I downloaded the dating app, entered a punchy profile, and uploaded some pictures. My index finger hovered over the submit button. I...

On the path toward correct perception, is there ever really any room for regret? Recently Mark Sensei asked us to consider the difference...

I recently had a wonderful conversation about the mindset of martial arts with a college professor. He is particularly qualified to speak...

“Don’t change the kata,” Sensei Mark reminds the class. We stand in pairs down the mat, like characters in a Jane Austen novel about to...

In my early years of aikido, connection was not emphasized. I first conceived of connection as something to break away from. Someone...

I’ve always thought of myself as the kind of person who treats everyone with dignity and respect. In the short 21 months that I’ve been...

What is ki? It is one of the first questions that beginners ask. The best answer I know is “Keep practicing and find out.” But that comes...

Finally: the answer to the conundrum which has bebuggered our dojo and its instructors—maybe all dojos and instructors—since the dawn of...

My shaky signature on the little sign-in card betrayed the fact that I was choking back some fear. This was Day One of my aikido...

I suspect that most people who practice a martial art have been asked a similar question. “Have you ever had to use tae kwon...

Every art, trade, science, and study has its jargon. Aikido is no different. Jargon can be a barrier to learning, but it develops for a...

For almost 15 years, Durango Shin-Budo Kai has been a community resource for boosting mind-body unification, refining the spirit, and...

Lightning-fast reflexes make my favorite action hero look so cool on the movie screen. I’ve always wanted to be like THAT guy! Until very...

Meeting someone who has a high level of mastery is much like seeing a giant sequoia. How do they know so much? How does a martial artist...

A koan is an insoluble puzzle that gives deeper and deeper insights but is never resolved. Koan #4 byAlex Pishtar Recently Mark Sensei...

“Is there nothing that stops you?” This friendly question came from a fellow classmate as we both arrived to the dojo for class. His...

I thought weight underside would be one of the easier principles to discuss, but it is both obvious and counter-intuitive. I have begun...

Shizuo Imaizumi Shihan Sensei. Formerly of Aikiki and Ki no Kenkyukai, Imaizumi Sensei established Shin Budo Kai on October 1, 1988. He...

I saw this video and immediately thought of learning to fall and roll in aikido. This is exactly how I think I looked. We all start...

Our dojo recently enjoyed a spectacular, technically spot-on nikyu test—nikyu meaning 2nd rank below black belt shodan. No matter what...