The founder of aikido, known as O'Sensei was Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). Ueshiba Sensei studied various arts throughout his life such as jujutsu, sumo, spear, and sword. The technical foundation of aikido is a synthesis of those arts. Being a very spiritual person and a follower of the Omoto kyo movement, Ueshiba Sensei incorporated a philosophy of self victory and humanity into the art. Aikido is a martial way and not a sport. As such there is no competition with others only self-competition to better yourself at every opportunity on and off the mat. As a martial art aikido's effectiveness comes from training the body and mind in an effort to use the science of physics to defend against attacks.
Asim Hanif is a direct student of Clyde Takeguchi Shihan 7th dan. Ranked at 3rd Dan he is a fukushidoin certified instructor. He began his aikido training with Irvin Faust 6th dan at Albany Aikido in 1995. Upon relocating to the Northern Virginia area in 1996, he became a member of Capital Aikikai under Takeguchi Sensei. Asim began martial arts training in 1972, later winning 2 world titles as a professional kickboxer. He has also trained and managed professional boxers. In addition, Asim has also studied Okinawan karate-do, tai-chi, and yoga.
"aikido is learned through the body. not the head."
