Green River Aikido provides instruction in the traditional martial art of Aikido, focusing on individual needs in a supportive and non-competitive environment. Through the regular practice of Aikido, students improve their strength, balance, posture, coordination and stamina. Aikido emphasizes partner training to develop effective responses to physical encounters which take the form of different grabs and strikes. Students learn to deliver these attacks and to dynamically and safely respond to the application of Aikido techniques (ukemi) which is perhaps the most important aspect to aikido training. In addition to body art, Aikido includes weapons training as many attacks and defenses are derived from movements based on the use of staff, sword and knife. Embedded in the training is the philosophy of the founder of Aikido, O Sensei,  who believed that physical aggression can be completely neutralized and controlled without causing harm to the attacker.

Green River Aikido provides instruction in the traditional martial art of Aikido, focusing on individual needs in a supportive and non-competitive environment. Through the regular practice of Aikido, students improve their strength, balance, posture, coordination and stamina. Aikido emphasizes partner training to develop effective responses to physical encounters which take the form of different grabs and strikes. Students learn to deliver these attacks and to dynamically and safely respond to the application of Aikido techniques (ukemi) which is perhaps the most important aspect to aikido training. In addition to body art, Aikido includes weapons training as many attacks and defenses are derived from movements based on the use of staff, sword and knife. Embedded in the training is the philosophy of the founder of Aikido, O Sensei,  who believed that physical aggression can be completely neutralized and controlled without causing harm to the attacker.

In 1976, Sylvain and DiAnne Sensei left to train at Hombu Dojo and became special apprentices to T. K. Chiba Sensei. Upon their return in 1979, they asked Stier Sensei to help them build their new dojo, Amherst Aikikai. Stier received his Shodan in Aikido in 1981 and, shortly after that, his Shodan in Iaido. He remained affiliated with USAF Eastern Region with Kanai Sensei and Yamada Sensei, although a special relationship with Chiba Sensei would play an important role in his Aikido development.

In 1986, Stier helped open Valley Aikido in Northampton, MA with Sylvain Sensei. At Valley Aikido, he became Sylvain Sensei’s first student to be given a regular class. Soon thereafter, in an effort to grow our student base, Sylvain Sensei sent him out to teach weekly classes with students in Brattleboro, VT and Greenfield, MA. Those efforts continued until the untimely death of Sylvain Sensei in 1996. Stier assumed a greater role at Valley Aikido as co-head instructor and continued in that role for nearly 10 years. He opened Green River Aikido with his wife Kathy in 2005, and was promoted to the rank of Rokkudan in 2006. Stier felt the need to more thoroughly explore the weapons aspect of his training in order for his Aikido to evolve so he was naturally attracted to Chiba Sensei’s teaching and use of weapons in his training. In 2011, Chiba Sensei officially accepted Stier Sensei as his student and Green River Aikido as active members of Birankai North America.Sensei Kathy Stier6th Dan ShidoinKathy Stier is a 6th Dan instructor at Green River Aikido and a certified Shidoin with Birankai North America.

AI

Harmony • Connection

KI

Spirit • Energy

DO

Way • PathHISTORY OF AIKIDOBIRANKAIGreen River Aikido
Community Experience

Sensei Dave Kathys 40+ years of experience and knowledge is apparent in their training techniques, methods and traditional values. Pleasure to train with and learn from them.
Krissy L.

Ive trained for a only a handful of months but Im really enjoying the classes, especially the weapons classes.
Dan B.

“Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow.

You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment.”

                 The Titan, Atlas is usually depicted as a crouched figure shouldering an enormous sphere.  Greek mythology [...]

"I started aikido when I was 23, in June of 1981. At that time, I was a graduate student at UMass, Amherst, studying in [...]

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