Welcome! This page is about my experiences with Aikido, which I have been studying since 2005.
If you prefer to go right to my Aikido posts, please click here.

A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell and say it in a way that makes you look forward to the trip.

— Author Unknown

Aikido has been something like that for me, in the sense that I get stretched, thrown, and pounded in all sorts of creative ways, causing the kind of pain that you might expect from such treatment, and yet I keep coming back for more.

I have no easy answer as to why. I do not like pain, and in general try to avoid it whenever I can. So why do I voluntarily spend up to half an hour sitting seiza-style, and follow it up with 90 minutes of hard training? I can only tell you that I believe it is good for me, and that I enjoy it.

A Disclaimer

Please note that my seven-plus years (to date) of Aikido study and training do not in any way qualify me to speak intelligently about what Aikido is or how to properly practice it. So I won’t be describing any techniques in detail or attempting to teach it. I also limit specifics out of consideration to my instructors, who put great effort into lesson preparation and technique demonstration for their students. So if you’d like to learn about Aikido itself, I encourage you to check out my school’s website or visit the dojo to observe a class. My goal here is to share with you how what I am learning and attempting to practice affects my life and my outlook on it.

Please be forewarned that everything on these pages regarding Aikido has been filtered through my imperfect ears to my imperfect brain, which then chops, blends, and purees it with my nearly five completed decades of life experiences and prejudices. So what you are reading is not Aikido, but my interaction with and reaction to it. That said, I hope you find it of some use, and if not, at least a little entertaining.

Please click here to view my posts on life, the universe, and how Aikido affects my life.

Where I Train

Aikido Yoshokai Association of

North America (AYANA)

www.aikidoyoshokai.org

Main Dojo:

Genyokan Dojo

Ann Arbor, MI

My Club:

Ann Arbor Rec & Ed Aikido

Scarlett Middle School, Ann Arbor

Other AYANA Dojo Locations

Here are some videos of Kushida-sensei and his students performing Aikido techniques:

www.genyokan.org

My Aikido Training History