Navajo karate black belt

A Young Master: Meet Navajo Black Belt Alfred Duchaussee

By Lee AllenWalk softly…and carry a big 3rd degree black belt.

That works for 26-year-old Navajo Karate expert Alfred Duchaussee, currently a psychology student at the University of New Mexico.And:Physically and mentally he challenged himself to improve focus, self-discipline and overall physical conditioning. In striving to be his best, he gained invaluable insights about life and in the process amassed a wall full of accolades: he won England’s Karate World Cup; took the Funakoshi Shotokan Karate International World Championship in his weight class nine times; he was the first American Indian ever to win a World Cup Golf Medal in Dominican Republic competition, and won one of the largest Karate tournaments in the United States last year, the prestigious Ozawa Cup Tournament in Las Vegas.

Duchaussee, who trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, is also recognized by the Native American Sports Council, as one of the Top Ten Native American athletes of the present day. That small and exclusive group includes Joe Hipp (Blackfeet), the first Native American to challenge for the world heavyweight boxing championship; Notah Begay (Navajo/Pueblo), PGA’s first native American pro golfer; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bobby Madritsch (Lakota), and pro baseball player Kyle Lohse (Nomlaki Nation).Comment:  For more on Native martial arts, see Native Pankration Champion and The Origin of Yaomochtia.