“Kathleen began her martial arts training in Seattle at the Seattle School of Aikido. Moving to California brought many changes in her life—three children, an undergraduate degree and graduate school but alas no time for Aikido. She notes that there were “years of ballet and yoga, but nothing could replace Aikido as a path of transformation. Not just physically, but spiritually as well. I was hungry to return to a dojo.”
Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.
Join us on Facebook
“Every now and then I’ll go down to train at a local school. This place does some cross training in other styles in addition to karate which I think gives this club a fresh perspective from a traditional dojo. I know one of the owners, he never charges me, so I don’t wear out the welcome. I must confess though, one reason I like to drop in is to see what kind of clientele shows up. I don’t know what it is, but this particular venue seems to be a magnet for some strange types now and then.”
The article below has been selected from the 
“As I have mentioned in my previous articles, Aikido is a martial art which derives its effectiveness through the ability to adapt, change and be flexible. By spontaneously creating technique based on principles of non-attachment, non-contention, yin and yang, the aikidoka is able to transform aggression, almost as a means of expression or art.”
“The popular image of the Japanese Samurai warrior as a well educated, spiritual and honorable gentlemen does not tell the whole story. Each generation tells the story of the Samurai according to its own values and attitudes rather than based on history. Some common myths about Samurai include…”
“Some of you might be familiar with Freud’s theory that humans are subject to the competing instincts of Thanatos (death) and Eros (life). The former makes you want to lie down and do nothing, the latter to get up and achieve something. I have often found this paradigm a useful analysis of the human condition. Rarely a day passes where I don’t experience conflict between these instincts.”
The article below has been selected from the 
“Most adults feel incredibly capable of functioning in their day to day activities. They have bought insurance, put locks on their doors and generally adhere to the standard commonsense notions of maintaining their personal security. Occasionally they will be caught unawares and become the victim to some form of crime. After bemoaning the loss of their wallet or iPod, they will either assume that they could not have avoided the burglary or will step up their precautionary measures and go back to feeling safe and prepared.”
More than anything else, Budo training teaches empathy. If you can dish it out, you can take it in equal measure. Otherwise don’t.
The article below has been selected from the 
“Some day, I’d like to instruct self-defense classes for women. Eventually, that means certification, I suppose, but between Fight Like a Girl, R.A.D., S.A.F.E. and other systems, there are a lot of different types of programs out there, it seems. I think I know what the type of course I want to teach should contain, but I haven’t quite found it yet. So I’m still looking.”
The article below by Ellis Amdur has been selected from the 