Professor Christopher N. Geary                       (Page 2)

"Beside giving us the ability to defend ourselves, martial arts empowers us to have total control over our mind, body & spirit. It enables us to have the confidence and courage to do whatever we need to do in our lives. When taught by a true master, it can be an almost overwhelming form of self expression. Martial arts can give us the tools we need to stand up to any threat or fear and thereby, conquer the self. Nothing worth doing is going to be easy and it won't come to you overnight."

Geary sought out 10th degree black belt Sijo Victor "Sonny" Gascon in 2002 as a historical link to his martial arts lineage. Sijo Gascon is credited with bringing the art of Shaolin Ch'uan Fa from Hawaii to the mainland United States and has been trained throughout his 50 years involvement, by martial arts greats including Adriano Emperado, John Leoning (He played Master Tei in Kung Fu: The Movie) and the legendary David Nuuhiwa 12th Dan.

Sijo Gascon flew from Hawaii to Nebraska in March of 2004 to recognize Geary as a Rokudan (6th degree black belt) in Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu (Kenpo) with the title of Shihan. Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu belt ranking system.

At this time Geary was one of only 12 people ever promoted by Sijo Gascon to 6th degree black belt since he began teaching in 1958.

It was a truly amazing achievement, as 2004 marked Professor Geary's 10th anniversary of teaching.

Because of the historical significance of Sijo Gascon's first visit to Omaha, an official Christopher N. Geary's Shaolin Kempo Karate DVD was created. This DVD has the complete Rokudan promotion ceremony, plus the Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu seminar in Omaha. Also included is a rare Sijo Gascon video interview conducted by Professor Geary on March 13, 2004.

In June 2004, Hanshi Angel celebrated his 50th anniversary in the martial arts. Hanshi Angel, who also trained in Japan under the legendary Gogen Yamaguchi, has schools in 17 states and six foreign countries, from Omaha to Vienna, Austria. To mark this anniversary, a few students of Hanshi Angel's National College of Martial Arts Int'l (NCMA) wanted to test in front of Hanshi Angel and his senior black belts from around the world.

Professor Geary was invited to be a part of this promotional board and was the youngest person selected.

The opportunity allowed Geary to review students of other styles of martial arts from around the country, enabling him to see how other instructors train their students and giving added insight into what to look for in a student to create a better black belt.

Opportunities like this allow Professor Geary to continuously improve himself, his instructors, and the students at Christopher N. Geary's Shaolin Kempo Karate.

Letter of recommendation from Hanshi Lou Angel, September 15, 2004.

On Oct. 16, 2004, Hanshi Angel came to Omaha to promote Geary to the rank of Rokudan (6th degree black belt) in the art of Tenshi Goju Kai. Geary was one out of 20 to achieve this rank or higher in this art. Tenshi Goju Kai is Hanshi Angel's version of Goju-Ryu, the hard and soft system devised by Miyagi, whose Goju-Ryu Karate was featured in The Karate Kid movies. To read more, please visit the Winter 2005 NCMA Newsletter. Tenshi Goju Kai belt ranking system, proclamation.

One of the first things people see as they enter his school are the words "whatever it takes" written in Chinese and mounted between the mirrors on the wall.

"It's symbolic of my honor, which is too often a forgotten word in this world," he says. "Honor, tradition, devotion these used to be what everyone was taught to strive for. Now, they're mostly forgotten words. They are more than just words to me, and we need them now more than ever."

Since he began teaching, Professor Geary has promoted only a few people to the rank of black belt in his art. Earning a black belt is not to be taken lightly, and Geary does not "give them away like candy". A black belt is a symbol of the essence, integrity, and good name of the art/school, as well as the person who wears it.

"Geary is a unique and talented individual; he has succeeded where most would have failed and persevered when others would have quit. It is this ongoing dedication to his dream, his students and himself that inspired me to join his organization. Geary has provided me an unbelievable opportunity to be self-employed in a profession that also happens to be my passion, teaching Shaolin Kempo. Geary genuinely cares about his students and his instructors and is the driving force behind Christopher N. Geary's Shaolin Kempo Karate. He wants the best for his students and their instructors; from the immaculate facilities to the professional website, he continues to provide the best in everything for his organization. Geary has helped to lead me along my path of success with instruction, support and discipline. Overall Geary has been essential in my professional and personal growth".

~ Shawn M. Steiner

Professor Geary is considered Omaha's Kempo/Kenpo authority. He has appeared on local television shows. He is actively involved in the community and has volunteered his time to teach self-defense. He taught a free safety awareness program for children. He has raised money for children's cancer funds.

He recruits quality instructors to act as role models, helping students learn the technique as well as the art, philosophy and history of Shaolin Kempo.

"I feed a little bit of my soul, a little bit of my self, into each of my students," he says. "From the proper technique to the reasoning and history behind it, I want to give each student better piece of mind, enabling them to feel more comfortable with themselves, and ultimately, safer in this increasingly violent world."

His students agree:

"While some martial artists are satisfied to earn a living off the legacy of others whom they've never met, Professor Geary has the credentials for a strong foundation on which to build his own legacy. We have learned the practical use of martial arts in real life situations.

It's not about competition or winning trophies. It's about being able to use what you know to defend yourself against those out to hurt you. It's more than valuable information. It is knowledge that could save your life."