a few times a week at Mountainside Fitness in Arizona.

Soke Hausel (Grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu Karate, practices Karate & Kobudo nearly every day, and trains with weights 3 to 4 times a week as he has done for more than 5 decades. When he was a martial arts professor at the University of Wyoming, people were often astounded to see a skinny martial artist/geologist squat 600-pounds at a body weight of 160-pounds (left photo shows Grandmaster Hausel squatting 400 pounds). He even squatted 800 pounds, but not on a regular schedule. This was because of karate and geology. As a geologist, he walks miles in search of gold, diamonds and colored gemstones. As a martial artist, he trains often and teaches karate, jujutsu, kobudo and self-defense. Both geology and martial arts kept him healthy and fit. 

We recently heard about an 118-year old martial artist with great flexibility who can kick the tar out of any 20-year old. Then there is a man who recently earned a 6-degree black belt at the age of 94. And there are examples of men and women at 50,  60, 70 and 80 training in martial arts. Both men and women, no matter what age, benefit from martial arts.

For warm-up, Soke starts with karate kata. Kata are a beneficial aerobic exercise. He may practice fast or slow - but always adds full-power focus to visualize each self-defense application in each kata movement. After kata, he hits the weights working on arms and hands before moving to a squat rack to stretch, kick and punch. Then it's off to a heavy bag for a series of kicks and punches (he does not wear shoes or gloves). He also does a minimum of 300 sit-ups and on some days, has been known to do 1200 situps.  So, that's how he keeps looking fit and beautiful along with teaching 8 karate classes each week.