New York Aikikai

A message from Steve Sensei

Logistics: tests are June 20 after the 11am class, officiated by Sharon. If you desire to test, find the application on the front desk. Application deadline is June 17. Test prep classes are in session on Tuesdays at 6:45am taught by Kevin and Fridays at 4:15pm by Paul A. While they are kyu test prep classes, all are welcome. For every nage, we need an uke. Sharon will also teach a randori class on Thursday, June 11 at 5:30pm. Everyone is welcome.

Now, on to bare minimum requirements:
-You are up to date on your monthly dues
-You are up to date on your individual 2026 USAF membership
-You have at least the minimum required hours needed for grade you want -to test for (if not a whole lot more)
-You have paid the USAF kyu test fee of $50

Now, what are we looking for, when it comes to testing, at the New York Aikikai:

-Know the technique requirements for the rank you want to test for in the order in which they are listed, and then totally out of order
-Be prepared to demonstrate all the techniques from your previous tests
-Clearly demonstrate differences between omote and ura variations
-If required to demonstrate 5 techniques from a particular attack, know 10
-If randori is part of your test, prep for it by doing jiyu waza with multiple attackers. Don’t set up a strategy for randori. Randori roughly means “control chaos.” For us in aikido, randori is multiple ukes attacking, all at the same time. In contrast, jiyu waza is multiple attackers, one at a time. Feel comfortable with that and chaos is yours to control
-Train as much as you can
-Get in extra classes, attend test prep classes, set up extra practice times. Don’t be a stranger. Ask for help!

Do great.

Photo credit: Javier Dominguez

Congratulations to Erin Vardi Sensei at Aikido of Ramapo Valley for a fantastic seminar with Joshua Layton Sensei. We were so glad that a few NY Aikikai members were able to attend.

Congratulations to Woodstock Aikido for a great 40 years! We hope that you can join them at their special seminar on June 27th with Steve Shihan and Sharon Shihan teaching. See you there!

We have a flier for our upcoming Okamoto Sensei seminar in October!

Also, early bird registration is open till June 15, as well as scholarship applications.

Truly beautiful work by dojo-member and instructor Brian Dupont . It was great to see such a great showing of our community at his opening, and we hope you will take some time to go visit the gallery before the show closes on May 30. Fun fact: Brian designed the artwork for the painting we feature on our 60th anniversary merch. Thank you, Brian, for sharing your talents with us. You are pretty great! Photo credit and gratitude: .Dominguez.Photography⁠
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curated by William Norton ⁠
theNextWave Gallery: a Wade Bonds and William Norton Galleries Production⁠
37 N 15th Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn 11222⁠
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Exhibition Dates: Sunday May 3 - Saturday May 30, 2026, Saturdays and Sundays, 2-6 ⁠
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theNextWave Gallery is pleased to present On Your Mark, a two-person exhibition featuring Brian Dupont and Jon Elliott—two artists whose practices diverge in form yet converge in a shared commitment to the immediacy and truth of mark-making.

A seminar you don’t want to miss! After months of planning, registration is now open for our upcoming seminar with Yoko Okamoto Shihan. https://www.nyaikikai.com/okamotoseminar

Details are as follows:

- Seminar location (Dwight School Athletic Center, 2116 1st Ave + 109th St)
- Schedule details (Friday night, all day Saturday with lunch and happy hour, Sunday morning—times on our website)
- Seminar pricing (early bird pricing available till June 15, includes mat fees at the NY Aikikai for visitors on October 1, 2 and 5)
- Scholarship application (we have five available, application deadline June 15)

Our official flier will be ready soon for you to share at your home dojo and online. In the meantime, please register now to take advantage of our early bird special and to join us in welcoming Okamoto Shihan back to New York City!

All are welcome! https://www.nyaikikai.com/okamotoseminar

Do you have tickets yet for Paul Zimet’s new show, The Door Slams, A Glass Trembles at LaMama? Our friend Tina Sheperd is also performing in this production.

Recently Paul and his partner Ellen were interviewed by Culturebot to talk about their creative process and extensive career. Make sure to take a read.

“We meet so many people from so many different classes and races. And it’s a privileged peek into all these worlds that you might only superficially come into contact with. Another thing about listening. A very important part of my life has been practicing aikido, which I’ve practiced for 55 years, and I teach it as well. It’s a martial art all about receiving an attack. There’s a real listening in that, a kind of listening with your body. You’re sort of receiving the person’s energy as it comes to you, rather than some idea of what their energy’s gonna be. I think that’s helped, too.”

band

Interview: https://www.culturebot.org/2026/04/104024/lets-just-do-it/
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/42/production/1263489?promo=KAIROS

Support our community! Student and teacher Brian Dupont has an exhibition opening on Sunday going through May 20th @ theNextWave Gallery: a Wade Bonds and William Norton Galleries Production.

Address: 37 N 15th Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 11222

Don't miss this opportunity to see Brian's work, described this way: "Dupont’s work leans into a raw, almost urgent physicality. His marks feel accelerated, as though made in pursuit of something just ahead—each line a sprint, each surface a track bearing the evidence of velocity and impact. There is a sense of compression and release, like a body pushing off the blocks, where energy is not merely depicted but thoughtfully enacted."



https://www.briandupont.org/

Yoko Okamoto Shihan is coming to town! We are getting ready to open registration for our very special seminar with Okamoto Sensei in NYC this October 2-4. All details and registration will be available by May 15, including one month of early bird pricing. ⁠
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So far we know that tickets will be available for the whole weekend or for individual days. The seminar will take place at the Dwight School Athletic Center on 109th Street and 1st Avenue. We are also working on hotel discounts. ⁠
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NY Aikikai can't wait to gather us again for dynamic training and good fun. We look forward to a full mat!! ⁠
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Thanks to Javier Dominguez for these photos of Okamoto Sensei and her dynamic teaching.

Registration is open for the USAF Summer Camp! Scholarships are also available. Dates for camp are July 27th to 31st at thew Seaview Resort in Galloway, NJ. Here's the link: https://unitedstatesaikidofederation.regfox.com/2026-summer-camp