“Aiki is not a technique to fight with or defeat an enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world and make human beings one family."
Morihei Ueshiba, O Sensei
Aikido Seattle opened its doors in 2006 when Glenn Leichman, Lance Sobel, and other close friends decided to seek a better way of practice, one strongly influenced by Seishiro Endo Shihan.
In 2023, following Glenn's passing, members restructured the dojo as a Washington State non-profit corporation. The IRS has also designated us as a 501(c)(3). All board members, instructors, and students pay dues to cover the lease and operation of the dojo.
Maybe you have practiced martial arts before – perhaps you have even done aikido. But maybe this is the first time you have thought about any martial art. So, the question is, why would you want to come train with us?
Our students range in age from 14-80, many generations. This leads to a feeling that we are one big family, and our students mention how much they enjoy being part of an aikido family.
We also invite every body into our community. We welcome beginners as well as people who have previous martial arts experience. We believe that every body can learn how to become more flexible and to move more freely.
The most common experience our students talked about was how much fun they had when training. People feel a sense of connection to each other and experience a sense of camaraderie. They almost always have big smiles on their faces as soon as they come into the dojo.
At the same time, our students all talked about how much they have learned to focus since beginning their training at Aikido Seattle.
One of the major features that distinguish one dojo from another is the style that is practiced. Some dojos emphasize the “martial” aspect of aikido, focusing on the self-defense aspect of aikido. Other dojos, such as Aikido Seattle, emphasize the “health and vitality” aspect of aikido, focusing on how doing aikido will increase one’s sense of well-being. While we try and keep our practice grounded in the real-life nature of attacks and self-defense, we also strive to increase our student’s flexibility, both physically and mentally.
Ukemi (the art of falling) is practiced with an emphasis on the connection (musubi) between the attacker (the uke) and the defender (the nage). Our approach encourages students to tumble (roll) in a manner that enhances energy flow and vitality.
We believe that everyone deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally.
In our dojo, we welcome transgender members and guests to use the changing room that corresponds with their gender identity.
The bathroom can be used by anyone who wants privacy when changing, and as a dojo community, people who need privacy in either changing room will be accommodated as much as possible.
