Watch Out For This Arizona Grandpa!

 

Soke teaches the art of 'tameshiwari' outside the geology
museum at the University of  Wyoming in Laramie, some
years ago (UW photo service). 

One Gilbert, Arizona, martial artist enjoys training in martial arts as much as he enjoys rocks, stars, writing, research, music, and even Sindonology. He began training in martial arts decades ago, when safety equipment for full-contact karate included an athletic cup and nothing else (no paddled gloves, boots, or head gear), and when the entire body was considered a target. Over the years, he trained in more than a dozen martial arts earning several black belts and was inducted into 17 Halls-of-Fame for martial arts, science, and polymath, and was presented many national awards.

While in mosquito-infested Alaska consulting for WestGold in the late 1980s, and living in a tent in a gold exploration camp surrounded by bears and caribou, he continued to train in karate and kobudo. By time he left the Kuskokwim Mountains of Alaska, the group actually found the mother lode: one of the largest gold deposits found in history. 

He found college studies to be easier to handle, as long as he took daily physical training breaks. While at the University of Utah, he trained in karate, researched lunar and terrestrial rocks, worked as an astronomy lecturer, and played in a rock n' roll band. A similar regimen continued at the University of New Mexico.

While at the University of Wyoming (Wyoming Geological Survey), he took breaks from field research after walking all day in the hills at South Pass, Seminoe Mountains, Rattlesnake Hills, Laramie Mountains, and Owl Creek Mountains of Wyoming, just to kick and punch flies, trees, and rocks. His lightning fast reflexes saved him more than once from striking rattlesnakes in the Seminoe and Laramie Mountains.

While researching diamondiferous kimberlite in the State Line, Iron Mountain, and Indian Hills districts of the Laramie Mountains, and looking for gemstones in the Leucite Hills, Soke kept up his martial arts training. 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 insects, kangaroos, and crocodiles. He and some Japanese karate practitioners/geologists challenged one another breaking the tops of termite mounds with shuto uchi (knife-hand strikes). The mounds were perfect targets for tameshiwari (rock breaking) since they had conical-shaped tops reaching to heights of 6+ feet. Many were silicified making them as hard as concrete.

Soke taught karate, kobudo, jujutsu, samurai arts, and self-defense classes and clinics for the Departments of Physical Education, Kinesiology, Extended Studies, and Club Sports, and also offered periodic clinics to ROTC, Religious Studies, Faculty, Staff, Students, Sororities, and to the Public for more than 30 years at the University of Wyoming. In the midst of all of the classes, clinics and research, he traveled the country to consult for mining companies, lectured to more than 400 groups, and in-between, wrote and published nearly 1,000 abstracts, professional papers, magazine articles and books. 

Part of his training regimen included stadium stair runs, weight-training (squatted 800-pounds at a body weight of only 160 pounds), and lots and lots of kata, bunkai, and body hardening (kitai kori). And like any other martial artist, he periodically pulled a muscle or two, and injured his lower spine lifting too much weight. 

So, today, grandpa Soke trains in a local gym in Gilbert, where he is weekly seen stacking 720-pounds or more on a leg press for lifting and yet that allows support for his lower back. In April, 2023, he was seen squatting 5-times his body weight: at 180-pounds and 73 years of age, he squatted 900-pounds on a leg press. A few days later, he did 920 pounds. But he notes, a leg press is nothing like squatting free weights, where one must also focus on balance, have a strong back, strong legs and knees. At his age, and now 170 pounds body weight, it is nice to be able to walk around and to know one can defend himself against most anyone. 

Today, Soke continues to teach a small number of black belt students in Mesa, Arizona, but he is looking to find a church group in Gilbert to teach weekly self-defense classes in 2024 as well as teach other social groups in the East Valley.

Senior Citizens Are Tough

Seniors, college students, junior high and high school students, university faculty, and military-vets in our dojo - teens, men and women. We are all great friends and our soke (grandmaster) adjusts Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai curriculum to fit body types, good and bad knees, backs, shoulders etc. We are always interested in new students as long as the have good life values and integrity.

When Soke, taught classes and clinics at the University of Wyoming from 1977 to 2007, some years, he had 300+ students; but after retiring, he teaches very small classes typically around a dozen or so. He likes the smaller classes so students can focus on many techniques.

Karate is taught as a powerful self-defense art, but has to be adjusted to the capabilities of the students. A few students are unable to develop full-power because of physical limitations, but they do their best. 

Previously, Soke, taught martial arts at ASU, UNM, U of U, University of Wyoming, Gold's Gym, and the Hombu Dojo. After training and teaching for more than 5 decades, he helps students get fit, while focusing on safety, and enhancing self-defense capabilities. Soke, a father, grandfather, and even a great-grandfather, has a blood pressure of 120/78 with blood oxygen at 99. In fact, we tested soke's vital signs this morning (4/22/2022) and they were 122/76, heart rate 71, and blood oxygen 98. Keep in mind, he is of the same generation as President Trump. But how does he do it? 

