Balance & coordination
Repeated movement, footwork, rolling, and partner practice develop body awareness and coordination.
About our dojo
A direct tradition,
kept alive.
Aikido of San Leandro preserves the teaching transmitted from Morihei Ueshiba through Morihiro Saito Shihan to Patricia Hendricks Shihan.
The practice
What is Aikido?
Aikido training explores ways to meet force without simply opposing it. Students practice throws, pins, footwork, falling and rolling, and traditional weapons work. Practice is cooperative: partners alternate roles so each person can study both the technique and how to receive it safely.
Why train
What students develop through practice.
Focus & presence
Techniques ask students to pay close attention to timing, posture, distance, and their partner.
Confidence & composure
Learning unfamiliar movement and practicing under gradually increasing challenge can build confidence and greater calm under pressure.
Mobility & movement
Regular practice keeps the body moving through varied ranges of motion while developing posture and efficient movement.
Safe falling skills
Students progressively learn ukemi — ways of receiving techniques, rolling, and falling with greater control.
Cooperative practice
Aikido is learned with partners rather than through winning and losing, encouraging respect, communication, and responsibility for one another.
On the mat
A practice you grow into.
You do not need previous martial arts experience to begin. Students learn progressively, working at an appropriate pace while developing the fundamentals of movement, ukemi, technique, and partner practice.