Month: January 2023

Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Patricia Hendricks Sensei stumbled into an aikido class led by Mary Heiny in the San Francisco Bay area in 1974, quickly finding a teacher and lifelong friend in Stanley Pranin. They eventually moved to train at the Oakland Dojo – Aikido Institute – that focused on Iwama-ryu, propagated by Morihiro Saito Sensei. After a handful … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part II

Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Patricia Hendricks Sensei stumbled into an aikido class led by Mary Heiny in the San Francisco Bay area in 1974, quickly finding a teacher and lifelong friend in Stanley Pranin. They eventually moved to train at the Oakland Dojo – Aikido Institute – that focused on Iwama-ryu, propagated by Morihiro Saito Sensei. After a handful … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part I

Interview with UK HEMAist Fran Lacuata: Tournament Growth in the Movement

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Fran Lacuata began historical fencing in Bolognese sidesword and rapier rather than longsword because those were the only systems available, learning at The School of the Sword in Frimley, United Kingdom. In 2014, she inherited the school, opening the Godalming and Reading chapters. Lacuata also helped establish the competition community in the UK, assisting in … Continue reading Interview with UK HEMAist Fran Lacuata: Tournament Growth in the Movement

Interview with DFWKIK Historian David Cooper: Reminiscing About the Past and Kendo

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

David Cooper started later in life, but he was committed. From the beginning, Cooper enrolled in both kendo and iaido, training them side-by-side. He enjoyed both arts that Dallas-Fort Worth Kendo and Iaido Kyokai offered, where he is currently the historian. Today, Cooper walked us through the history of kendo and iaido in the Dallas/Fort … Continue reading Interview with DFWKIK Historian David Cooper: Reminiscing About the Past and Kendo

Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kali Hewitt-Blackie first saw aikido above a burger shop in California in 1987. At that time, because of her schooling and being a single mom, she could not commit. Upon returning to Canada, she met Yumi Nakamura at Aikido Tendokai in Toronto. She trained diligently there for nineteen years, and because of a number of … Continue reading Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part II

Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kali Hewitt-Blackie first saw aikido above a burger shop in California in 1987. At that time, because of her schooling and being a single mom, she could not commit. Upon returning to Canada, she met Yumi Nakamura at Aikido Tendokai in Toronto. She trained diligently there for nineteen years, and because of a number of … Continue reading Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part I

Interview with MIT Aikido Club Chief Instructor Matthew Bagedonow: Dick Stroud and MIT Aikido Club’s Beginnings

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Matthew Bagedonow met Dick Stroud in 1972, becoming a student of Mitsunari Kanai based at the New England Aikikai. Bagedonow tells how Stroud was part of the initial Aikido group that requested a Hombu Dojo representative in the Boston area, eventually leading to the creation of the New England Aikikai. In 1978, Stroud founded the … Continue reading Interview with MIT Aikido Club Chief Instructor Matthew Bagedonow: Dick Stroud and MIT Aikido Club’s Beginnings

Interview with Athens Ohio Ki-Aikido Founder Stan Haehl: Ki-Aikido from Kansas to Ohio, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Stan Haehl heard of aikido before, but it was not until 1978 that he found a class in his small town in Kansas. He first learned the art under Barbra Bloom, then traveled to Boulder, Colorado to train under the Midland Ki Federation head Koichi Kashiwaya, and lastly, under Andrew T. Tsubaki. In 2008, his … Continue reading Interview with Athens Ohio Ki-Aikido Founder Stan Haehl: Ki-Aikido from Kansas to Ohio, Part II

Interview with Athens Ohio Ki-Aikido Founder Stan Haehl: Ki-Aikido from Kansas to Ohio, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Stan Haehl heard of aikido before, but it was not until 1978 that he found a class in his small town in Kansas. He first learned the art under Barbra Bloom, then traveled to Boulder, Colorado to train under the Midland Ki Federation head Koichi Kashiwaya, and lastly, under Andrew T. Tsubaki. In 2008, his … Continue reading Interview with Athens Ohio Ki-Aikido Founder Stan Haehl: Ki-Aikido from Kansas to Ohio, Part I