Classes

General training

General training sessions are the "meat and potatoes" of aikido. We focus on a range of techniques, and classes are often built around a theme, such as responses to a punch, or a group of related wrist locks.

A few times each year we hold specific courses for beginners who want to train separately when they first begin aikido. However, we don't generally divide our techniques into beginner and advanced levels. In general classes, all students train together in a spirit of cooperation, and beginners can benefit from the experience of senior students throughout their training.

We also incorporate special topics into our general training classes:

Technical focus

In these sessions, we take one or two techniques and go through them in every detail. We take all the time we need to correct footwork, ukemi, and posture, and fine-tune the techniques to their highest possible level.

Martial applications

Application classes give us the chance to try technique in less structured situations, helping us to better respond to the unexpected. This is a critical skill in the use of any martial art for self-defense.

Weapons

While aikido is mainly an empty-handed art, we also have weapons forms and techniques. We work primarily with the bokken (wooden sword) and jo (4 1/2 foot stick). Weapons are considered an advanced topic in aikido, and they do not appear on gradings until first black belt. We train with weapons to improve our coordination, timing, and focus. You will need a bokken and jo to train weapons, however the dojo does have some spare sets for beginners.

Women's self-defense

Aikido is an outstanding martial art for women, because it does not rely on devastating punches or the strength to overpower a larger opponent. We use intelligent principles of self-defense to turn an attacker's intent back on them.

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