Keichu Do arrives in Huxley, Iowa

By Joe Randleman,
Tri-County Times
04/19/2007

A fresh and diverse version of martial arts training has made its way to Huxley this past year.

Keichu Do, a form of martial arts that originated from Louisiana in the 1960s, was brought to the Ballard community in October of 2006 by sensei Gabriel Casciato. It combines many forms of martial arts and it is designed specifically for American self-defense needs, according to Casciato.

"We combine kicks, punches, judo, ju-jitsu and weapons training to go along with old-fashioned Cajun street fighting," Casciato said. "We focus on the whole person; physical, mental and spiritual. The philosophy that underlies our style is Christian, though we gladly teach people of any faith."

Casciato is the youth pastor at the Grace Evangelical Free Church in Huxley. He is a second-degree black belt who currently has a small group of six students under his supervision.

Raised in a military family and a current member of the United States Air Force, Casciato began his Keichu Do training at age 8 in Wurtzburg, Germany. He went on to participate in Keichu Do schools all over the world and he was once ranked among the top 10 competitors in the country.

Casciato began his tutelage under the guidance of his stepfather, Eldridge Conley. Conley is a seventh-degree black belt, the highest of any Keichu Do competitor in the world aside from its founder, Karl W. Marx.

Training under Conley has made a profound impact on Casciato's life.

"(Conley) wasn't my stepfather when he began teaching me," Casciato said. "He transferred to the same base my family was at, and my mom met him because he was my instructor."

Casciato's mother, Lauri Conley, is a first-degree black belt and his younger stepbrother E.J. (age 13) is a second-degree black belt.

Now Casciato is hoping to share the benefits of Keichu Do training that he received. He is getting the opportunity to break ground in the process.

"I believe we're the only people in Iowa who practice Keichu Do," Casciato said of his small class. "And as far as I know we're the only ones that do it (among) the states that border Iowa."

The six current members of Casciato's class training at Amy's School of Dance in Huxley are Sophie Dickens, Leo Dickens, Adam Roney, Hayden Bowlin, Tony Bowlin and Matt Konen.

In March Sophie Dickens became the first Keichu Do student to earn a yellow belt in Iowa.

"I never thought I'd do anything cool like that - be the first person to do something," said Dickens, 13, the daughter of Scott and Cinnamon Dickens of Cambridge. "It's kind of crazy."

Dickens frequently gets the opportunity to rough up the three older guys in the class by putting them in submission holds and getting to use toss moves against them on the mat.

"It's fun to beat up on bigger people," Dickens joked. "I like to get back at the tall people."

Two of Casciato's students are college-age men (Roney and Konen). A third, Hayden Bowlin, is 14 and he was lucky enough to be Dickens' punching bag during her performance test for yellow belt.

"I've hurt him before so I was kind of worried," Dickens said with a smile. "But he's a good sport."

Bowlin, Roney and Konen will all be testing for their yellow belts later this month. In order to make it to a first-degree black belt a student must pass the belt order of: white, yellow, orange, green, purple, third-cue brown, second-cue brown and first-cue brown, though it is possible to skip a belt according to Casciato.

Casciato said he hopes all of his students go on to make black belt and help bring exposure to Keichu Do. That positive encouragement has already rubbed off on Dickens.

"I don't think I'm going to be quitting anytime soon," she said. "I want to make it to black belt."

If the other students share Dickens' enthusiastic view, Keichu Do may be here to stay.