We’re pleased to announce the 7th annual Fall 24-hour Waging Peace Aikido Gasshuku & Benefit event, to be held at Aikido West from Saturday November 13th, 2pm to Sunday the 14th, 2pm.

We encourage kids from all over the Bay Area to join us on the mat at Aikido West next month. In addition to a chance to experience advanced training with different instructors and students from other dojos, this event will feature an introduction to staged combat with Brandon WilliamsCraig who teaches at Aikido of Berkeley, and experienced fight coordinator and 30-year theater veteran Alexi Syssoyev. Another highlight will be bokken practice, out in the parking lot, with lots of post-Halloween pumpkins. For advanced students with both parental permission and instructor approval, there will also be a chance, on a few more of the pumpkins, to experience live steel sword cuts. On Sunday morning participants will join the regular adult classes with Cyndy Hayashi Sensei, which will give each kid the empowering opportunity to throw some adults around the room. 

Parents are encouraged to pre-register by November 10, but walk-ins are welcome. 

Note that the flyer says “Kids 9 years and up”. Mature 7 or 8 year olds attending with a parent or their instructor are also welcome.  Instructors from other dojos are welcome, and we’re happy to waive their training fee.

Parents will need to sign a copy of the Aikido West waiver, either in person at the dojo or (if someone else is dropping off their kid) which they can print out ahead of time via this link: http://aikidokids.com/AikidoWest_Release.pdf

The event is a fundraiser for The PeaceCamp Initiative - an aikido-inspired nonprofit scholarship fund which brings Palestinian and Jewish martial arts youth leaders to a sports camp in the US - where they forge the friendships and trust that make real peace possible.

If you have any questions, please email or call Robert Kent (rkent@peacecampinitiative.org), 650.365.6432

Yours in Aiki,