“Live a traditional Uchideshi experience”
30 Day Immerse Yourself in Aikido, the Art of Peace, in Virginia
Aikido in Fredericksburg, 6155 Hickory Ridge Road, Spotsylvania, VA 22551, USA
Aikido Training USA
Commencing with the dedication of their new dojo in 2009, Aikido in Fredericksburg has offered the best Uchideshi facilities. An Uchideshi is a “live-in student” who participates in intensive training supervised by their 6th dan chief instructor with the support of dozens of black belt senior students. With the opportunity to train 20 hours per week or more, progress to blackbelt and beyond can be swift.
Meet the instructors
Aviv
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Highlights
- Traditional Uchideshi experience
- Personalized attention from Sensei
- Participate in over 20 classes each week
- Superior training and living facilities
- 29 nights accommodation
- 1 dinner per week
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
29 days with instruction
Group size: Maximum of 6 participants
Airport transfer available:
Richmond International Airport (US$100 per person)
Richmond International Airport (US$100 per person)
Accommodation
Facilities
- Air-conditioned public areas
- Air-conditioned rooms
- Dining area
- Garden
- Kitchen
- Laundry
- Library
- Meeting room
- Parking lot
- Wedding
Designed in harmony with nature
The program at Aikido in Fredericksburg is modeled after the Iwama Dojo in Japan, which emphasizes environmental stewardship, appreciation of the outdoors, and connection with the natural world. The dojo facility and grounds were designed using efficient and natural methods and materials, to provide healthy opportunities to interact with the surroundings. Aikido in Fredericksburg is a Virginia Green Facility.
AIF’s world-class facility
- “Green” building patterned after the Iwama dojo in Japan
- Air-conditioned 2100 square feet training area – one of the largest around
- Sun room with reading and video library
- Well-appointed kitchen (food not provided)
- Superior, air-conditioned rooms; linens provided
- Coin operated washer/dryer
- The dojo sits on 22 acres of land with an organic garden and native plants
- Surrounded by historical sites from Revolutionary and Civil Wars
Amenities
- Air-conditioned
- Handicapped accessible
- Restrooms with showers
- Residential style kitchen and dining room
- Dorm-style bedrooms with 6 beds
- 3,000 s.f. large meeting space with mats (48’ x 64’)
- Small meeting spaces for groups of 8 - 16
- Outdoors 40’ x 60’ pavilion with electricity
- Offstreet parking
Program
You will participate in the regular schedule of excellent classes at the Aikido in Fredericksburg dojo. There will be between 1 and 5 classes each day.
Live and train as an “inside student”
The Uchideshi (“inside student”) program at Aikido in Fredericksburg is an intensive residential apprenticeship designed for students wishing to thoroughly develop their understanding of Aikido while contributing to the Aikido community in the greater Fredericksburg area. No previous martial arts experience is needed.
Requirements
- A positive attitude and an open mind
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old or, with special permission from Sensei, have parental consent
- Healthy physical condition and health insurance in good standing
- Financial ability to support oneself for the length of your stay. Most work schedules can be accommodated, but Aikido training needs to be your primary focus.
Uchideshi program
Aikido in Fredericksburg is one of the few dojos with an Uchideshi program that accepts beginners as well as dan rank holders. Beginners and advanced students of Aikido can participate and will receive an immersion experience of direct transmission of Aikido. As an Uchideshi, you will challenge yourself, have fun, and learn traditional Aikido via this immersion program.
A day in the life of an Uchideshi at Aikido in Fredericksburg
This is a program modeled in the Japanese tradition. If you want to immerse yourself in Aikido meaning wake, sleep, eat, drink, breathe Aikido, then being an Uchideshi could be for you. By living in the dojo, you will have the opportunity to participate in up to 25 classes each week, to spend off the mat time talking with Sensei and fellow deshi, to enjoy a library stacked with books and videos, and to commit yourself to the path of Aiki.
You can take pride that training, dojo life, and the needs of the dojo and Sensei will come before your wants. Apart from training in as many classes as your body permits, Uchideshi work at least one hour each day for the dojo. That includes daily chores, assisting with repairs, and special projects. In addition, in the warmer months, outdoor landscaping/gardening assistance is required. When there are events, seminars, or parties at the dojo, Uchideshi help prepare for, take care of tasks during, and clean up after the event.
