Tag: New York Aikikai

Reflecting on Aikido Talks: Conversations with American Aikidoists

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Perry, Susan, and Ronald Rubin. Aikido Talks: Conversations with American Aikidoists. Claremont, Calif.: Areté Press, 2001. What are conversations if not bits of oral history? What are conversations if not small instances that allows one to better know and understand another? These are the aspects that drive the interview in Aikido Talks: Conversations with American … Continue reading Reflecting on Aikido Talks: Conversations with American Aikidoists

Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kristina Varjan found aikido after watching Koichi Tohei Sensei at a Manhattan high school while Rikko assumed the role as uke during his first-ever aikido demonstration. By the late 1980s, they found Kazuo Chiba Sensei, and enrolled in his Kenshusei teacher program. After four intensive years of aikido, iaido, and zazen, the couple emerged as … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part I

Interview with Ken-Zen Iaido Instructor Pam Parker: Her American Iaido Journey

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Pam Parker first started martial arts with taekwondo, then moving to aikido at the New York Aikikai. At one class at the New York Aikikai, she attended an iaido class and she was hooked. She found the late John Prough of Nichibukan, and later Shunshin Kan of Ken-Zen. In July 2014, she passed her nanadan, … Continue reading Interview with Ken-Zen Iaido Instructor Pam Parker: Her American Iaido Journey

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 Vermont Aikido Chief Instructor Aaron Ward: Vermont Aikido, Ken Nisson, and Terry Dobson, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Aaron Ward had an interesting event occur during his aikido journey: he got to know Terry Dobson on a personal level during his time at Vermont Aikido. Taking the role of chief instructor since 2001, Ward took some time to talk about his aikido journey, his relationship with Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson, and how … Continue reading Interview with Vermont Aikido Chief Instructor Aaron Ward: Vermont Aikido, Ken Nisson, and Terry Dobson, Part I

Interview with Florida Aikikai Cofounder Peter Bernath: Starting From Scratch

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

After seeing a poster for aikido in San Francisco in 1972, Peter Bernath quickly signed up. After moving to New York, he lost no time in joining Yoshimitsu Yamada’s New York Aikikai. By 1980, Bernath found himself in Florida at the request of Yamada, working with Florida native and future wife Penny. Today, Bernath joined … Continue reading Interview with Florida Aikikai Cofounder Peter Bernath: Starting From Scratch

Interview with Longtime Aikidoka Jane Ozeki: New York Aikikai and Family

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Jane Ozeki began her aikido journey in 1971, becoming a student under Yoshimitsu Yamada at his New York Aikikai. Today, we had the chance to talk with Ozeki, discussing what the training was like at the New York Aikikai, along with her family. All images provided by Jane Ozeki. Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Aikidoka Jane Ozeki: New York Aikikai and Family

Interview with Californian Aikidoka Robert Noha: Aikido’s Spiritual Aspect

~ Antonio Aloia ~ 1 Comment

Robert Noha began his aikido journey in 1966 and never looked back after finding a lifelong teacher and friend in Robert Nadeau. Under Nadeau’s guidance, Noha began to experience something more than the technical aspects of aikido – he began to see that the spiritual message left by O-Sensei would influence him for the rest … Continue reading Interview with Californian Aikidoka Robert Noha: Aikido’s Spiritual Aspect

Rodney Grantham and Aikido in America’s Southeast

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

The following is an excerpt from my recent book, Aikido Comes to America. This originally appeared on Tambuli Media here. Rodney Grantham (~1928-2008) played a pivotal role in the push of aikido in the American Southeast. Grantham began judo in 1950 while stationed in Yokosuka, Japan as a surgical scrub nurse during the Korean War. … Continue reading Rodney Grantham and Aikido in America’s Southeast

Interview with USAF Technical Committee Member Andy Demko: The Early Years in the American Northeast

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Andy Demko began training martial arts and combat sports while he was in high school. After seeing an aikido class at Youngstown University, he joined, eventually meeting Koichi Tohei and Yoshimitsu Yamada in the mid-1960s. He later opened his Aikido Center of New Castle in 1971. Today, Demko discusses the fledgling years of aikido in … Continue reading Interview with USAF Technical Committee Member Andy Demko: The Early Years in the American Northeast