T. Truman Capone is the Chief Instructor of Kodokan Aikido at Virginia Tech. He began his preliminary training in the martial arts in 1966 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at sixteen years of age he was first introduced to the art of Okinawa Kempo Karate and this lead eventually to his (2^nd Degree) in Karate. He studied these external martial arts in concurrence with an athletic career as a state champion wrestler in high school and then receiving a collegiate wrestling scholarship. He continued his study of karate-do and continued this training until 1986.

In 1986, he began his initial training in the internal martial arts of (Tai -Chi, Qi-Gong / Fu-Gong, Yoga and Hsing-I). It was in 1988 that Capone Sensei first discovered the Internal Martial Art of Aikido and began his lifelong pursuit in the technical, spiritual and esoteric realms of Aikido. Capone Sensei currently holds the rank of Godan (5th degree black belt) in Aikido and is the Dojo Cho (Chief Instructor) of Kodokan Aikido at Virginia Tech located in Blacksburg, Virginia.

T. Truman Capone Sensei has practiced with Sensei’s John Grinnell, Betsy Grinnell, and C.B Claiborne under the direction of Tadamitsu Tanaka Shihan of Kodokan Aikido dojo in Okazaki, Japan. Kodokan Aikido at Virginia Tech is affiliated with the Kodokan Aikido dojo of Greensboro, North Carolina and with the Kodokan Aikido dojo in Okazaki, Japan, all in affiliation with the Aikikai Federation based in Tokyo.

“The discovery of Aikido has greatly enriched my life and my outlook on the martial arts. I would like to thank all my mentors and teachers that have opened up their art, heart and philosophy to me so I might further teach aikido to those who also want to learn this art.”