Craig Hocker
Instructor - Houston Ki Society


In 2000, Dr. Hocker founded the Houston Ki Society. He believes in the benefits of Ki Aikido teaching methods for students of all levels and hopes that HKS will continue to grow and fulfill the mission of bringing Ki Society training to the Houston area.

He began aikido at Blue Ridge Ki Society (BRKS) in January 1993 under Jonathan Doner Sensei and George Simcox Shihan while teaching at the University of Virginia. Discovering a new life-long passion he was soon training intensely five or more times a week. In September 1995, Dr. Hocker joined the teaching staff at BRKS. He continued teaching classes weekly and training intensely many times a week until his departure to Houston.
From 1997 to 1999, he taught over a hundred beginning students in the University of Virginia aikido intramural course.

He served as a board member of the Virginia Ki Society and as secretary and vice-president consectively at BRKS. Through the years he has cross-trained in various martial arts (judo, karate, taichi, Systema) and many other styles of aikido.

Dr. Hocker also is founder of the Houston San Shin Kai which is a school for learning the traditional Japanese sword art of Muso Shinden Ryu (Iaido) under Roger Wehrhahn Shihan, San Shin Kai Chief Instructor for North America. Dr. Hocker is the only approved instructor of MSR Iaido for the San Shin Kai in Texas. While in Virginia, he studied intensely for six years under Brian Kelley Sensei (Yondan (SHK), Kelley Sensei began Muso Shinden Ryu in 1980 taking classes with Mitsunari Kanai Sensei in Boston at the New England Aikikai when Mitsuzuka Sensei was regularly invited from Japan by Kanai Sensei to teach in Massachusetts). After moving to Houston, he continued his training under Wehrhahn Shihan by traveling to the East coast and bringing Wehrhahn Shihan to Houston for seminars.

"I feel extremely fortunate to have started my training with such fine teachers as Jon Doner Sensei and Brian Kelley Sensei at Blue Ridge Ki Society. I am very grateful to them and the many other great teachers I have had the privilege of meeting and learning from. There are many fine examples that I try my best to live up to."

Domo Arrigato Gozaimasu
- see you all on the mat! -- Craig

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