Dojo in Dallas?

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[Sonja2012]

One of our teenage aikido students will be going to high school (or is it college?) for a year in Dalles/Texas, starting July. He is interested in carrying on aikido whilst he´s over there. I have done a dojo search and found a couple pf dojo there, but as he is "only" 16 I thought I ask you guys for recommendations before I send him anywhere.

I am sure there is a good dojo there - after all there is a great basketball team in Dallas (must I even mention Dirk the German Wunderkind?! ;) )... Style/affiliation doesn´t matter.

Thanks for your help.

Sonja

[Jorge Garcia]

One of our teenage aikido students will be going to high school (or is it college?) for a year in Dallies/Texas, starting July. He is interested in carrying on aikido whilst he´s over there. I have done a dojo search and found a couple pf dojo there, but as he is "only" 16 I thought I ask you guys for recommendations before I send him anywhere.

I am sure there is a good dojo there - after all there is a great basketball team in Dallas (must I even mention Dirk the German Wunderkind?! ;) )... Style/affiliation doesn´t matter.

Thanks for your help.

Sonja


I have been to Aikido of Dallas under Bob Mason Sensei many times and it is a good place to practice Aikido. The new Dallas Aikikai is a place I haven't visited but I have know and have trained with Michael Moreno 6th dan. He is a very nice man and a great Aikidoist after the style of Ni-dai Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba that was his teacher in Japan. It might be an opportunity to get some closer interaction with a high ranking instructor. These are in the north part of town so it might depend on where the student lives as to whether either of these would be an option.
Best wishes,

[aikidoc]

I echo Jorge's recommendation-I have worked out with Bob before in Austin at Jo Birdsong's dojo and he can't go wrong there. I have not met or trained with Michael Moreno but do know of him and his training with nidai doshu.

[Sonja2012]

Thank you, I will let the student know what you said!

[Marc Randolph]

One of our teenage aikido students will be going to high school (or is it college?) for a year in Dalles/Texas, starting July. He is interested in carrying on aikido whilst he´s over there. I have done a dojo search and found a couple pf dojo there, but as he is "only" 16 I thought I ask you guys for recommendations before I send him anywhere.

I am sure there is a good dojo there - after all there is a great basketball team in Dallas (must I even mention Dirk the German Wunderkind?! ;) )... Style/affiliation doesn´t matter.

Thanks for your help.

Sonja
Howdy Sonja,

I would encourage him to stop by the Dallas dojo that I train at, Jita Kyoei. I feel very lucky that we have not just one, but three excellent, down-to-earth (ego-free) 4th-dan instructors that are all present nearly every practice. This gives students the opportunity to get a large amount of "hands-on" time with experienced Aikidoka, all of which use relaxed, balance-breaking movements. To prevent this post from becoming too commercial, I think that I will stop there. You or he can read more about the dojo at the http://www.jitakyoei.com/ website, or feel free to post or email any questions either of you have.

Best regards,

Marc

[Steven]

Aikido DFW (IYAF)
Buyokan Dojo
Instructor(s): Mick Chambers
Santa Fe Ranch
8203 Ranchview Drive
Irving, Texas 75063
Phone: 817-891-9193
http://www.aikidodfw.com

[Marc Randolph]

One of our teenage aikido students will be going to high school (or is it college?) for a year in Dalles/Texas, starting July. He is interested in carrying on aikido whilst he´s over there. I have done a dojo search and found a couple pf dojo there, but as he is "only" 16 I thought I ask you guys for recommendations before I send him anywhere.

I am sure there is a good dojo there - after all there is a great basketball team in Dallas (must I even mention Dirk the German Wunderkind?! ;) )... Style/affiliation doesn´t matter.

Thanks for your help.

SonjaHowdy again Sonja,

On my drive to the dojo last night, I got to thinking about how big a city Dallas is. Although it has many people, I'm actually referring in this case to the fact that it is really spread out - not compressed like cities in Europe. While some public transportation exists, unfortunately it isn't the greatest - it mostly consists of busses, so there might be a number of bus changes (and time involved) to get any distance. A few trams serve a few selected areas. Many areas aren't served by any public transportation at all.

What is the name of the school is he will be attending, and where will he be living (dorm on campus? apartment near campus? a host family?). This would help narrow down what options are available to him for a dojo.

Regards,

Marc

[Sonja2012]

Hi Marc,

I need to ask him about where he will be staying exactly, I wasn´t thinking about the problems (distance and public transport) you mentioned. Thanks for pointing that out. Is it OK if I get back to you about this to get some more tips/advice from you?

Thanks very much for your help. The student is a really nice guy and I would like to send him somewhere where he will be in a nice group and in good hands.

Warm regards,
Sonja

[Marc Randolph]

Hi Marc,

I need to ask him about where he will be staying exactly, I wasn´t thinking about the problems (distance and public transport) you mentioned. Thanks for pointing that out. Is it OK if I get back to you about this to get some more tips/advice from you?
Howdy Sonja,

Absolutely. I'll be more than happy to help in any way that I can - and I promise to do so in an unbaised way and with no expectation that he will end up training with us. I hope that doesn't sound like I'm blowing smoke - in the grand scheme of things, I think it is worth my time to help keep an interested person training, regardless of where he ends up.

Have fun,

Marc