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DAVID WILSON
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David Wilson
Life Member - United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) ®
Life Member - USA Traditional Kodokan Judo (USA-TKJ) ®
Member - USJJF & USA-TKJ National Technical & Promotion Committee
Member - USA JU-JITSU ® Senior Masters Caucus
David Wilson began his study of Traditional Japanese Jujutsu in 1999 under Sensei Archie Foster in Laurel, MS, after a nearly fatal service-connected motorcycle accident in 1992 left him without a functioning left leg and in severe chronic pain. He studied there for one year before moving to Baton Rouge, LA when his wife graduated college.
In 2002, David began training with Sensei Robert Carver in Baton Rouge at the Heiwashinkai dojo. His knee had deteriorated to the point where he could only train for two out of the three days of class per week or he would be unable to leave his bed due to pain and weakness, so he made the decision at the young age of 33 to have his knee totally replaced after six months of training.
The new knee, combined with thrice-weekly jujutsu sessions, weight training, and a regimen of low-carb Paleo eating and lifestyle changes, allowed David to lose 80 lbs and become physically fit once more. He continued to study with Sensei Carver, earning his Shodan in 2006 and his Nidan in 2008. In 2013, his wife was offered a job in her hometown of Gautier, Mississippi, so David and his family moved just north of there to Vancleave. In recognition of his dedication and ability, Sensei Carver promoted him to Sandan in 2014.
As Sensei Carver had eschewed the commercial dojo model, preferring to teach out of YMCAs to keep costs minimal, David continued this philosophy when he moved to South Mississippi, teaching out of other dojos, gyms, and vacant spaces which allowed him to teach for donations rather than mandatory fees. This was not without its share of problems, since it clashed with the owners of the space and their desire for remuneration. Thus, in 2019, David found himself and his students training in his three-car garage with no air conditioning. Three times a week, he would pull out the cars, sweep off the floor, pull out the mats, teach class, and then reverse the process two hours later.
With encouragement from his wife, David decided to build himself a dojo there on his property in Vancleave. During the process, it was suggested to him by their local county supervisor that he should pursue the formation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which would help their goal of instructing other disabled veterans, special needs kids and adults, and law enforcement officers, using a donations model rather than charging fees. They did so, and received their IRS determination letter in December of 2019 as a full-fledged charitable nonprofit organization.
Two and a half years later, the dojo building stands near completion. They began teaching out of it in January 2020, just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic to shut down all martial arts schools in the US. They closed their doors in March, continuing construction, and reopened in June of that year observing sensible sanitary procedures such as UV disinfectant lighting, hand sanitizers, routine mat cleaning, and screening of students at the door.
In 2017, David Wilson was awarded his Yondan and Senior Instructor certificate from Sensei Carver and the USJJF. He is currently working with the VA Hospital in Biloxi to develop a distance learning program for their disabled veterans to learn jujutsu on-site while they wait for COVID restrictions to be lifted, after which they will begin bussing vets to his dojo for free weekly classes to help them with their rehabilitation. His nonprofit organization, Heiwashinkai Jujutsu, Inc, remains largely unfunded due to COVID’s effect on philanthropy, so he pays all expenses out of his own disability income. He continues to offer three classes of jujutsu a week to all those with a thirst for knowledge.
Sensei Wilson's Contact info: [email protected]
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HeiwashinkaiMS/photos/?ref=page_internal
Life Member - United States Ju-Jitsu Federation (USJJF) ®
Life Member - USA Traditional Kodokan Judo (USA-TKJ) ®
Member - USJJF & USA-TKJ National Technical & Promotion Committee
Member - USA JU-JITSU ® Senior Masters Caucus
David Wilson began his study of Traditional Japanese Jujutsu in 1999 under Sensei Archie Foster in Laurel, MS, after a nearly fatal service-connected motorcycle accident in 1992 left him without a functioning left leg and in severe chronic pain. He studied there for one year before moving to Baton Rouge, LA when his wife graduated college.
In 2002, David began training with Sensei Robert Carver in Baton Rouge at the Heiwashinkai dojo. His knee had deteriorated to the point where he could only train for two out of the three days of class per week or he would be unable to leave his bed due to pain and weakness, so he made the decision at the young age of 33 to have his knee totally replaced after six months of training.
The new knee, combined with thrice-weekly jujutsu sessions, weight training, and a regimen of low-carb Paleo eating and lifestyle changes, allowed David to lose 80 lbs and become physically fit once more. He continued to study with Sensei Carver, earning his Shodan in 2006 and his Nidan in 2008. In 2013, his wife was offered a job in her hometown of Gautier, Mississippi, so David and his family moved just north of there to Vancleave. In recognition of his dedication and ability, Sensei Carver promoted him to Sandan in 2014.
As Sensei Carver had eschewed the commercial dojo model, preferring to teach out of YMCAs to keep costs minimal, David continued this philosophy when he moved to South Mississippi, teaching out of other dojos, gyms, and vacant spaces which allowed him to teach for donations rather than mandatory fees. This was not without its share of problems, since it clashed with the owners of the space and their desire for remuneration. Thus, in 2019, David found himself and his students training in his three-car garage with no air conditioning. Three times a week, he would pull out the cars, sweep off the floor, pull out the mats, teach class, and then reverse the process two hours later.
With encouragement from his wife, David decided to build himself a dojo there on his property in Vancleave. During the process, it was suggested to him by their local county supervisor that he should pursue the formation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which would help their goal of instructing other disabled veterans, special needs kids and adults, and law enforcement officers, using a donations model rather than charging fees. They did so, and received their IRS determination letter in December of 2019 as a full-fledged charitable nonprofit organization.
Two and a half years later, the dojo building stands near completion. They began teaching out of it in January 2020, just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic to shut down all martial arts schools in the US. They closed their doors in March, continuing construction, and reopened in June of that year observing sensible sanitary procedures such as UV disinfectant lighting, hand sanitizers, routine mat cleaning, and screening of students at the door.
In 2017, David Wilson was awarded his Yondan and Senior Instructor certificate from Sensei Carver and the USJJF. He is currently working with the VA Hospital in Biloxi to develop a distance learning program for their disabled veterans to learn jujutsu on-site while they wait for COVID restrictions to be lifted, after which they will begin bussing vets to his dojo for free weekly classes to help them with their rehabilitation. His nonprofit organization, Heiwashinkai Jujutsu, Inc, remains largely unfunded due to COVID’s effect on philanthropy, so he pays all expenses out of his own disability income. He continues to offer three classes of jujutsu a week to all those with a thirst for knowledge.
Sensei Wilson's Contact info: [email protected]
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HeiwashinkaiMS/photos/?ref=page_internal
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