Seattle School of Aikido operates as a cooperative, with instructors who have a wide breadth of martial arts experience. The instructors collaboratively create and develop the training program which is designed to continue the traditional teaching of Aikido.

 

Rupert Berk

Rupert Berk began his study of martial arts at the age of 6 with Kyokoshinkai Karate. That didn't go very far, but he did pick it up again in university with Shudokan and Shotokan Karate as well as Danzan Ryu jujitsu. He began his practice of Aikido in 1995 at the Central Illinois Aikikai, a cooperative affiliated with the late Akira Tohei sensei.

In 1996, Rupert moved to Seattle and continued his practice at the Seattle School of Aikido. Among those who have had a strong influence on his training have been Allan Kaplan, Eric Oberg, and in more recent years, Jan Nevelius, Frank Ostoff, and Seishiro Endo Shihan.

He received shodan rank from Seattle School of Aikido in January 2002, and retested in April 2008 with Endo Shihan to affiliate with Hombu dojo.

"In Aikido, I find a way to release, to renew, and to open myself."

 

Dane Doerflinger

Dane Doerflinger brings a strong, often wet, leadership background to his teaching role at the Seattle School of Aikido. He has been a professional outdoor guide for 25 years, leading whitewater rafting, climbing and skiing trips throughout the Northwest. He is certified in whitewater rescue, first aid and is a PSIA certified telemark ski instructor. Dane has been dedicated to learning Aikido for the past seven years. His training, after a brief introduction at North Seattle Community College, has been at our dojo. With two daughters now old enough to be involved in the kids program, Dane has volunteered to teach a weekly session. His girls are very excited to be taking classes from their dad.

 

Allan Kaplan

Allan Kaplan began practicing Aikido when he was an Oberlin College freshman in 1976. Allan has traveled, lived, and practiced Aikido in Japan. He has taught in many dojos across the US and has been active at the Seattle School Of Aikido since 1987. He received his 4th degree black belt in 1993.

Allan considers Mitsugi Saotome, Hiroshi Ikeda, Seishiro Endo, and the late Terry Dobson as his primary influences among the many instructors with whom he has trained.

“Central to my Aikido philosophy are the tenets of centeredness, non-aggression, and a relaxed, yet not passive, posture. My studies in Tai Chi added insight to these concepts. With proper posture and alignment one can meld more completely with an attack while maintaining one’s own integrity, resulting in a more pure resolution.”

 

David Kaplan

David Kaplan’s study of eastern philosophy and mysticism (Buddhism and Taoism) led to his seeking a greater sense of wholeness between his mind and body. He began studying Tai Chi in 1975, and continued practicing with several teachers for about fifteen years.

David started Aikido in 1977 at Washington Aiki Kai, founded by several former students of Harada Sensei (who was a member of Koichi Tohei’s Ki Aikido Organization). Traditional Aikido fundamentals with a strong emphasis on ki extension were taught by a variety of instructors.

In 1990 David was unable to train in Aikido because of injury, and he studied with David Harris for two years. He started training regularly at Seattle School of Aikido in 1996.

“The best way I can describe my perspective on Aikido is that it is a form of moving meditation. In meditation the mantra is a focus of attention that allows for unfocused movement of the mind. Aikido operates in a similar way by focusing attention on the physical and mental state of being in movement.”

 

Alan Lindwall

Alan's formal training in martial arts began in 1983 with Taekwondo under Solomon Hak Tok Yun. That training included Kum do, Hap Ki Do, and basic Judo.

In 1998, Alan found a natural transition Hapkido to Aikido. He finds the displinary boundaries constraining and hopes to help others appreciate the similarities among martial arts.

He was awarded his Shodan from Seattle School of Aikido in 2009.

Alan also trains in Iai Batto Jutsu in which he holds the rank of Yondan. He finds that Iai is a very good way to maintain focus and clarity with emphasis on body structure and good mechanics.

 

Jenna Montgomery

Jenna Montgomery began studying Aikido in 2001 at Puget Sound Aikikai, followed by a couple of quite cold winters with the University of Iowa Aikikai. After a two-year hiatus to study yoga and dance, she started dreaming about Aikido and figured it was time to return to the mat. She has student-taught art classes at an elementary school on New York City's Lower East Side and at T.T. Minor Elementary in Seattle's Central Area. She enjoys working with kids in Aikido because "kids keep you honest in your movement."

 

Zenith Morrison-Weiss

Zenith Morrison-Weiss' lifelong adventures in Aikido began in the college club at National University of Ireland, Galway, where she was an exchange student of modern history in 1998. "I wanted to take Kung Fu, but the club there was all body no heart, so the teacher told me I might like Aikido. He was so right!" The combination of strength, flow, openness and expression is really amazing as a martial art, great exercise and powerful meditation. "Aikido really opened up a lot of roads in lots of areas of my life, and it made me a better dancer!" She started practice at SSA in 2001 and began teaching the kid’s program in 2004. "Kids and Aikido are like laughter and the twinkle in your eye, they go hand in hand, and the world is better for it. The confidence, awareness and fun that Aikido offers is such a great way to develop as a person." Zenith is currently working on getting a degree in hydraulic engineering. She intends to continue practicing Aikido and teaching kids wherever life takes her.

