TCNJ

4 Principles

  • Maintain One Point
  • Relax Progressively
  • Correct Posture
  • Positive Mind

About Kokikai Aikido

"Aikido Kokikai is a way to develop greater inner peace, unify your mind and body, help you to be more calm and relaxed, realize your full potential, and enjoy life to the fullest. It just happens to be disguised as a martial art."

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know some of the new people that have taken up Kokikai Aikido this year. Whether it was because of what you've heard or you saw our demo at the Fall Activities fair, Aikido caught your eye for one reason or another. Seeing the base of the organization grow solidly in the previous few years has made me happier than I could ever honestly express because it meant that there were so many people who enjoyed what we had to offer.

Aikido is a martial art with a specific focus and a way of doing things that takes time and a concerted effort to get into. It relies on your own internal mind/body state and the fact that, when someone attacks another human being, that attacker has broken an unwritten universal law. We focus on exposing that vulnerability and neutralize the threat while refraining from doing harm to the opponent.

We take trips to see Shuji Maruyama-sensei, founder of Kokikai Aikido. His ability to implement what we practice all the time so easily, and against bigger opponents who are also black belts, impresses me every time. These trips are enjoyable as well as enlightening because we have a chance to interact with students from all over the east coast and other places around and outside the US as well as see how far we have come and how far we have to go.

As president and someone who has practiced Kokikai Aikido for five years, I feel that its greatest secret is that it helps you grow as a person. Its not apparent at first but you take more away from the state of mind you develop then the skill sets you develop, at least initially. When you test for a rank, which those who stay on will undoubtedly do, in the end know that a belt-test is just seeing where you are now compared to before and knowing you've gotten better at something, which is an amazing feeling.

As my time at TCNJ is coming to a close, I start to reflect on my years here and that invariably involves thinking about Aikido, how far the club has come, where I would like to see it go, where I would like to see myself with regards to Aikido sometime in the future and, most importantly, every single person I have met since freshman year who has made my experience in Aikido some of the best times I have had at college.

Our senseis, Art Hohmuth, Anchuing Wang and Bryan Gibbons are all black belts in this profound martial art. Graduating students who were members of Kokikai Aikido go on to receive higher ranks and return to teach some if not many of our classes. Many friendships were started in Aikido through common interests or simply the fact that we saw each other twice a week for two hours at least. For all those who want a new and refreshing experience, welcome to TCNJ's Kokikai Aikido. I hope you come to enjoy it as much as I have!

~Lloyd Woods, president of TCNJ Kokikai Aikido 2008-2011

Contact Us: aikido(at)tcnj.edu

This page was created by Crystal Kan and is maintained by Jonathan Ruff.