Prior to the pandemic, he trained at Mountainside Fitness 3 to 4 times a week, trained in karate 4 to 6 times a week, taught self-defense classes clinics to church and Christian groups. 

He also has duties as a scientist (geologist and astronomer), writer, and public speaker. In addition to good physical health, he is a devoted Christian and attends bible classes each week and hopes to attend post-graduate studies on the Shroud of Turin - a burial cloth of Christ that is the most researched artifact in history. So-far, the cloth can only be explained as a miracle, in which 2D, 3D and X-ray images were produced along with video, and holographic images caused by a very short-burst of extremely intense radiation on linen cloth that is normally, non-sensitive to any photographic techniques. Scientists have been studying this linen for several decades now, and still cannot duplicate the technique - it is far beyond current technology.

But, back to fitness. Soke likely gets a lot of his energy by his polymath characteristics. He is always active and always has been. He eats once a day and sticks to the Okinawa adage of 'hara hachi bu' (eat until 80% full). 

Two outstanding seniors in Seiyo Shorin-Ryu.
Sensei Paula Borea with O'sensei Bill Borea (RIP)
receive hugs at the Hombu in Mesa, Arizona.

Soke focuses on his students' limitations (i.e., bad knees, back, neck, etc) and works to keep everyone safe in the dojo (karate school). For example, we have one 3rd degree black belt senior who trained many years in the martial arts; but in younger years, was a problem for his parents, neighbors, wife and others. Once, he practiced jumping over speeding cars, fell off his roof while fitted with a leg cast from a previous injury, and self-removed finger tips while operating a circular saw. He was so well versed in injuries, in one year, he was presented a prestigious Christmas card signed by all of the medical personnel employed at his favorite ER. They even gave him a personal name tag since he spent so much time at the ER.

We now have three black belt senior citizens who had knee replacements who train with us. One, Japanese-American woman, had both knees replaced due to lack of control by her former Taekwondo instructor. Another, a cowboy from Casper, Wyoming (now in Arizona), had one knee replaced due to a tumble over a Mesa sidewalk; and the third person, our friendly ER user from Mesa, wore out his original knees because of the many incidents in the past, such as falling off his roof twice.

Congratulations Jeff! Senior citizen and military
veteran from Mesa, receives certification for 1st
degree black belt in Shorin-Ryu karate and
kobudo. Presented by Soke Hausel in
November, 2021. 

We have students with bad backs. These include our ER-socialite and also a professor from Grand Canyon University who injured his spine in a car accident years ago. Not so long ago, we also had and a cowgirl-retired school teacher from Jackson Wyoming who fell off a horse and tripped over an apparatus while teaching self-defense to a senior group in the Apache Junction area. Then we have another female black belt from Mesa, who has a bad back, knees and neck, but Soke watches over her like a hawk.

So, you may get the impression the members of this hombu dojo are all seniors who can barely get out of bed. Not so, all purportedly jump out of bed and keep in relatively good shape through karate and kobudo training a few nights each week. But, for those who have children and grand-children, soke allows them to sign up their offspring at no extra charge, and train with their parent or grandparent. He believes that karate families stay together. And then, we also have some members who recently graduated from college.

Some of our more outstanding seniors include a sensei (3rd degree black belt) who passed away at the age of 72 a few years ago from cancer. Until that day, he was at the dojo as often as he could, but had physical problems acquired as a pilot in the Air Force. Some years ago, he had took a month off of training to have open-heart surgery. Typically, it would take months before such a person could return to karate; but sensei Borea was back in the dojo a month later. So, if anything, karate makes people more healthy and more tough than the average person!

Dr. Sigalov (shodan) at UW karate.
At this point, Dr. Sigalov was in his
late 70s, and believe it or not, he was
by far the fastest karate ka in the 
UW group, and also had tremendous
strength!

Another outstanding member was professor of linguistics at the University of Wyoming. He trained under soke for years, earned a 1st degree black belt, and trained while in his late 70s and early 80s. He originally was a professor in Estonia behind the Iron Curtain, but left the USSR after applying to immigrate. He was placed under house arrest simply for applying to leave, taken to court 6 years later, and then told by the judge to leave the USSR and never return. We were very happy to get him at the University of Wyoming.

Soke: now a senior citizen who trained in Okinawa and Japanese martial arts his entire life, trained under a few of the best martial arts instructors in the world, began martial arts in kyokushinkai karate (full contact). Today, he continues training in shorin-ryu karate as well as other arts. He keeps training in martial arts and did much of his past when he had a full-schedule of geological research at the Wyoming Geological Survey, University of Wyoming, as well as private consulting projects around the country. How can one person do so much? According to soke, he has been blessed by God.

University of Wyoming Shorin-Ryu Karate, 1999

Soke with hanshi Watson and kyoshi
Stoneking from the Utah Shoran-Kai. Hanshi 
Watson (left) began training in karate at about 
the same time as soke. I am so thankful to have
these people in Utah. May God bless them!

So, if you want to stay healthy, take up traditional martial arts and keep practicing (don't stop). 

Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai hombu photo, 2019, just before the pandemic.