Reviews of Aikido Shusekai

I have been training with Walker Sensei for more than fourteen years, thousands of hours of mat time.

We make welcoming and supporting white belts, specifically letting them learn at their own pace, a virtue. I always feel good about that.

I've been training since 2004 and am nearly a black belt. Nick is a gifted teacher - just the right amount of talk, plenty of wisdom and the levity that comes with approaching life with an open heart and mind.

I appreciate the creative license of practice. Nick encourages us to develop in a way that makes sense for us - no one is practicing assembly-line aikido.

Aikido practice has helped me ground, access my power and live in a sensitive-and-durable manner.

The community is supportive, and the space is gorgeous.

I've been training with Aikido Shusekai for about three years, and am very satisfied. I've been to several dojos over many years, and feel that I've learned more at Shusekai than anywhere else. Nick Walker is the chief instructor, and teaches a style of aikido that is both practical and accessible. He has put a lot of thought into "long-term" practice--teaching the techniques in such a way as to minimize stress and damage to knees, backs, shoulders, etc., so that injuries are less likely and less severe. The Shusekai style is also very articulate and precise about both the mechanics and the spirit of aikido--it's not reliant simply on repetition. The motto of the dojo is "Always practice in a spirit of joy", and that definitely helps everyone on the mat to stay in the right frame of mind.

Highly recommended.

Steve T.