United States Aikido Federation Newsletter

Happy Holidays from Yamada Sensei

Dear USAF Members: As I sit at my desk in my office I can’t believe it is already time for Christmas and the New Year. I don’t know where the time went, especially when I look at my 2019 calendar and see how many places I visited around the world. Again in 2020, I am traveling from as far away as Australia and Russia, to as close as Brooklyn and New Jersey. These seminars and each stop in between is a chance for me to see you all on the mat, and it is what keeps me young and eager to remain your teacher for as long as possible. We just finished New York Aikikai’s Christmas seminar, and … Read More

Summary Letter from the USAF Board of Directors

November 25, 2019 Dear USAF Dojo Cho and Instructors, The Board of Directors met in Ft. Lauderdale for its annual meeting on November 7-9. Here is a summary of the main outcomes of that meeting. The most important task for the annual meeting is the USAF budget. The discussion focused on where we are to date and developing a balanced budget for Fiscal year 2020. We will vote and approve the 2020 budget by the end of January. A second issue of importance for our annual meeting is the election of board members and officers. I am pleased to announce that we elected a new member to the board. … Read More

Aikido In The Rain

During a rainy weekend while sitting in thought about my time in aikido, I was distracted by the individual rain drops falling on the ubiquitous asphalt and mineral shingle roof keeping me dry; glad to be dry, and a thought began to form. I thought, how much like the flow of water, the perfection of ki in aikido practice must be. I envisioned the drumming drops striking in their chaotic pattern, making their meandering journey down the rough surface of the shingles. During their journey, the drops begin to coalesce into small rivulets picking up mass and slowly picking speed as they flowed to … Read More

USAF Latest News

Summary Letter from the USAF Board of Directors

Dan Promotion Applications Mailed to Aikikai October 2nd, 2019

Test applications mailed to Aikikai Hombu Dojo on October 2nd, 2019 for registration of dan rank Shodan Michael Villacin - Aikido North Jersey Joseph Cayea - Aikido of Central New York Stuart Plymesser - Aikido of Central New York Jason … [Read More...]

Message from the USAF Board of Directors

Dear USAF Instructors: This past weekend the USAF Board of Directors held its annual meeting at Florida Aikikai's winter camp. During our meeting we discussed a petition on gender equity which had been posted on Facebook and otherwise circulated by a Coalition of women in … [Read More...]