Our School
The Aikido Center of Jacksonville is the oldest Aikikai
affiliated school in northeast Florida, and the only Aikikai affiliated school
in Jacksonville. Established in 1992, we were a pioneer of Aikido in
northeast Florida. Our school, a member dojo of the
United States Aikido Federation (USAF), is under the direction of Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei, 8th dan Shihan and former uchi-deshi
to the Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba.What makes us unique? Simply put, we are the only Aikikai affiliated school in Jacksonville. As a member dojo of the United States Aikido Federation, the largest Aikido federation in the United States, we have a direct organizational link to the Aikikai Hombu in Japan, the birthplace of Aikido worldwide. Unlike non-Aikikai affiliated schools, our yudansha are registered with the Aikikai Foundation under Moriteru Ueshiba, grandson of Morihei Ueshiba and current Doshu.
Moreover, due to our affiliation, we are fortunate to have access to the most experienced Aikido instructors in the country. With member dojos located throughout the United States, we are not limited to just a few senior teachers in our organization. Our Chief Instructor is the only certified Aikido instructor in north Florida, and our teaching staff has over nine decades of combined Aikido experience.
Gallery
View pictures
of Sensei (SWF,
1.27 MB).View pictures
of our students (SWF,
2.89 MB).View pictures
of senior instructors (SWF,
1.89 MB).View videos
of USAF Shihan (SWF,
44.0 MB).View videos
of USAF Shidoin (SWF,
21.7 MB).View our nafudakake
or rank board
(JPEG, 250.04 KB).View a slideshow
of our seminar with Peter Bernath Shihan (SWF, Large File).View a slideshow
of our seminar with Luis Sabater Sensei (SWF, Large File).View a slideshow
of our March 2008 camping trip (SWF, Large File).View a slideshow
of our March 2009 camping trip (SWF, Large File).
Seminars
Our school is committed to offering its students diverse opportunities to train. To that end, we host two seminars annually, and encourage our students' participation in other seminars, at other schools. Following is a list of past seminars held in Jacksonville:| Peter Bernath Sensei | Florida Aikikai | Donovan Waite Sensei | Center City Aikikai |
| January 2009 | October 2006 | October 2005 | February 2005 | ||
| September 1997 | July 1996 | March 1996 |
| Grady Lane Sensei | Brevard Aikikai | Penny Bernath Sensei | Florida Aikikai |
| July 2009 | April 2007 | April 2006 | November 2002 | ||
| December 2004 | July 2001 |
| Richard Wagener Sensei | Palm Beach Aikikai | Ed Di Marco Sensei | Lake County Aikikai |
| January 2004 | April 2007 |
| Nobu Arakawa Sensei | Hyde Park Aikikai | Luis Sabater Sensei | New York Aikikai |
| April 2003 | April 2002 | October 2007 |