Imagine, a grandfather who breaks rocks with his hands and elbow and even with his head! This grandfather lives in Gilbert, Arizona. After 50 years in traditional martial arts, Grandmaster Hausel of Gilbert still practices 5 to 6 days a week and teaches classes three days a week. He not only practices Okinawan Karate, but also learned other martial arts and is now certified in 23 martial arts including kobudo (Okinawan art of weapons), kobujutsu (samurai arts) and even jujutsu. Fifty years ago, Grandmaster Hausel was playing in a teenage rock n’ roll band when the group decided to sign up at a local karate school for classes because long hair was not popular. In 1964, if one had long hair, people would actually try to restrain the person and cut their hair. So the group had to learn to defend themselves. Even his high school administration tried to keep those with long hair from graduating. He was bullied and discriminated against, so he took matters in his own hands, so to speak. It was a different time in 1964. Bullying was encouraged. When asked how he was able to handle bullying. He responded, “I highly recommend it. It required people to learn to stand for themselves, unlike today, where adults cry if they do not get a second napkin, our society has really wimped out over the past couple of decades”. Soke Hausel, martial arts Grandmaster and Professor of Budo (martial arts) from Gilbert recounts 50 years of martial arts this year. The Hall-of-Fame martial artist began training when karate training was brutal. Even so, he elected to continue training in martial arts for the rest of his life. Martial arts should be a lifelong commitment. It is not a fling. When a person chooses to be a Christian for life, so should a person choose to be for martial artist for life. Traditional martial arts also provide opportunities for people to earn rank, rather than sign a 2-year contract and receive a 2nd degree black belt no matter if you can defend yourself or not. Martial arts is about having to earn everything in life as well as being part of a martial arts family! “Personally, I feel like a 30-year-old in a 60 year old body. I have more power and more acceleration in my punches, kicks and blocks than at any other time in my life. Martial arts have kept me healthy” 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. And, he indicates, his son, daughter and grandsons are all proficient in martial arts.