Our Staff
Learn more about the staff at Midwest Academy. We are proud to offer expert instruction with some of the most experienced teachers in the region.
|
|
David Hakim
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academy, began his martial arts training over three decades ago. He is both a practitioner and teacher of the Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu system who has studied and received teaching sanction under the art's premier master teachers — Roland Roemer and Dan Pauley. David is currently recognized as a "Godan" ("5th-degree black belt") and was one of the youngest teachers to be qualified as a "Shihan" ("Master Teacher") of the art. David also has experience and teaching authority in various Chinese, Japanese, Israeli, Indonesian, Filipino, and Brazilian martial arts, including teaching license in Modern Arnis de Mano (Remy Presas lineage) and Gracie Combatives (Rener Gracie).
|
David is Program Lead for the Academy's Firearms-Combatives-Program (FCP), a unique kinesiology-based firearms training program. He also brings his own military and law enforcement professional experiences — where he has served those communities as a combat veteran, special operations leader, and senior trainer — to the Academy.
In addition to being known for his pragmatic approach to martial arts and combatives training, David regularly writes, speaks, and conducts personal and leadership development training for a number of groups inside and outside the Academy. His approach to the topic is drawn from a base of formal education, training, and personal experience, including multiple postgraduate master's degrees related to the topic and deeply personal experience recovering from traumatic and catastrophic injury.
David is a member of the Seizan Ryu Advisory Board, an organization headquartered at the Colorado Academy of Martial Arts, which ensures the current and future integrity of Seizan Ryu schools. He is known, both in the martial arts and law enforcement special operations communities, as being a versatile, well-rounded instructor who blends traditional martial training with a practical and progressive approach.
|
|
John Bump
John has over 30 years of experience studying Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujitsu and Modern Arnis under Roland Roemer and Dan Pauley. He holds high technical and teaching licenses and credentials in those disciples. In addition, he has studied Judo, Hapkido, Isshin Ryu Karate, and various other arts. He is the Training Director at the Midwest Academy where regularly mentors the instructor cadre. John also has a bachelor's degree in security management and a master's degree in military history.
|
John is the FCP Co-Lead, and he co-instructs the FCP with David Hakim. He is instructor-certified under Paul Howe as both a CSAT Tactical Rifle and Tactical Pistol Instructor. John filters his firearms instruction through multiple perspectives, including eight years of military service in the US Army's famed 82nd Airborne Division and as a contemporary daily concealed weapon carrier. In addition to military and CSAT training, he has also graduated from numerous other tactical firearms schools, including H&K Academy, Blackwater Training Center, ESI Advanced Protection Course, and others. He is recognized as an expert in training management and curriculum design, having applied those skills regularly at the Department of Energy and in corporate management positions.
|
|
David Anderson Sensei
David Anderson Sensei began his martial arts training in 1991. David has developed a strong background in several fighting systems, including Chinese and Brazilian martial arts. He occasionally trained in Seizan Ryu, starting in the late 1990s, but began a formal training regimen in the system under David Hakim Sensei in 2008. He is currently a member of the Midwest Academy's cadre and has teaching authority, with tenure, in the Seizan Ryu system as an instructor of both the Unarmed Defense and Impact/Edged Weapons Programs.
|
David Anderson Sensei has earned a Master's of Science in management and organizational behavior/organizational development (MS MOB/OD). His academic background, along with his years of leadership, partnership, and mentoring experience, add value to the student experience at the Academy. He uses this experience to guide program implementation and staff development in his role as the Academy's operations manager.
David Anderson Sensei has been a Law Enforcement professional for over 25 years. He also soldiered in the US Army in infantry scout and military intelligence units and served in the US Army National Guard. His military and law enforcement backgrounds, along with years of Seizan Ryu experience, facilitate students' growth and understanding of the system with particular regard to the practical applications of martial arts training.
