United States Aikido Federation Newsletter

A Message Regarding 2014 From Yamada Sensei

Dear Aikido Friends, The year of 2014 is going to be a big and meaningful year for me. I will be the half-century anniversary of my time in the United States and of the NY Aikikai. I know that neither you nor I want to miss such a great opportunity to have a big party and celebrate together. I had a few ideas to make this celebration an enjoyable one for everyone. One idea was to use summer camp for the time and location of the celebration, but unfortunately, that will not work out. It will be impossible to accommodate the many people who might come from all over the world. My … Read More

Announcement Regarding New Resource for USAF Instructors

Having an in-house reference library based on the experience of USAF instructors is a great way to support each other with tasks that may sometimes seem daunting: How to come up with new ideas for a brochure, how to define aikido for marketing material, what kind of layout for a pull-tab flier works best, where to find a good insurance company or direct billing company, etc. There is now a place where you can share your ideas as well as benefit from the contributions of others. The Filebrowser section of the USAF website is where important USAF documents and information are stored for … Read More

Yamada Yoshimitsu, The Free Man

Yamada Yoshimitsu is amongst the last direct disciples of Ueshiba Morihei, the creator of Aikido. In addition to being the founder of theNew York Aikikai, Yamada Sensei is also the technical director of numerous Aikido associations around the world. A jovial man, he never hesitates to involve himself to defend the cause of Aikido and that of its practitioners against individual interests. Meet a lover of Aikido and freedom. By Leo Tamaki Leo Tamaki: Hello Sensei, could you tell us how you started Aikido? Yamada Yoshimitsu: (Laughs) Ok no problem. Leo Tamaki: I know you've been … Read More

USAF Latest News

Henry Smith Shihan, from Yamada Sensei

I am very sad to have received the news about the passing of Henry Smith. As one of my old time students at NY Aikikai, and now a Shihan in the USAF with his own dojo for many years, he as been a part of my life for a very long time. Henry was always involved in so many … [Read More...]

A Message Regarding Henry Smith Shihan by Aikikai of Philadelphia

We are sorry to report that on Sunday May 12th Henry Smith Shihan drowned while swimming off the coast of Turkey, where he had recently led a week-long Aikido retreat. His Spirit, guidance, and expertise will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of training with him … [Read More...]

Summer Camp 2013 DVD Pre-Purchase Offer

An exciting offer is now available to pre-order your Summer Camp 2013 DVD at a discounted price. The USAF Summer Camp offers more than 40 classes in one action packed week, and these classes taught by Yamada Sensei, Osawa Sensei, the USAF Technical Committee Shihan and … [Read More...]