The attacker lunged for Lisa. She deftly shifted back a few inches out of reach. She gripped his hand. She made a graceful pivot....

I felt dismayed. In the midst of preparing for my first aikido test—consisting of 10 techniques—I made the mistake of asking one of the...

Aikido is a Japanese martial art. Although it is practiced around the world, its cultural context is important. From the uniform to the...

As the milk for my morning’s cappuccino was frothing, I tore off yesterday’s page from our daily Zen calendar. Today’s quote was brief:...

“Dude! That is so smooth!” My uke, Tim, makes this declaration while teetering on his toes, one arm so twisted his spine bevels. He looks...

The above picture comes from Scott Carlton’s recent 5th kyu test—the first demonstration a person gives to establish their rank as a...

I’ve always thought of myself as the kind of person who treats everyone with dignity and respect. In the short 21 months that I’ve been...

I never expected to fall in love again. For several months, my wife Adele had been taking tai chi at the community college. After class,...

Martial arts require practicing new ways of moving, thinking, and interacting with others. Aikido relies on several key principles that...

I could have gone blind the light was so bright. It blazed so abruptly. I didn’t have time to take cover and shield my eyes. This...

Mark Sensei commonly reminds us to move around our own center, regardless of what uke may be doing or not doing. After spending my entire...