In forty-five years of Aikido, I've walked into hundreds of dojos around the world: Japan, Europe, the United States, Australia, China, and more. You can tell a great deal about how people train before anyone sets foot on the mat.

I remember being invited to teach at a dojo where a beautiful pho...

When the Challenge Stops Coming From Outside

For most of your time on the mat, progress has an obvious engine. A sempai throws harder than you can handle yet. A technique won't sit right in your hands. A partner's ukemi keeps surprising you. The mat pushes back, and that pushback is what makes y...

What keeps people practicing Aikido for decades? Explore how the art continues to evolve, how training changes us over time, and why community plays such an important role.