CHRISSY OHLINGER / Special to the PVT Sensei Jose Hernandez works with student Dylan Landsberry on concentration and focus during classes at Dragon Cloud Dojo on Calvada Boulevard. Advertisement

For those who enjoy the physical and mental challenges of karate, there is a wonderful opportunity, as Pahrump is home to a true martial arts master: Sensei Jose D. Hernandez.

May 10, Hernandez was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame with a platinum award for lifetime achievement. The award marked his fourth Hall of Fame induction in addition to countless awards and honors.

Hernandez studied and worked in karate for more than 45 years. In the tough New York City neighborhood where he was born and raised, learning karate was a matter of self-defense. "I was getting my butt kicked and my lunch money taken from me every day," he recalled.

He first visited a dojo or karate school to work out when he was 10 years old. "Once I got involved in it, I became totally consumed by it," said Hernandez about his first experiences in karate. He received his first black belt in martial arts in 1974.

He continued to train in karate and eventually joined the military where he worked as an aircraft electrician for more than 10 years. The military gave him the opportunity to fulfill a lifetime aspiration -- to travel to Japan.

While in the military, he toured many different parts of Asia, including Okinawa, a small island south of Japan, which to a martial arts expert is not unlike a Christian's traveling to Jerusalem. Okinawa is considered the birthplace and home of karate since the 1600s.

In 1977 Hernandez returned from the Orient, relied on his knowledge and love of the art, and the Dragon Cloud Dojo was born. There are now four Dragon Cloud Dojos located in Pahrump, San Jose and Gilroy, Calif., and Harpers Ferry, W.V.

Teaching is an integral part of karate, and Hernandez always wanted to teach. "Everybody wants to teach," he said. Even the students teach. "I have kids in here who I say, 'Show him that technique,' and they do."

Unlike teachers in some dojos, Hernandez has a Japanese-certified, fifth-degree black belt and is also certified as an instructor.

That means he completed at least first-, second- and third-degree black belts, earning the highly coveted endorsement to teach. Since karate instruction is largely unregulated, not all instructors have earned the title of "Sensei," Japanese for master of art.

"The first black belt only means that you are pretty good at defending yourself," explains Hernandez. "Like graduating from high school."

Over the course of earning a second-degree black belt, a student must learn new advanced material and also begin to teach a group of beginning students. "It's like getting an associate's degree. There's more theory and more philosophy," said Hernandez.

In order to earn his third-degree black belt, or san-dan, a student must present his own student who is now a first-degree black belt. The san-dan has now passed through the process at least three times from different perspectives. He is now considered a Sensei and certified to teach others.

Hernandez said, "This is your bachelor's degree."

For Hernandez, karate is not only about self-defense and teaching at Dragon Cloud Dojo, but also about giving back to the community. He especially enjoys being involved with kids.

In 1992, Hernandez earned his first International Martial Arts Federation Hall of Fame award for a community program he initiated in Lathrop, Calif. Parents could pay for their child's karate classes by performing community service. The program was a huge success and up to 400 parents were donating their time in any given month to various organizations around the community.

His second Hall of Fame award was Arbitrator of the Year, from the National Black Belt League in 1995 for his work in Central America where he helped arbitrate karate competitions and performed karate clinics in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.

In 2006 he received the Pioneer Award in the Master's Hall of Fame.

"A lot of this stuff comes by virtue of longevity," Hernandez said, laughing about his awards. But true to his history of community involvement, he has been working with kids in Pahrump since he opened the Dragon Cloud Dojo in October 2004.

Almost immediately upon moving here, Hernandez initiated an annual "Kids Safety Day" in Pahrump, where children in grades one through six are invited to learn about safety. Events include activities like calling 911, learning about license plates and how to be safe around strangers.

Hernandez is also a powerful advocate of kids reading programs. He has helped sponsor many community reading events in the past. In Pahrump, he is a supporter of Friends of the Library and he sponsors a summer reading program at Dragon Cloud Dojo.

Kids from the dojo are invited to read three books and write reports over the summer to earn a patch, a certificate and have their picture in the newspaper.

For more information go to www.dragonclouddojo.com.