Biography of Sensei Christopher Weis

Sensei Christopher Weis was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico on October 18, 1985. He started practicing the martial arts when he was eight years old; the same time his brother had started. The martial arts have been a way of life for him and have helped him accomplish most of his goals.

Over the years, Sensei Christopher Weis studied mostly Shotokan Karate. However, his father taught him aspects from multiple other forms, including but not limited to: Judo, Karate, Aikido, Ju Jitsu, and Kung Fu. At the age of eight, his aunt and father enrolled him and his brother into Shotokan Karate at Way of Japan School of Karate in Alamogordo, NM. There he met his first Instructor Herman Luette, now a Fourth Dan. Under Sensei Luette, he attained the level of a Low Purple Belt.

His father (Sensei Gerard "Jerry" Weis) bought the Way of Japan School from Sensei Luette and ran the school for two years. After his father bought the school, his class experience was far from easy. He had to work just as hard if not harder with his father being the head instructor/owner. As Sensei Christopher Weis stated, "I would find myself there as soon as I was out of school and would be there until the school closed for the night. It took me quite some time to reach my goal of Black Belt." He attained his Junior Black Belt at the age of 13 on May 28, 1998.

Upon receiving his Black Belt, Sensei Christopher Weis continued to study under his father until he closed the school in October of 1999 due to his personal health and family problems. When remembering those days, Sensei Christopher Weis stated, Closing it [the school] was one of the hardest things I have seen my father go through. He felt as if he was letting all of his students down, all 119 plus of them."

On September 1, 2005, he began training to retest for his Black Belt that he attained as a junior student. Now that he was over the age of 18, he could test to receive his adult ranking and official Shodan in Shotokan Karate. On October 28, 2005, he tested for his 1st Dan (Shodan).

On May 2, 2006, Sensei Christopher Weis had the opportunity to open Complete Martial Arts with his father. This dojo is much more comprehensive and incorporates all the different forms of martial arts that his father taught him; teaching a well rounded method for complete self defense with the main study being Shotokan Karate.

In April 2009, he started his test for Nidan, his 2nd Dan. After a total of 33 hours of testing, on the 25th of April, he finally promoted alongside his brother, Sensei Joseph Weis.

March 2011, Sensei Christopher Weis found himself testing for Sandan (3rd degree) Black Belt in Shotokan. After exhausting many hours into perfecting his technique, the day of the test came. He found that for his 3rd degree it is not all about techniques and katas that where required. Most of his test had been accomplished since opening the school. The day to day operations of a school, all of the time spent planning what was going to happen next, and the self drive that it takes to make sure everything you do to ensure the school was student ready every time, was all part of his Sandan test. March 26, 2011, he reached that goal and set a new goal.

Sensei Christopher Weis' father passed away 13 August 2012 leaving the dojo to his three sons (Joseph, Christopher, and John). The school is associated with the United States Association of Martial Artists, New Mexico State Karate Alliance and the International Karate Kobudo (weapons) Federation.

Sense taking over the Dojo in 2012, Sensei Christopher Weis tested for his 4th Dan (Yondan) on June 26, 2015. He was also elected the President of the New Mexico State Karate Alliance as well as the New Mexico State Representative for the United States Association of Martial Artist.

On March 16, 2018 Sensei Christopher Weis was inducted into the Hawkes International Society (Hall of Fame) for the United States Association of Martial Artist.