ADULT Martial Arts Classes - Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Phoenix

Yokoso!

Welcome to the Arizona Hombu dojo on the border of Gilbert and Mesa, just a mile from Chandler, 15 minutes from Arizona State University and 5 minutes from Mesa Community College.

This School of Traditional Martial Arts in Mesa is an adult and family martial arts school and international training center for members of Seiyo Kai International.

Traditional Karate is the same martial art taught for hundreds of years on Okinawa and different from the sport karate that evolved in the past 60 years and MMA that recently followed the footsteps of sport martial arts in the last decade. The difference? If you saw the Karate Kid movie in 1984, you should know the difference. Traditional Shorin-Ryu Karate is similar to the Miyagi-Ryu Karate portrayed in the movie; and the Cobra Kai - well, that's similar to MMA and many sport karate groups. In traditional karate, we consider tradition, lineage and proper certification to be very significant - something that is lacking in sport.

Adult Karate Classes at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate, Gilbert, Mesa

At the East Valley dojo, students learn kihon (basics) and training will focus on stances, movement, blocks, kicks, punches. In Okinawan karate, about 95% of techniques use hands rather than kicks. Often techniques are practiced as shadow boxing to teach muscle memory, and other times the students train a partner. This is where an adult martial arts school is important. You don't have to worry about some 3-year old kicking you in the shins (or other inappropriate places). Families are seen training at the dojo in the adult classes and all parents train with their own children. This provides very good bonding for parents and their children.

Heather  trains with Charles using nunchaku for self-defens

At the school, considerable kata known as forms are taught. Kata is the heart of karate. These are like Oriental dances that self-teach and provide a living encyclopedia of martial arts techniques. As students learn kata (more than 70 kata are taught in Seiyo-Shorin-Ryu), they also learn bunkai (pragmatic self-defense applications) to the kata. Only three people know all of the kata in the Seiyo Shorin-Ryu system: Soke Hausel, Hanshi Andy Finley and Dai Shihan Neal Adam. 

Students also learn samurai arts including the use of a samurai sword, a naginata (polearm), hanbo, samurai bo, Okinawan spear, restraints, and jujutsu. Then there is the martial arts weapons known as kobudo. Dozens of weapons are taught to students which is considered to be part of Okinawan Karate. So, when one signs up for karate, not only do they learn karate, but they are also taught a variety of other martial arts.

Married couples train at the Arizona School
of Traditional Karate. Sensei Paula Borea (of Japanese
samurai lineage) works her husband over, Sensei Bill
Borea during class. These classes taught by Soke Hausel
have brought many couples together over the years.

2003 Shorin-Ryu Clinic at the University of Wyoming with Professor Hausel (front, 6th from the left) and Tadashi Yamashita (front, 8th from the left).

1996 International Martial Arts clinic at the University of Wyoming - Dai Soke Sacharnoski sits in front, center. Sensei
Hausel is standing in the far left back.

Visitors from a Karate Team from India at the Arizona Hombu

Adult Karate in the Phoenix East Valley

Two of our favorite people - Sensei Paula Borea with
Sensei Bill Borea. These two recently made the news on
Fox 10 when they were both promoted to nidan black belt
This may not sound too unusual, but they are married,
trained in Japan prior to moving to Mesa, and they are
also karate grandparents! 

In the East Valley of Phoenix, the Arizona School of Traditional Karate (also the world headquarters for Seiyo-Kai Shorin-Ryu Karate & Kobudo), welcomes (yokoso!) visitors to its traditional school (dojo). 

The Arizona School of Traditional Karate is a traditional Okinawan karate school with typical Japanese decor including ikebana.



Dr. Teule trains with Elaine 

We are always excited about our new students and we tend to attract bright and personable students - our world organization probably has more PhDs per ca pita training in martial arts than any other martial arts association. But we also have students from a large variety of backgrounds.

So our new martial arts students are greeted by everyone in the club. You will find everyone will want to help you on your journey in the martial arts - this is just part of martial arts training. You will make new friends, learn martial arts with considerable power, but you will find yourself laughing and enjoying yourself as you train with your uke (partner). We are serious about martial arts, but also have a good time learning. So at the Arizona Hombu, your martial arts instructor will be either Professor Hausel, 12th dan, Dr. Neal Adam, 7th dan, Sensei Paula Borea (2nd dan), Sensei Bill Borea (3nd dan) Sensei Ryan Harden (2nd dan), Sensei Patrick Scofield (2nd dan) or Senpai A. Pillow (1st dan).

The majority of our classes are geared towards teaching adults in self-defense and the traditional art of Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo, but we also teach Japanese samurai arts and cater to families. The family that kicks together stays together. 



Members of Utah Shorin-Kai train at the Arizona Hombu

Members of the Utah Shorin-Kai have visited out dojo every year from 2009 to the present (2015) for an annual spring clinic.

We have also had clinics for non-martial artists to learn self-defense at our school in Mesa. People who attended this public clinic learned to use their knees, elbows and even car keys for self-defense. 

Another clinic was taught in Gillette, Wyoming to Seiyo Kai International members from Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. This clinic focused on the Okinawan Yari (spear) and Kotekitae (body hardening). This clinic is only open to members of Seiyo Kai International.

This was to be followed by a clinic from the Police DAV karate team from India. However, bureaucrats at the US Embassy in New Delhi would not provide visas to these high school students. Over the past few years we have had cancellations from this part of the world many times simply because some bureaucrat at the embassy exercises his right to be a bureaucrat and not providing visas to legitimate martial arts groups for no reason. 

Dai-Soke Eric Hausel with Soke Hausel at the Hombu in Mesa 

Training in Gojushiho kata at Mesa

Rob Watson, Kyoshi, 8th dan, practices kata self-defense applications at the Arizona dojo.