Aikido dojos in Spokane, Washington?

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[B.J.M.]

I was wondering if anyone new of Aikido schools in the Spokane area? The internet information I came up with was pretty minor. However, I did find an instructor by the name of Gene Nelson sensei. Can anyone tell me anything about Nelson sensei and his dojo? His website only says he has been training for 30 years and gives a training schedule. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[MikeLogan]

According to Dojo Search, (look to the left of this screen, 1st listing under Databases ) Nelson sensei seems to be the only one listed within 50 miles of Spokane. I have a friend of a friend training in washington, though I can't remember whether they'd be familiar with this teacher. I'll PM you if I find anything.

Otherwise, the best you can do is search here about the aikikai style. The space depicted on the website looks nice though. One thing that confuses me is that the style listed is aikikai, and the affiliation is listed as ASU?

michael.

[Mark Uttech]

Mike, the ASU (Aikido Schools of Ueshiba) is affiliated with the Hombu Aikikai in Tokyo.

[giriasis]

I don't know anything about the sensei you're asking about. However, my brother lives in Spokane, Washington and I plan on visiting him one of these days. There is also an AAA aikido school called Aikido Institute of Spokane. Here's their web address: http://www.aikispokane.com Of course I haven't been to Spokane, yet. But once you visit the schools please let me know.

[ChrisMoses]

I've trained with that group a couple times when passing through town. Seemed like a decent group of folks and the waza was what you would expect at an ASU dojo. Practice was about 50/50 kumitachi and tewaza the few times I was there.

[Jacob L.]

I train regularly with Nelson sensei in Spokane. What would you like to know?

-Jacob

[B.J.M.]

Thank you Jacob for your reply.

I guess just things like where and with whom did Nelson Sensei train, where did he get his rank from (I would assume Saotome Sensei, but that could be wrong..), would it be possible to visit, watch, and train in a couple of classes, what's the dojo population, etc.

I am also a yudansha with the ASU under Saotome and Ikeda Sensei.

Thanks again to everyone for their help.

[Jacob L.]

I'll offer as much information as I know. Nelson sensei trained in Arizona before coming to Spokane, though I don't know with whom. The dojo is affiliated with ASU, hence, as far as I know, he tested under Saotome Sensei. Nelson sensei is currently fourth dan.
The dojo is open, so you may come and train with us any time, or watch as many classes as you want. There are somewhere around 30 people training in the dojo, and class sizes are usually under 10.
I hope that this helps. I'll see Nelson sensei in the next few nights, so I can direct any more questions you have to him, or you can call the dojo yourself.

Have a nice night,
-Jacob

[Dale Forbes]

Hi Brent,
sorry about the late reply re Aikido Dojos in Spokane Washington. There are three active ones, two ASU and one AAA, led respectively by Larry Bowman Sensei, Gene Nelson Sensei and Roger Mosconi Sensei. All three are great to train with, but quite different in their background and style.
In a nutshell, Bowman Sensei is a Police Officer, influenced by his regular use of Aikido in "the real world," his training in Japan, and his longtime teacher Greg Olson Sensei. He probably has the most robust style of the three.
Gene Nelson Sensei is very interested in weapons training, detail oriented, stressing the basics and has an extensive list of training times, which is nice.
Roger Mosconi Sensei has a background that includes Barresh in Granite Falls, and later AAA affiliation. He's an absolutely great guy and keeps an active dojo.
There is some "web name confusion" recently, but all three have websites and you will find links to those sites from Bowman Sensei's site: www.spokaneaikido.com Enjoy!!!

[Jeffrey A. Fong]

Brent, I began my study with Nelson-san and believe he would provide a superior base for your training. He places a premium on the acquisition of fundamentals. He studied with Sakakibara in Arizona and took rank from Saotome sensei. Strong technique, strong understanding of budo. Happy training.

[B.J.M.]

Wow!

Thank you all very much for the information; it has really helped. I am a yudansha and I know how important it is to find the right dojo that fits what you want from a budo study such as aikido.

Thank you again. Nice to know that there is a great big aikido family out there helping one another.

Sincerely,

Brent