Learn to move with confidence, stay calm under pressure, and respond to conflict without relying on strength or aggression. Aikido is a Japanese martial art based on movement, timing, balance and control. At Quiet Storm Dojo, adults and youth learn in a welcoming, cooperative environment where beginners can start at any time.
WHAT IS AIKIDO?
A Different Kind of Martial Art
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that teaches you to respond to an attack through movement rather than simply meeting force with force. Students learn to move out of the path of an attack, maintain their own balance, disrupt the attacker’s balance, and use throws, pins and joint controls to bring the situation under control.
Training includes responses to grabs, pushes and strikes, along with footwork, falling safely, body movement and exercises that develop coordination and awareness.
Aikido does not depend on being bigger or stronger than your training partner. Instead, it emphasizes timing, positioning, balance, relaxation and efficient movement.
And unlike many martial arts, Aikido is not practiced as a competitive sport. We train with one another rather than against one another. You don’t need to know anything about Aikido before walking through our door. That’s what we’re here to teach you.
WHY TRAIN AIKIDO?
More Than Learning Techniques
People come to martial arts for many different reasons. Some want to learn self-defense. Some want exercise. Others want greater confidence, focus or simply something challenging and interesting to do. Aikido develops all of these through physical practice.
Learn Self-Defense Skills
Practice dealing with grabs, pushes and strikes while learning movement, distance, balance, throws and controls.
Stay Calm Under Pressure
Being grabbed or attacked creates an immediate physical reaction. Training gives you a safe place to experience that pressure and learn to respond with awareness rather than panic.
Move Better
Aikido develops balance, posture, coordination, mobility, timing and whole-body movement. You learn to use your body more efficiently rather than depending on muscular strength alone.
Build Confidence
Confidence grows from doing things that once seemed difficult: learning to fall safely, escaping a grab, controlling your balance and successfully performing a technique with a training partner.
Challenge Your Mind
Aikido is as much a study of timing, awareness and human movement as it is a collection of techniques. There is always something more to understand.
Train Without Competition
There are no tournaments to win and no opponent to defeat. Students take turns attacking and defending, helping each other improve.
WHAT DOES AIKIDO TRAINING ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE?
You learn by doing. Aikido is hands-on from the beginning. One student attacks while the other practices responding. Then you switch roles. You may begin with a wrist grab, push or strike. The defender learns to move safely out of the line of attack, maintain good posture, affect the attacker’s balance and finish with a throw or control. As your skill increases, attacks become more committed and techniques become more fluid.
You will also learn ukemi — the skill of receiving techniques and falling safely. Ukemi allows students to practice throws while protecting themselves and is an important skill in its own right.
Classes also include exercises for posture, relaxation, movement, balance and coordination. Weapons training with the wooden sword and staff may also be used to develop distance, timing and body movement.
Aikido is cooperative training, but that does not mean passive training. Your partner gives you a real physical problem to solve. You feel what works — and what doesn’t.
IS AIKIDO FOR ME?
Most people who begin Aikido are beginners. You do not need previous martial arts experience. You do not need to be especially strong, flexible or athletic. You do not need to get in shape before you start.
Aikido may especially appeal to you if:
- You want to learn a martial art without competing in tournaments.
- You are interested in self-defense but don’t want aggression to become the focus of your training.
- You enjoy learning movement, technique and problem-solving.
- You want exercise that challenges both your body and your mind.
- You want to become more comfortable and confident dealing with physical contact.
- You are looking for an activity you can continue studying for years rather than a short-term fitness program.
Men and women train together, and adults of very different ages, sizes and levels of experience can practice together.
YOUR FIRST CLASS
Starting Is Easier Than You Think
Walking into a martial arts school for the first time can feel intimidating. We don’t expect you to know the etiquette, the Japanese terminology or how anything works. We’ll show you. New students begin with fundamentals: how to stand and move, how to interact safely with a training partner, how to receive techniques and how the basic movements of Aikido work. You will train at a pace appropriate for your experience and ability. Our classes are ongoing, which means you don’t have to wait for a new session to begin. New students may start at any time.
The best way to find out whether Aikido is right for you is simply to come see it for yourself.
TRY AIKIDO FOR TWO MONTHS
Give Yourself Enough Time to Really Experience It
Most people have never seen Aikido before they walk into a dojo. One class can introduce you to it, but it takes more than one class to begin understanding how it feels. That’s why new students begin with a two-month trial membership. Your trial includes • Two months of Aikido training • 2–3 classes each week • A training uniform
The trial gives you time to learn the basics, meet the people you will be training with and decide for yourself whether Aikido belongs in your life.
YOUTH AIKIDO
Confidence Without Encouraging Aggression
Parents often face a difficult question: how do I teach my child to deal with conflict without teaching them to look for a fight? Aikido offers an unusual answer. Children learn martial arts skills, self-discipline, etiquette, movement and self-defense while training in an art that emphasizes control rather than competition or aggression. They practice dealing with physical contact, maintaining their balance, moving away from attacks and responding without simply striking back. Along the way they develop coordination, concentration, confidence and greater awareness of themselves and the people around them.
Youth Aikido gives children a place to be challenged physically while also learning that strength and aggression are not the same thing.
[LEARN ABOUT YOUTH AIKIDO]
AIKIDO FOR WOMEN
Because Aikido emphasizes timing, balance, movement and technique rather than physical strength, women of different ages and body types can train effectively with men and women alike. Training also provides a safe environment to become more comfortable with physical contact, conflict and taking control of an attack.
[READ MORE ABOUT AIKIDO FOR WOMEN →]
EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTION. SUPPORTIVE TRAINING.
Meet the Quiet Storm Aikido Instructors
Quiet Storm has been teaching martial arts for generations.
Rick Berry Sensei, 8th Dan | Rick Berry began martial arts training in the 1960s and began studying Aikido in 1983. He founded Aikido Kokikai Delaware and has spent decades teaching students from widely different backgrounds and professions.
Andrew Furst, 6th Dan | Andrew began studying Aikido in 1991 and is Quiet Storm’s senior Aikido student and Director of Promotions. He teaches the Monday evening adult class.
Together, our instructors bring decades of experience to the mat — but beginners are never expected to train like advanced students.
MORE TO EXPLORE AT QUIET STORM
One Dojo. Several Martial Traditions.
Aikido is our primary focus, but Quiet Storm is home to several martial arts programs.
JIU-JITSU
A close-range Japanese martial art emphasizing practical self-defense through strikes, joint locks, throws and controls. [EXPLORE JIU-JITSU]
KENJUTSU
Traditional Japanese sword training including iai, iaijutsu and paired sword practice. Our sword class is available to Aikido students. [EXPLORE KENJUTSU]
CAPOEIRA
A Brazilian martial art combining movement, kicks, acrobatics, rhythm, music and culture in a uniquely energetic form of training. [EXPLORE CAPOEIRA]
KOKYUDO
Breath, movement and mind-body training emphasizing relaxation, posture, coordination and efficient use of the body. [EXPLORE KOKYUDO]
Whatever brings you through the door, Quiet Storm offers something increasingly difficult to find: a place to study martial arts seriously without losing the enjoyment of training.
START YOUR JOURNEY
The Best Way to Understand Aikido Is to Experience It
You can read about Aikido. You can watch videos. But eventually you have to feel what happens when someone grabs your arm, you move instead of resisting, their balance changes — and suddenly the technique makes sense.
Come visit Quiet Storm Dojo and start your journey of fun, training, community, and a brighter you.
