Kaju AZ Celebrates Two Wonderful Years!

(Kaju AZ students sign the mirror before the demolition!)

It’s been an emotional few days for me. Being the Head Instructor has been fun, challenging and I have loved working more closely with all our wonderful students. But I miss Sifu and Mr. Nic (and I know many of you feel the same way!). Sifu had a few minutes of cell service atop of Mt. Baldy earlier this week – his first question was how was the dojo! He expressed how much he misses not only being in class but seeing all our students in action.

August 1st marks our 2-year anniversary. It is funny that two years ago at this time we were creating the dojo over a 4-day weekend.

Sifu and I started Kaju AZ because of our passion about the positive impact martial arts has had on our lives and those around us. It continues to be a labor of love and we had no idea how much joy we would have from this adventure! We love and appreciate each of our students. Each of you brings a unique energy to the dojo. We especially love the family feel of our dojo – a true Ohana – and hope you all feel it too.

Our third year is going to be so exciting! Our 3,200 total square feet has been 6 months in the making! We have increased the number of classes, added Pit conditioning classes (for our students and the public) and specialized training classes, made personal training available and maybe most importantly – added another bathroom! We are excited that we can accommodate even more friends and families at our tests!

Our first black belt test and promotion will be during our third year. We hope to continue to focus on serving our community through self-defense clinics and seminars as well as service projects. We look forward to new training opportunities and learning and sharing more knowledge with everyone. We hope to see many new faces and students at Kaju AZ. We know that our next year will be filled with successes – as a dojo and as individuals – and it is exciting!

Allow me to take this opportunity to say: THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts – from Sifu, Simou, Mr. Nic and Cameron – for bringing joy, love and fun into our lives. It’s an honor and pleasure to work with each of you! Happy Anniversary, Kaju AZ!

Simou Jen

The Ripple Effect of Service Can Be Felt Now and Later

Sifu and Mr. Nic left this morning for Philmont scout ranch. It’s a great, often life-changing experience offered through the Boy Scouts of America, a fantastic organization. They will be hiking about 125 miles over 10 days. On some days, they change elevation in a range of 5,000 feet. They will get rain, heat, follow the strict rules of no-impact hiking, eat a lot of crackers and cheese (these items don't weigh much) and live within a bear triangle every night.

This will be the fourth time that Sifu has made this trip since 1999. The hardest part is that he is totally cut off – no phones or email – and away from his businesses and family. The leaders pay their own way and usually miss at least two weeks of work. Sifu is thrilled that he can finally take his son on this trip which often turns teenagers into men as they leave the world behind and get back to basic survival and beauty of the outdoors.

Sifu and I are often asked “Why they heck would do you do this? Why do you spend the money? How can you sacrifice your work and family time?” The answer is simple: performing a service to others has huge payoffs, both immediate and in the future. I am reminded of a title of a book I read recently (and highly recommend): “It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men," and this this one of the real benefits that services to others has to offer our community.

Service to others is so important and so often ignored as we focus on ourselves and our own problems in our daily lives. Sometimes it is so hard to think about someone else and their needs when ours seem so overwhelming. This is precisely the time that we must remember to help someone else! Nothing gives us better perspective, understanding and focus than service to others.

I am not saying that one must desert your family and head to the mountains of New Mexico! Little things have big payouts too! A helping hand pulling weeds, a meal for a busy family, an hour of babysitting…these are simple things that that mean a lot to others. We receive the added benefit of feeling good about doing something good.

Kaju AZ would not be the awesome dojo that it is today without the helping hands of many people! The initial build-out, the ongoing remodeling, rides to and from the dojo, teaching in class, picking up meals, polishing the floors, our self-defense clinics and simply introducing your friends and families to Kaju AZ are all examples of service. Know that all your efforts are so appreciated and more importantly, will continue to have an impact many years into the future.

Sifu and I are driven by the positive impact that martial arts has on people. We have the benefit of seeing it in our children who have been training for many many years. We know that each of you will see the same impact on your children and yourselves in the future!

