Category: Dojo Newsletter

Aikido is a martial art known as “the art of peace.” It is both a form of self-defense and a philosophy of world peace. Many of us will train for years and never “use” our Aikido skills in a physical altercation. However, what will happen, inevitably, is that we will find ourselves with a heightened…

“It was his fault!” “No, it was HIS fault!” Such was the conversation at the end of Sunday’s aikido children’s class. We were getting ready for the final bow. The kids were arguing over who sat where in the circle. Sensei asked “Do you want to have problems that get solved? Or would you rather…

From the first day of aikido, I never wanted to test for rank. I just figured I would learn, have fun, and exercise and that would be that. But then, one of my training partners wanted to test and was very nervous. She said she would feel better if I tested alongside her. So I did. The…

For as long as I could remember I wanted to learn Aikido.  I grew up in a small rural area in upstate New York.  The only martial arts school in town was an Aikido school.  Every now and then I’d sit in on a class.  It wasn’t only the flowing circular movements that caught my…

Congratulations to all of the kids who recently passed their belt tests! And parents: thank you for your commitment in supporting your children’s training. They couldn’t do it without you. I had the opportunity to help some of the children prepare, as well as watch some of the tests. This is the sixth year that…