Our Current Schedule
See the table below for times and locations
Current
Regular schedule Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Saturdays noon to 2 pm:
- In Wah Dojo once per month (check calendar)
- Patio next to Wah Dojo other Saturdays except for ASL Seminar weekends (check calendar)
Kids class Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30 to 4:25 at Wah Dojo
| Day | Time | Class | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 7:30 to 9 pm | All levels – Mixed Tai Jitsu (empty hands) and weapons (sword/staff) | Wah Dojo 2641 Pleasant Hill Rd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 |
| Wednesday | 7 to 9 pm | All levels – Primarily weapons | St. Mark’s Lutheran Church 3051 Putnam Blvd Pleasant Hill CA 94523 |
| Thursday | 7:30 to 9 pm | All levels – Mixed Tai Jitsu (empty hands) and weapons (sword/staff) | Wah Dojo 2641 Pleasant Hill Rd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 |
| Saturday | 12 pm to 2 pm | Weapons (all levels). Each person needs their own bokken and jo. Most weeks we are outside | Wah Dojo 2641 Pleasant Hill Rd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 |
Tai-Jitsu
Aikido uses a huge variety of tai-jitsu (empty hands) techniques. For the most part, we do these in the dojo on Thursdays as they involve falling and rolling, but we do a limited number of them in the park and just take a stretch instead of falling.
The Weapons We Use
Description and Why We Use Them
Weapons are in integral part of Aikido as O’Sensei taught and developed their use. We teach that weapons mirror empty (open) hands so the weapon becomes an extension of yourself. We have two basic weapons:
The Sword: which is called a bokken (Bo-ken) or sometimes just a ken, is a wooden weapon with a handle and a curved part with is the blade.
The Staff: which is called a jo (Joe) is a long pole with a diameter of about 1 inch and should reach just under your armpit.
Solo Practices
You start with the suburi (pronounce soo-boo-ree), which are a variety of moves done with the weapons. These suburis are combined to make some individual practices called (katas).
Paired Practices
Partner practices are generally where one persons initiates and the other one responds. These can be done with two jos, two bokkens or a bokken and a jo.
See our weapons page for a more complete explanation.