INSTRUCTORS
FOUNDER
WILLIAM RIVARD
Although he no longer resides in Brownwood, we must include a note about our Founder, Sensei William Rivard.
Sensei Will began his training in the art of Kaju Bujutsu Kai at age eight under the instruction of Bob Brewer at the Brownwood Boys and Girls Club. It was there that he received his Shodan in 1999. This instruction was given free of charge and was formative in his philosophy regarding the sharing of the arts, and the cultivation of a familial bond within the dojo.
He continued to train diligently throughout his teen years, and in 2004 traveled to Denver, Colorado to train at the system's Hombu Dojo. It was there, under the instruction of the system's founder, Soke Robert Rapue, that he was deemed ready for advancement, and was awarded his Yondan.
Sensei Rivard continued to teach at the KBK Martial Arts Academy before striking out on his own in 2008, and after several years of study and refinement, founded the Chouwa No Uchi Dojo and began teaching his own Kaju Bujutsu Kai method.
Sensei Will is the founder of Chouwa No Uchi dojo, and the most skilled technician among the instructors.
SENSEI
AARON BOWEN
Sensei Aaron Bowen began his studies of the martial arts at age eleven under the tutelage of Andrew Tuttle in Santiago, Chile. For many years after he moved back to the United States with his family, he received little formal training, but did engage in as much free practice and friendly sparring against as many practitioners of diverse styles as he could. It was in this way that he met Sensei Will, who took an interest in him and his fighting ability, and invited him to be a part of his newly founded dojo.
A high-school English and Communications teacher, Sensei Aaron is the educational director of the Dojo, and oversees the planning of lessons across the curriculum.
SENSEI
SARAH BOWEN
A native of Brownwood, and a graduate of Abilene Christian University, Sensei Sarah Bowen has trained in the martial arts since 2013, when she joined Chouwa No Uchi Dojo with her husband, Aaron. Showing an admirable commitment to the discipline, she continued to train even when adequate facilities were unavailable, and she was forced to learn out of the family garage while pregnant with their first child. In August of 2017, Sensei Will awarded her the rank of Shodan. Further, it was at the urging and through the vigilant eye, of Sensei Sarah that resulted in the ultimate purchase of Chouwa No Uchi Dojo's Coggin facility, opening up the art of Kaju-Bujutsu Kai to a much wider range of students.
Sensei Sarah is the business manager of the Dojo.