We have such an example in our dojo…Mr. David Booth, better known as Sifu’s right hand man at Redrock Software, Amber’s hubby and Alex and Ryan’s dad. David was on one of the first Philmont trips that Sifu went on. He was a typical teenage boy obsessed with himself and all things that boys like! The service of leaders on his behalf helped make him into the outstanding father, husband, employee, and citizen that he is today. And he definitely pays it forward.

The dojo is closed Thursday, July 24th – August 1st for the remodeling project. We encourage each of you, individually or as a family, to perform a little service over the break. We would love to hear about your efforts and how great it made you feel.

Thank you for your continued service and support of Kaju AZ. Our Ohana is strong and we look forward to many years together!

Simou Jen

Dojo Expansion Has Finally Begun!

We are so pleased to announce that the long awaited dojo expansion (6 months in the making) has begun! Our two neighbors have moved out and the actual tear down and rebuild has started. Thank you to all of those who have signed up to help - we will be in touch. We are excited about our our additional 1,700 square feet, new schedule and expanded offerings! Watch for more progress!

Reflections on Hawaii and Kajukenbo

WOW! The Corder family is back from a whirlwind trip to Hawaii! As I download the 862 pictures (and that was after I organized and discarded), I am having time to reflect on the many aspects of our wonderful trip.

First, thank you to all our students for their support while we were gone. Closing the dojo is always a hard thing for us to do, but this trip was important and valuable to us personally and as a dojo.

It was a real treat to visit Hawaii again. Sifu and I first visited Oahu 20 years ago for our honeymoon. My perspective on so many things changed being a parent and martial artist now, as opposed to the honeymoon-bliss experienced in 1988.


We celebrated the 61st birthday of Kajukenbo by visiting the Palama Settlement. It isn’t a spectacular building but knowing what we knew made it special to us. Sifu and I have had the privilege to visit many historical sites – sites of religious, familial and patriotic significance - all over the world. There is a certain reverence you can feel in these places and we certainly felt it at the Palama Settlement. Imagining the Black Belt Society meeting and piecing together the early material of Kajukenbo, gave us a true appreciation for all that Kaju material we practice.

We spent a day in Maui and visited with Sigung Kailani Koa and Sijo Emperado. Being with Sigung Koa is always awesome as her enthusiasm and joyful spirit spills out of her! She is dedicated to her family and Kajukenbo Ohana and sets an awesome example for all of us to follow.


We brought lunch to Sijo and enjoyed visiting outside with him. At 82 his mind is still sharp although his body aging (getting old stinks!). I am always amazed to see our Kajukenbo leaders’ hands…you can tell they have a history of hard-hitting and training. Sijo has a gentle demeanor in spite of all the hard-core training stories we have heard and read. It was truly an honor to spend time with him.

Our Hawaii visit also included Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. It’s a unique place and maybe it feels even more special to be from Arizona. It was remarkable to me that 37 sets of brothers served and died on the U.S.S. Arizona. As a mother of two brothers, I found that very emotional and I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the soldiers who died and the families left behind. Another amazing fact is that many of the U.S.S. Arizona survivors have had their remains entombed at the memorial. This desire to be with their “brothers in arms” is inspiring. What an incredible example of the Ohana spirit!


When we begin our classes, we salute the flag. This trip to the U.S.S. Arizona reminded me of exactly why this is so important – we all need to strive to show our respect and gratitude to all those who have made it possible for us to practice martial arts freely in our country. What a privilege! In early Hawaii, martial arts were not allowed and the traditions were carried on via Hula dancing. Additionally, women were not even allowed to Hula! How poignant for me to be a female black belt and be able to freely practice Kajukenbo!


Perhaps the pinnacle of our trip was our visit to the island of Kauai, known as the garden island. And that is no joke! It is absolutely beautiful and rural – no high-rises or the mass numbers of people as in Oahu. It was a perfect setting to study Lua with Ôlohe Solomon Kaihewalu. It was a great cultural event as we learned more about Hawaii and Lua and it provided a great boost to see that hard-hitting and really cool self-defense tools! I love the sound of hard hits on gi’s and plan to do more of that at Kaju AZ! (Train Strong to Remain Strong!)


Hawaii was a renewal for Sifu and I and we continue to be excited about the upcoming changes and growth at Kaju AZ! It is an honor to be a part of each of your lives and we are grateful for the opportunities and special relationships!
Humbly,
Simou Jen