Breaking Rocks - Arizona Martial Arts Instructor, Geologist & Author Loves to Teach

Gilbert geologist and author, has had his share of breaking rocks with his bare hands, or with a rock hammer while searching for gold, diamonds, or colored (fancy) gemstones. 

He found dozens of deposits (sapphire, peridot, diamond, garnet, diopside, opal, the largest known iolite gems in the world, and possibly the largest iolite deposit in the world. He still thinks about that one gem he left in a rock outcrop in Wyoming: estimated to be the size of a smart car! Imagine wearing that on a necklace.

In-between mapping old mines, and a few hundred square-miles of complex geological terrain, the Arizona scientist published more than 1,000 professional papers, magazine articles, books, blogs, abstracts and geological maps. Being an author takes considerable time, and leaves him with little time to do anything else: well, not actually. He's a workaholic. In the past, he was a professional musician, artist, astronomer, and public speaker. In recent years, miracles have attracted his attention, and now he delves into Biblical archaeology and explores the science behind artifacts in the Bible. 

Back to breaking rocks! When teaching students to break rocks in martial arts classes and clinics, he also educates them in rock identification. 

When not breaking rocks with a rock hammer, Soke
uses his hands to break rocks at the Arizona
Hombu dojo in Mesa

Nearly two dozen Halls-of-Fame inducted him in the past and he is a Who's Who in Martial Arts. But he is not a fighter! Instead, he is a martial arts teacher. 

As a teacher, he taught hundreds of students at ASU, UNM, U of U, and University of Wyoming. Even though he accomplished a lot in his life in human terms, he thanks God for all of his blessings and for God's grace.

Teaching students to break rocks in front of the geology
department at the University
of Wyoming.

Demonstrating body hardening at a basketball game halftime with third
degree black belt Donnette Gillispie.

Ouch! Sensei Hausel

demonstrates body hardening (Juko Ryu

jujutsu) at halftime at the University

of Wyoming before a sellout crowd.

Valley University Professor Receives Martial Arts Promotion

Dr. Neal Adam promoted to shichidan (7th degree black belt) 
by Soke Hausel. Few martial arts sensei are as
creative and dedicated as Kyoshi Adam. We all have a great
time training with him at the Arizona Hombu.

On Thursday, May 26th, 2016, Dr. Neal Adam of Phoenix, Arizona was promoted to one of the highest ranking members of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai after demonstrating karate (empty hand) and kobudo (ancient traditional Okinawa weapons) along with developing new bunkai (pragmatic applications) for kata. Dr. Adam was promoted to 7th dan (7th degree black belt) and awarded the honorary title of Kyoshi. It is extremely rare for anyone to achieve such a high rank in a traditional martial art. It is estimated that less than 1% of martial artists ever reach such a high level of expertise. In Seiyo Shorin-Ryu it is even more uncommon as less than 0.1% of members have ever been promoted to such a high rank of expertise. 

Possibly more significant is that only two people: Andy Finley from Casper, Wyoming and Neal Adam from Phoenix, Arizona remain in the running to receive certification for Menkyo Kaiden - a license of total understanding of the Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo martial art. 

Old photo of Dr. Adam at the University of Wyoming. Kneeling on the left. Photo taken about 1990.

Few people are as ethical as Dr. Adam and he is a very important representative of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai. His integrity exudes in martial arts, his daily life, his religion and in his profession as a professor at Grand Canyon University. Soke Hausel, the grandmaster of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai expressed his admiration for Dr. Adam, "I feel lucky to have him as a long time student of mine. He first joined my organization at the University of Wyoming more than 25 years ago while working on a post doc in the UW Agricultural Department.

Dr. Adam (far right) at the Arizona Hombu dojo, Mesa Arizona

Ok, is he from Hooker, OK, or did he decide to take
up a new profession?

Dr. Adam demonstrates a kata for professors he created and demonstrated at the dojo
The kata is known as the Nerd Kata.

Dr. Adam training in Kobudo at the Arizona
Hombu dojo

Dr. Adam entertains members of the Arizona Hombu Dojo with his interpretation
of Nebraskan kobudo 

Karate training at the Hombu dojo, Gilbert, Arizona. Kyoshi Adam with
Sensei Bill Borea

Hands up!

Okinawan kobudo is about applying martial arts techniques
to tools - Here, Dr. Adam demonstrates the use of a modern
hoe, known as kuwa in the Okinawan language.