Expert: David R. Organ - 7/30/2008

Question
It has been some time since I had a "Falling out" with the only Aikido Instructor in my town.  I won't go into major details, but his attitude has cost him most all of his high rank students and his wife.  So I am curious what ranks are required to start an Aikido Club?  I do not wish to be the primary Instructor, or to make any money at this, but after 10 years of study, I miss the art, as do many of the other students I have stayed in touch with.  It would be nice to get together and continue to practice and even help each other, but I don't know how "Aikido" would look upon this, or what the legal aspects are, if any?  Do we need a black belt?  After 10 years I was only advanced to purple (it's not about the belt to me, but what about the industry?), or do we need a 2nd or 3rd Dan?  Or can anyone join and help?  Would it be inapropriate to gather many of the previous Senseis students elsewhere?  Do we need to register anywhere?  As you can see I have questions . . . and these are just for starters.  :-)

Answer
Dear Randy:
First, let me apologize for not answering immediately. I'm living waaay out in the boonies at the moment, and Internet access can sometimes be sporadic.

Anyhoo; yous is a pretty easy question to answer: Go ahead and start a club! There are no 'official' levels required to start your own club, though the ruling bodies of individual styles may require specific levels.

That said, it is of course unwise for someone of low rank - oh; of third or fourth kyu for example - to start his or her own club simply because that person hasn't learned enough about this art to be proficient enough to teach but even there, there is no legal or civil restrictions against such a person starting his or her own school. (Which can be a problem. There are a lot of shady schools with dubious teaching methods out there; started by low-ranking students who didn't want to wait and learn aikido the hard way. These 'instant masters' are a real pain in the butt; since they tend to distract and confuse students from the real power of this art; a power which stems from relaxation, discipline, peaceful intent and generosity.)

In your case, I have no idea what purple belt signifies; in some schools it indicates junior instructor; though that is by no means standard. You have, however, ten years experience; you should have at least a basic understanding of the fundamentals of aikido. You also from your letter appear to be a modest person unlikely to fall into the instant shihan category; all you want to do is practice aikido, right?

Go start a club. A club - not necessarily a school. (OK, same thing; but semantics are important. LOL) A club where like-minded individuals gather to practice and explore aikido; and welcome others in. You don't need permission from Japan; you don't need such-and-such paperwork; though there are those who will tell you otherwise and be willing to help you register...for a fee. You just need the desire and interest to practice aikido; and a place to do it.

Oh - one other thing. You asked "Would it be inapropriate to gather many of the previous Senseis students elsewhere?"
Whoa, yeah - it would be; big time. If you open a club and he's as bad as you say; they'll drift over to your new club. If you go out of your way to round them up; different story - now your student stealing; a practice which can be best described a a serious lack of manners.

Good luck - I hope it works out for you. :-)