Powerful, Efficient, Effective

Hi my name is Seth Black Sensei & this is the story of how I got my start in aikido and a little background on how the Shinbu Aikido System came to be…

Many years ago when I was 18 years old I was working at Bo’ jangles in Hickory NC when a co-worker came in to pick up her check. I noticed that she was wearing a Hickory Aikido Club t-shirt & the first thing I could muster out of my mouth was "do you study aikido"? She told me no my husband teaches it.

(Woo-Hoo Oh-Yeah!) an aikido class in Hickory NC of all places so I promptly got all the information I needed to contact her husband, a 5th Dan in the Tomiki Aikido system, & the man I would soon come to know as Sensei.

 I called as soon as I got home (Pre-Cell Phone) & Sensei gave me the direction on how to get to the dojo & when the next class was being held.

Now when I arrived at the “dojo” it was actually an old barn in the middle of an old field surrounded by woods & nothing & I mean nothing else.

When I stepped out of my car all I could hear were these screams & loud thumps and all I could think to myself was.

“ Do I really want to go in there? “

Well I managed to work up the courage enough to step inside & find me a quiet little seat in the very back row where I could watch & still run for it if I had to.

What I saw that night would change my life forever, here were a group of aikidoka (aikido students) doing what I’d only seen in the movies. What I did not notice was the fact that Sensei was headed my way to where I was sitting & now wanted me to step out onto the mat and play as he put it.

“ Absolutely Not “

So as I was stepping out onto the mat in a "Tenkai-kote-hineri" hold that Sensei had put me into, Sensei walked me around, introduced me to everybody (On my toes) then let me go & told me to attack him.

“ Are You Crazy “

So as I lay there completely stunned because I had no idea how I got down on the mat I realized that this was it, this was the pooo & I had to know everything about aikido

(EVERYTHING).

So I signed up for classes that night which by the way were offered as follows:

Monday – Thursday evenings from 7 – 9

& Saturday From 10 – 12

Yes that’s right your math is correct

that’s 5 days of aikido training a week ( Shangri-La )

For the amazing price of…

Are you ready for this

$20 a month

Yeah I couldn’t believe it either and it sounds ridiculous even writing it now but that’s how much aikido was when I started. I trained under Sensei for about 10 years before by chance of an e-mail I stumbled into a really unique system of Daito ryu Aikijujutsu called Roppokai. 

Being an aikidoka I knew that Daitoryu was a huge influence in the creation of aikido so I thought the class might help me underdstand the principles of aikido a little better.

The class was being taught by Sensei Tom Cohen (Current head of the NC branch for Daitoryu Roppokai) & Okamoto Sensei from Japan had just sanctioned the official class so I thought I’d check it out.

(Daitoryu Roppokai is like MAGIC)

As it turned out I ended up training with the Roppokai organization for about 4 years before starting to adjust & change the techniques I had learned in the Tomiki Aikido system & as the techniques began to change more & more, I did not feel comfortable calling what I was doing & teaching Tomiki Aikido.

So in 2006 utilizing a core structure for the ease of learning & remembering techniques & blending this structure with the unique principles of aiki within Daito ryu aikijujutsu, I introduced the Shinbu Aikido system.

To learn more about the history of Daito ryu aikijujutsu, Daito ryu aikijujutsu Roppokai, Aikido & Tomiki Aikido please visit our aiki links page for a full list of websites for reference.

P.S. In case your wondering that’s me holding my new son (Xavier Ronin Black) he was 4 days old when he entered the dojo for the first time. I'm so very proud of him I had to put him in the site.

 5/07

 To all of the amazing instructors I have had the the Honor & Pleasure of training with Thank you.

P.S.S.

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