 

Laura Mortensen

Laura Mortensen began her Aikido career with Pamela Cooper in 1990 at Aikido of West Seattle. She continued her aikido studies through college with Craig Fire at Aikido Northwest from 1991-1995, and continued to train at West Seattle during the summer. In June of 1995 she trained for a year at the Seattle School of Aikido.

From 1996-1998 she taught English in South Korea and trained for a few months at a Hopkido School in Namwon, South Korea.

In 1998 Laura returned to Seattle and continued training at the Seattle School of Aikido. She received the rank of Shodan in November, 2002.

Pam Cooper, Christine Southwick, and Mary Heiny are some of her biggest influences.

"I love the way our school teaches you that there isn't one single way to do Aikido. When I first learned from Pam and then went to another school I had to stop myself from thinking 'that's not the way we did it at Pam's school.'"

 

Robby Pellett

Robby Pellett began the study of marital arts in high school with Shotokan Karate, and continued to study this into university. During his university days Robby also practiced Tai Chi Chuan for a year.

Robby was introduced to Aikido in San Francisco while studying dance. In 1979 Robby became a serious Aikido student, training with Kashiwaya Sensei of Ki Society in Boulder. Soon after that Ikeda Sensei came to Boulder and Robby began to study with him.

From about 1986 to 1992 Robby lived in Japan and trained with Mochizuki Sensei at Yoseikan where he received his Shodan in 1989. While training at Yoseikan Robby was able to study kobudo weapons, Judo, and Wadokai Karate. In addition to his studies at Yoseikan Robby studied and received a shodan in Jiki Shin Kage Ryu Naginata, Kyudo Remmei Kyudo, and Shinto Ryu Iei-batto Jitsu. Robby has gone on to receive a yondan in Shinto Ryu. Robby has been training and teaching at Seattle School of Aikido since 1992.

“Precision allows gentleness- as we study the way the body moves we can respond to a hostile gesture with more precision. With precision our responses can be more effective using a minimal amount of force, or gentleness.”

 

John Peng

John Peng began his study of martial arts in 1990 at UCLA, and has trained in a variety of "striking" arts including Kenpo, Tae Kwon Do, and Wing Chun Kung Fu. In 1995, after seeing kotegaeshi in his first Aikido class, he knew intuitively that Aikido was the path that he was seeking.

John begain his Aikido training in Albany, NY in February 1995, in Nihon Goshin Aikido until 1996, then at Albany Aikikai (USAF) until 1997. He moved to Seattle in June of 1997, and continued his Aikido training at the Seattle School of Aikido (SSA) where he received the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt) in November of 2002. He has been training and teaching at SSA regularly ever since.

On April 6, 2008, John had the opportunity to have his Shodan rank recognized internationally by testing in Seattle under Seishiro Endo Shihan, 8th Dan, Hombu Dojo, Japan. John continues to study and attempts to teach his own interpretation of Endo Shihan’s style of Aikido.

"I began my study of martial arts as a way to explore the mind-body connection, but I got tired of learning how to hit people."

"Through Aikido practice, I experience integrated mind-body metaphors which show me opportunities for improving myself, through which I learn how to improve my relationships with others".

John is also an MD in internal medicine, and practices full time in northern Seattle.

 

Christy Purdy

Christy Purdy has been at Seattle School of Aikido since 1982, and considers Mary Heiny and several of Mary’s then-senior students--Pam Cooper, Joanne Veneziano, George Ledyard--as her main teachers. Prior to joining SSA, Christy practiced Aikido casually at a small dojo in Kyoto, Japan for three years while she was teaching English. Christy received her nidan in 1988.

“When I first joined the dojo, I trained in the early morning because of schedule conflicts with evening class. Now it's a habit. After all these years, I still don't like getting up for 6:30 a.m. classes, but I love the way I feel after training at that hour--or any other.”

 

Alex Snyder

Alex Snyder started training at the Seattle School of Aikido in 2003, during his freshman year of high school. He has continued to train here and has grown exponentially more graceful as a result, though he still bumps into things occasionally.

 

Mike Ullmann

Mike started Aikido with Bill Lee Sensei (Shinshin Toitsu Aikido, Rod Kobayashi Shihan), in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s. After moving to Seattle, Mike studied in the mid-1980s with Andy Dale Sensei at his Phinney Ridge dojo. He resumed Aikido practice shortly after Dale founded the Xin Qi Shen dojo in the late 1990s, and received his shodan in 2000 from Andy Dale and John Kanetomi Sensei. Andy Dale awarded Mike his nidan in 2006 and his sandan in 2008.

Mike is a member of the board of directors at Seattle School of Aikido. In addition to teaching at the Seattle School of Aikido, Mike is an active member, and assistant instructor, at the Xin Qi Shen dojo.

"Before I started Aikido, my Karate instructor said that practicing Aikido would make me less jerky. I'm still working on that."