Jerry Offutt

Shihan Jerry Offutt has been involved with the martial arts for the majority of his life. Beginning at a very young age Shihan Offutt, was introduced to art of Boxing in 1963. While in school Shihan Offutt participated in Greco Roman wrestling and kept up with his boxing. After he graduated high school Shihan Offutt started to pursue traditional karate. In 1972 Shihan Offutt enrolled into a Goju Ryu karate class in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

The Goju Ryu class dissolved after a few months, and Shihan Offutt moved on to training in Hapkido. After rigorous training in Hapkido, Shihan Offutt moved to Arkansas and began training in Shotokan Karate in 1976 under Sensei Buddy Treadway.

Sensei Treadway was a top student of Sensei Torajiro Mori, who was a multi-time Japan champion in both Kata and Kumite. After a few years under the tutelage of Sensei Treadway, Shihan Offutt began training with another one of Sensei Mori’s black belts named Sensei Doug Chisam. While training with Sensei Chisam; Shihan Offutt also was a sparring partner several professional kickboxers. Some of these kickboxers include Cedric “the Bull” Rogers, and Lafayette Lawson. Shihan Offutt had a very successful but short-lived professional kickboxing career. He retired from professional kickboxing with an excellent record, and began pursuing the more traditional aspects of Shotokan karate.

Over the years Shihan Offutt has trained with several top instructors in Shotokan karate instructors including Hidetaka Nishiyama and Takayuki Mikami. However, in the early 1990’s Shihan Offutt broke away from the Japan Karate Association to create an organization that would keep strict standards of training and adhere to a curriculum closer to what Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi had set. This organization is named the United Shotokan Association.

In 2001 Shihan Offutt was recognized for his efforts by several Shotokan groups out of Japan, and was awarded the Shihan (or Chief Instructor of an Organization) title by Gichin Funakoshi’s student Ryoichi Fujihara. Sensei Fujihara also had Shihan Offutt recognized by some Shotokan groups in the Tokyo and Yokohama areas and presented Shihan Offutt with the rank of 7th degree Black Belt.

In 2007 Shihan Offutt was promoted to the rank of 8th Degree Black Belt by Shotokan Master Masaki Sato out of Osaka Japan. Later in 2007 Shihan Offutt was recognized again by the Zen Bujitsu Kyokai and registered as an 8th Degree Black Belt by Shorin Ryu Grandmaster Seifuku Nitta out of Chatan Okinawa.

In September of 2007 Shihan Offutt was recognized by the Universal Martial Arts Association and was awarded the title of Grandmaster of the Year for his contributions to the martial arts and his many years of training in traditional Shotokan Karate.

Shihan Offutt has made numerous contributions to the martial arts world over the years. Including working as the president of the Arkansas Karate Circuit, and more recently has been the Arkansas state Chairman of the American Amateur Union (AAU) Karate division.

Email: offutt@universal-martial-arts.org