This academic study informs my personal Aikido training as well as my teaching. I have degrees in Psychology and Education from the University of Washington where my focus was the neuroscience of exercise. I've been teaching either dancing or Aikido for 35 some years, including 10 years at the Pacific Northwest Ballet school. I earned my black belt rank from Bookman sensei here at the Tenzan Aikido dojo, and in 2010, I became the dojo manager. It is, but it is more than that! Aikido is a unique package of athletics, meditation and community, and I was instantly and permanently hooked. I began practicing Aikido because our two boys, Max and Casey, were in the children's program and it looked like fun. I was a ballet dancer before moving to Seattle and marrying my husband ,Tam. ( Top of Page) Melissa Pittman-Fischer, 5th degree black belt, Shidoin Chuck has trained with all four of his children, two of whom are now black belts. He thinks it a great activity to share with family members.
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Plus the aikido students are an interesting and caring group of folks. He thinks it is simply impossible to exhaust the opportunities aikido offers for physical and psychological challenges and development.
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Aikido's ideas of blending and harmonization as a means of addressing a physical confrontation are a powerful metaphor for how to approach conflict situations of all sorts. He believes aikido by far the most interesting from a philosophical point of view of all the martial systems. On recommendation from his tkd instructors, upon moving to Seattle in 1992, he looked into aikido, and happily switched to aikido under Bookman Sensei. Both he and Colette follow the teachings of their beloved guru, Mata Amritanandamayi from whom they derive the most inspiration for their work in aikido, yoga and meditation.Ĭhuck Montange, 6th degree black belt, ShihanĬhuck began studying tae kwon do in 1984 in the Maryland suburbs of the other Washington, and added some hap ki do in 1989.
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He co-owns the dojo with his wife, Colette Crawford. He continues his study of Japanese classical swordsmanship and weaponry with Araki-ryu Shihan, Ellis Amdur.īookman has studied yoga, on-and-off since childhood. In addition to extensive cross training in boxing, tae kwon do, judo, iai-do, Bookman is a black belt professor of Brazilian jiu-jitsu with over 20 years experience. He also teaches by invitation, seminars around the country.
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In 2000, he respectfully withdrew from the USAF to start his own organization, Tenzan Aikido, where he continues to teach full time. In 1998 Bookman was promoted to 6th degree blackbelt, a master’s rank. At that time he became a senior member of the United States Aikido Federation (USAF Western Region) Teaching Committee under the direction of Chiba Shihan, with whom he worked closely for another 14 years. He studied for two years and was promoted to 3rd degree blackbelt.īookman moved to Seattle in 1981 and established Aikido Northwest. There he studied intensively with Kazuo Chiba Shihan and other prominent masters of aikido at the Headquarters dojo, including Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the son of the founder. He moved to Tokyo to apprentice at the International World Headquarters at age 19.
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At age 16, Bookman was dispatched to Mexico City to teach for two months as temporary chief instructor until a permanent teacher arrived from Japan. Upon receiving his black belt, he became a member of the New York Aikikai teaching staff. Bookman became the youngest aikido blackbelt in America at the age of 15. Kaicho, Bruce Bookman’s career in aikido began in 1970 as a 12 year old at the New York Aikikai, under the direction of Yoshimitsu Yamada Shihan.