Hanshi Bill and Sensei Karen Palmer hold black belts in Kokushiryu Jujutsu and have been teaching since 1975. Hanshi, a professor at the Kokushi Budo Institute (the New York branch of the Kokushikan University in Japan), is an eighth degree black belt and a certified International referee. He holds the highest rank awarded in the style and is the sole recipient of Hanshi teaching designation. He is a fifth degree black belt in Kokushi Karate. Sensei Karen holds a seventh degree black belt in Kokushiryu Jujutsu and is certified as an International referee. Both also study Judo and Tomiki Aikido, in which Hanshi is a certified national referee. Bill and Karen are also Certified Basic Life Support/First Aid Instructors.
After moving to Upstate NY in January 2014, the Palmers began teaching after school classes through the NYS CROP Program, run by the Roxbury Arts Group. They now teach in all ten schools in the district.
In September, 2008, Sensei Karen began teaching jujutsu at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's and Hanshi began teaching karate there in November, 2008. The summer of 2007, Sensei Palmer taught martial arts in an outreach program camp on the lower East Side under the auspices of the Chinatown YMCA Houston Street Center. During the academic year 2006-2007, Karen was a member of the faculty at the Birch Wathen Lenox School, teaching self defense to middle school girls. She taught karate and jujutsu at the Chinatown YMCA the summer of 2003. Karen began teaching at Horace Mann lower school in January, 2001. In the fall of 1999, the Palmers instituted the Children's Athletic Training School (C.A.T.S.) Martial Arts Program for children and adults. In 2011, Hanshi became their Health & Safety Director. The summer of 1999, they taught jujutsu at the West Side YMCA Sports Camp. In January, 1998, Hanshi began teaching at the After School Program held at P.S. 6 and Sensei took over in the fall of 1998.
In September, 1991, the Palmers began an after school martial arts program at the the Birch Wathen Lenox School, and Hanshi began teaching jujutsu and karate there as part of the physical education department in January, 1993. He also taught at the Asphalt Green Day Camp the summer of 1993. Sensei began teaching jujutsu at Marymount and theTown School in 1992, and Hanshi started a class at the Ethical Culture School where Karen has been teaching for the past several years. During the summer of 1991, Hanshi taught karate at the Columbus Branch of the New York Public Library for the Mayor's "Safe Streets... Safe Cities" program.
The Palmers began teaching youngsters at the West Side YMCA in September 1985, and were interviewed there by Storm Fields on the Channel 2 News. They have lectured and conducted workshops on Japanese martial arts, and have performed many demonstrations. Hanshi taught at the McBurney YMCA from 1974 to 1985, and his adult self-defense class was listed in New York Magazine as one of the ten best in New York City. Sensei worked there as his assistant.
In 2012, along with several other martial arts instructors, the Palmers co-authored A Real World Martial Arts Guide: Martial Arts Instructors Help You Make The Connection published by Benchmark Publishing.
Their book, The Encyclopedia of Martial Art Movies, was published by Scarecrow Press in 1995. A trade paperback edition was released in 2003. In 1987, the Palmers served as the martial art film reviewers for The Complete Guide To Videocassette Movies, edited by Steven Scheuer. They reviewed videos for "Martial Arts Movie Associates," conducted lectures on martial art films, and served as consultants for Worldwide Entertainment, the syndicators of the best TV martial arts films. They have also been advisers to Embassy, Ocean Video, and Saturn Video, who were interested in learning the best ways to sell Asian action films, and have contributed time and information to several authors of books and magazine articles.
In 1985, the Palmers co-authored the book Martial Arts Movies: From Bruce Lee To The Ninja (Citadel Press), which has been considered the "bible" for the industry since publication. In addition to the hundreds of copies purchased by Ocean Video and World Wide Entertainment to help educate their salesmen, the book is used as an assigned text in film courses taught at St. Johns University.
The Palmers began reviewing films for the Madison Square Garden Network TV show "Martial Art World" in 1985, and were seen across the country and in parts of Canada. The program was the only regularly scheduled martial arts show on TV, and they were the only reviewers covering these films.
In 2006, Seibukai Martial Arts Safety & Health began offering certification in CPR/AED For The Community, CPR Pro for the Professional Rescuer, Basic First Aid, First Aid Taking Action (Advanced First Aid), Emergency Medical Response, Sports First Aid & Injury Prevention, Wilderness First Aid, Pet First Aid, Bloodborne and Airborne Pathogens, Child & Babysitting Safety, Emergency Oxygen Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Pediatric First Aid For Caregivers And Teachers (PedFACTS), and OSHA courses.
In addition to being an Instructor-Trainer with the American Safety and Health Institute and the Emergency Care and Safety Institute, Hanshi is also an instructor with the National Safety Council, First Safety Institute, and the American Academy Of Pediatrics.
Clients include NYS Parole Officers, Bikram Yoga Instructors, Fencing Instructors, Sports Coaches, Dance Instructors, Personal Trainers, Martial Arts Instructors, Athletes, Teachers, Dentists, Child Care Providers, Parents, and Babysitters.
© 1999-2023 Bill & Karen Palmer. This page last updated on January 3, 2023.