January 2026 Aikido Introductory Series @ Boulder Aikikai

Registration

Try the first class for FREE. Then decide if you'd like to continue by signing up for the rest of the series.

$150 for the 8-week series, including dogi (practice uniform).

Visit the Boulder Aikikai Website for more information.

Direct link to registration - select "Introductory Series - Jan-Feb 2026" option.

Why Would I Train in Aikido?

There are many possible answers! Here are a few:

• Aikido offers a path for fitness, self-improvement, community, and play.
• Aikido uncovers and entrains alternatives to fight/flight/freeze responses in conflict.
• Aikido can be an embodied critique of the idea that if I win, someone else must lose.

You may notice what’s not a theme in this list: winning fights and self-defense. It’s true that after some months or years of training in aikido, you’ll most likely be better able to handle yourself and stay safer in mundane situations like big crowds, falling off your bike, and so on. But training for defense in real life situations, if it comes up in our classes, will be a training tool more than an expected outcome.

Who Can Train in Aikido?

Aikido is for everyone. From the most flexible and athletic teenager to the oldest and least mobile of us, it is absolutely possible to meaningfully practice aikido! In many cases, being physically stronger than your partner is a liability with respect to learning what is possible in this art. So long as you are able to comfortably and safely walk, sit on the floor, and work with moderate pressure in paired practice, please do consider participating!

Class Structure

Classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6pm.

The first 8 classes of this series will cover specific topics and specific techniques. After the first month, we switch to a more open “fundamentals” format, where each class will be a more organic and unpredictable meeting of teacher, students, and situation.

You’ll receive a training uniform (dogi) and some auxiliary materials as the class progresses. It is our hope that this series will provide a foundation for understanding aikido’s place in the world, and—if it fits—in yours as well!