Instructors
A dojo can be measured by the quality and experience of its instructors.
The balance of consistency and variety is often difficult to strike. However, Austin Ki Aikido strives always to provide the level and quality of instruction that new and experienced Aikidoists require.
In keeping with the cooperative nature of the dojo, all instructors are voluntary.
Michael Farris, Head Instructor, Sandan, with Chuden Ki rank
Farris Sensei is the head instructor for Austin Ki Aikido. He stumbled upon Aikido in 1966 and was introduced to it during an six-week class at the University of Texas in 1976. He began his current practice with Austin Ki Aikido in 1986.
Kathey Ferland, Head Instructor Emeritus, Yondan (4th Dan), with Chuden Ki rank
Kathey Ferland is the former head instructor of Austin Ki Aikido Center, who retired from that position in 2010. Practicing since 1979, she offers an acute knowledge of Ki and Aikido principles.
Eloise Gadus, Sandan, with Shoden Ki rank
Eloise began her Aikido journey in 1991 at Austin Ki Aikido Center. In college she had trained in Western Fencing and competed in that sport on an intramural level. As such the use of weapons in Aikido as training tools continues to feed a long-standing interest.
Janet Swisher, Nidan, with Jokyu Ki rank
Janet began practicing at Austin Ki Aikido in 1995, in part because she lived three blocks away. Through that serendipity, she discovered that Ki Aikido meshes closely with her values. She has continued practicing through various life transitions—now traveling across town to the dojo—because she finds that Aikido nourishes her on multiple levels. She enjoys that she’s still discovering Aikido, and tries to share that with other students.
Karen Winter, Shodan, with Jokyu Ki rank
In the summer of 2000, after training in Karate for eight years, Karen came to Aikido in search of a gentler martial art. In one of her first classes, the sensei read a Shokushu, or ki saying, written by Koichi Tohei Sensei, the founder of Ki Aikido. The Shokushu begins with the affirmation, “Let us have a universal spirit that loves and protects all creation, and helps all things grow and develop.” From this, she knew that Ki Aikido would be a good fit for her.