Program Leads* & Senior Teachers
*Program Leads are authorized to do long-term curriculum planning for classes.
|
|
Gilbert Chavez Sensei
Gilbert Chavez Sensei began his martial arts journey under Master J. Culin, earning a black belt and teacher sanction in Tae Kwon Do. His journey then led him to study Krav Maga at the Austin Self Defense School, where he received rank under Dan Kiser. Additionally, he studied Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) for several years, receiving rank under Grandmaster J. Delaney and Professor L. McManus. He has been studying Seizan Ryu since 2007 and has teaching authority, with tenure, in Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu as an Unarmed Defense Program Lead and Modern Arnis de Mano as an Impact/Edged Weapons Program Lead. He is the senior Program Lead at the Academy.
|
In addition to a diverse martial arts training background, Gilbert is also a graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU) and has years of experience in small business management, personnel development, and curriculum design, planning, and implementation. He has a unique gift for not only imparting the physical skills associated with the Seizan Ryu system, but also the mental and emotional aspects of the art.
|
|
Adam Kasle Sensei
Adam Kasle Sensei began training in Seizan Ryu in 1993 under David Hakim Sensei. He has been a member of the Midwest Academy cadre since 2009 and has teaching authority, with tenure, in Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu as an Unarmed Defense Program Lead and Impact/Edged Weapons Instructor.
By way of profession, Adam is a chemical engineer and holds a BSChE from Northwestern University. He has been in the refining industry for almost 25 years.
|
Adam's strong science background, his years of Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu technical training, and his teaching experience, are a unique combination that facilitates students' learning. Among students, he is known for his strong analytical mind, problem-solving skills, and systematic teaching style that not only gives students' the "right answer" to their questions but also teaches them how to find their own "right answers."
|
|
Christopher Brozik Sensei
Christopher Brozik Sensei began his martial arts training as a youth studying Isshinryu Karate-Do. As a young man, Chris soldiered domestically and overseas as a member of the US Army's 17th PsyOps Special Operations Group under the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). After leaving the military, he began studying Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu and Modern Arnis de Mano under David Hakim Sensei. He is a "plank owner" in the Academy's Firearms-Combatives Program (FCP) and serves as the FCP Program Coordinator as well as a Seizan Ryu Unarmed Defense and Impact/Edged Weapons Instructor.
|
By way of profession, Chris is a supervisor for the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad, where he began as an electrician. UP recognized his skill in mentoring junior tradesmen early in his career — an attribute that he sees as an extension of his role as a teacher and mentor in the martial arts. In addition to being a husband and father, Chris takes a personal interest in every student he teaches, considering them part of his "extended family."
|
|
Don Kluemper Sensei
Don Kluemper Sensei began his formal martial arts training in 1986 studying several martial arts including, among others, Korean, Japanese, and American kickboxing. He is recognized as having black belt rankings in Tae Kwon Do (1st degree) and Go Ju Ryu Karate (3rd degree). In 2010, he began training in Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu and Modern Arnis de Mano under David Hakim Sensei. He has earned black belt ranking in the Seizan Ryu system and is an Academy instructor within both the Unarmed Defense and Impact/Edged Weapons Programs.
|
By way of profession, Don has earned a Ph.D. in Business Management. He serves on the management faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). In addition, he is the Director of the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development (iLEAD) at the University.
Don's passion for teaching, mentoring, scientific discovery, and personal improvement has guided his identity as both a scholar and martial artist. Students fortunate enough to learn from Don cannot help but be inspired, motivated, and energized by his personal passion for learning and facilitating other's success.
Regular Guest Teachers
|
|
Roland S. Roemer — Colorado Academy of Martial Arts (CAMA)
Founder, Director, Weapons Program Lead Teacher
Roland founded CAMA in 1988 and has been teaching since 1967. He has obtained advanced degrees and teacher accreditation in eight martial arts systems. Additionally, he holds a Master of Arts degree in education.
Advice to Students: Being a martial artist is equally about traits such as emotional resilience, mental toughness, and a passion for constant learning, as it is about physical prowess. If you conduct yourself as a warrior and a scholar, the world will provide you with everything you need, and probably everything you desire. Ultimately, they are the same thing.
|
|
|
Daniel C. Pauley Sensei
Daniel C. Pauley Sensei began his formal martial arts training in 1972. He has studied Isshinryu Karate-Do, Chi-Lin (Kirin) Kempo, Modern Arnis-Eskrima, Kodokan Judo, and western boxing in addition to his heavy involvement in the Seizan Ryu Kempo-Jujutsu. He's attained teaching credentials in many of those arts, as well as advanced instructor's recognition in modern firearms training methods.
Daniel is recognized as "Renshi" within the Seizan Ryu system — a position he earned along with a "6th-degree black belt" in 1998. Pauley Sensei is the director at the Anaguma Dojo in Southwestern Colorado.
|
A 30-year career in Law Enforcement, military-contracting, and security-training assignments has given him an appreciation for realistic, simple, and pragmatic training methods. These methods allow students to gain a strong training base, identifying what is important to them while filtering out distractions.