Being an Uchideshi entails more than just training a lot. It means learning to be of service, it means learning how to connect with people on and off the mat (blending), it means finding out about your shortcomings and how to grow and overcome them. It means learning how to be observant, not just on the mat (which is called martial awareness), but off the mat as well (being present). Being an Uchideshi is a communal lifestyle that may take a bit of getting used to. The latter being said, Aikido in Fredericksburg has superior dorm-style rooms and a beautiful building and grounds in the “green” dojo.
Now that your eyes are open – being an Uchideshi is awesome! You get to do what you love, and you will improve quickly, which is very satisfying. Kyu and even dan tests can come quickly. You get to train a lot! There are morning classes on six days, so getting up, opening the dojo, and being on the mat early before class makes for an early morning. Noon classes twice a week, and evening classes on five days. Be prepared for your body to initially respond with aches and pains. Be careful that these don’t turn into or result in injuries. You will learn to take care of yourself.
After each class, the mats are swept. The long pauses on the training schedule between morning and noon classes and noon and afternoon/evening classes can be deceptive. You will have to buy and prepare your own food, do your dojo chores, take care of your laundry, write/journal into your Uchideshi notebook, rest, and recover. All of that can leave little free time for activities outside the dojo. Little, but still some. Uchideshi are encouraged to engage in the larger community.
As Uchideshi you are expected to strive harder to develop your technique and be a model student on the mat, Aviv Sensei pays extra attention to you. You may or may not like this.
You do not need to do every class but you may want to. What does the schedule look like on an average day? Getting up at 6 - 6:30 a.m., then morning training with weapons and taijutsu. Breakfast fits in before class or after depending on how early you get up. The morning is free for chores, landscaping, free training, or test preparation, rest, or personal errands. The morning goes by fast on days with a noon class – remember that you are on the mat half an hour before class starts. After lunch, there is another opportunity to do everything you might have done in the morning.
The dojo has an extensive Aikido library with books and DVDs. The afternoon is a good opportunity to read or watch some of that preserved knowledge. Youth and children’s classes are in the late afternoon and Uchideshi are expected to assist with those. Then one or two more adult classes with only short breaks in between, and it is 9 p.m. or later. Time for some dinner and bed, so that the next morning, and the morning after, and the morning after are doable with energy and joy.
You have access to guest instructors and special events that occur every month. You may want to travel with Sensei to a seminar that he is teaching at or attending. Uchideshi gather as a group with Sensei and Donna at least once a week for a meal to celebrate our successes and identify areas for personal improvement. When your Uchideshi stay is over, you will have grown as a person, developed new friendships and memories, and your Aikido will be markedly improved.
Instructors
Aviv Goldsmith
1 Certificate
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Aviv Goldsmith Sensei began Aikido training in 1975 at the New York Aikikai. In 1986, he began studying Iwama-Style Aikido in Reno, Nevada, with Wolfgang Baumgartner Sensei being his primary instructor, and has enjoyed deepening his understanding of this Aikido tradition ever since. “Iwama-style Aikido really made sense and stuck with me more than the other styles that I had previously studied. The teaching methodology and the techniques are precise and easy to assimilate,” he reminisced. From 1987 until Saito Shihan’s passing in 2002, he trained annually with Saito Morihiro Shihan, 9th dan.
Location
Aikido in Fredericksburg is located in Spotsylvania just off Route 1. They are close to I95 between exits 126 and 118. Restaurants, hotels, and shopping opportunities are all within a 5-mile radius.
Features
General
- Air-conditioned public areas
- Air-conditioned rooms
- Dining area
- Garden
- Kitchen
Services
- Laundry
- Library
- Meeting room
- Parking lot
- Wedding
Food
One group dinner per week is included. They will attempt to accommodate your dietary preferences.
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
What's included
- 29 nights accommodation
- Training
- 1 dinner per week
What's not included
- Flights
- Transportation to and from Aikido In Fredericksburg
- Meals not mentioned in inclusions
How to get there
Recommended Airports
DCA
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
87 km
Transfer not provided
RIC
Richmond International Airport
76 km
Transfer available for additional US$100 per person
IAD
Washington Dulles International Airport
86 km
Transfer not provided
BWI
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
135 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Richmond International Airport (RIC). Transfer is available upon request for 100 USD. Alternatively, you can arrive at one of the following airports.
If you arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Take a rental car, Uber, or possible rideshare to the venue. Travel time is 1.5 - 2.5 hours depending on traffic.
If you arrive at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) or Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Take a rental car, Uber, or Amtrak to Fredericksburg. They can pick you up at the Fredericksburg train station for a nominal charge.
Airport: Richmond International Airport
Airport transfer available:
Richmond International Airport (US$100 per person)
Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookMartialArts.com. All major credit cards supported.
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