Aikido is a rewarding and invigorating activity for anyone, regardless of gender, age, or experience.

Aikido has its origins in the centuries old Japanese martial arts. It is a Budo (Martial discipline), not a sport. There are no competitions, trophies, or medals. It is a path for self-realization through a blend of physical training and spiritual discipline.

The point in Aikido is not only to exercise and learn techniques, but to find peace and mastery within oneself. It is this intangible aspect that makes Aikido unique.

In a self-defense sense, it's uniqueness as a martial art lies in its awareness of a sense of harmony, - therefore, training is designed to defend not only the self, but to bring the attacker under control without the necessity of inflicting injury. This is virtually impossible in other martial arts.

In a broader sense, as a way of life, Aikido can help us better appreciate, empathize with, and respect the diverse people, energies, and opinions that we come in contact with on a daily basis.

There are rewards to be found in the study of Aikido for everyone, namely:

» An all-encompassing awareness, (zanshin), in which the practitioner is ready for anything, self defense-wise, or otherwise, at any time;

» The spontaneity of mushin ("no mind") which allows immediate action without conscious thought;

» A state of equanimity or imperturbability (known as fudoshin).

While our bandwidth on this site is not suitable for videos, take a look at some of the video clips offered on this page at AikiWeb.

Aikido classes are led by Craig Johnson, who's studied both Nihon-Goshin and Hombu style Aikido, Wing Chung, and various styles of Karate. Member of the United States Aikido Federation since 1992.