Chief Instructor Benjamin Pincus, 5th Dan, Shidoin

Sensei brings over 27 years of aikido experience to his classes. He studied under several direct students of O Sensei, beginning with the late M. Kanai Sensei (8th degree black belt) in 1982. During his undergraduate years studying philosophy, he apprenticed with the late Paul Sylvain Sensei (6th degree) and Y. Yamada Sensei (8th degree), Chairman of the United States Aikido Federation, Eastern Region. At New York Aikikai, he also studied under Seichi Sugano Sensei (8th degree) and became a student of Donovan Waite Sensei (7th degree). Seeking to deepen his understanding of Aikido after deciding to become an Aikido teacher, he studied in San Diego with K. Chiba Sensei (8th degree) in a kenshusei (intensive instructor's training) program.

Sensei also took classes from the late Terry Dobson Sensei (5th degree), the only American uchi deshi (direct student) of O Sensei. Terry Dobson was the first person to show the relationship between technical Aikido and verbal conflict resolution, writing the book "Giving in to Get Your Way" and a "Soft Answer: The Tokyo Train Story". Inspired by his example, Pincus Sensei enrolled in Woodbury College Mediation/Conflict Management Program in order to understand the relationship between verbal conflict resolution and Aikido. He is a conflict resolution and mediation trainer certified by Woodbury College.

Sensei married his long time partner and student, Heidi Albright, an assistant instructor at Aikido of Champlain Valley. On January 2nd, 2007, they had a child Caleb. He has discovered that the only thing more challenging than Aikido is parenting. "I am learning through Caleb to view my role as a teacher not as someone on the outside, sitting in judgment, but as another human being seeking to make sense of the complexities of the world in a compassionate way."

Sensei presently holds the rank of godan (5th degree black belt) and shidoin (certified instructor) with the United States Aikido Federation, Eastern Region and the International Aikido Federation in Tokyo, Japan. He is sandan (3rd degree) in Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido which he began studying under Paul Sylvan Shihan.

Sensei is the only fully certified Aikido instructor in Vermont, and is dedicated to deepening his understanding of Aikido by attending and hosting seminars with senior instructors from around the world.

"My emphasis on traditional form allows students to develop fundamentals:  strength, grace, flexibility and effective technique.  Meanwhile, I make training accessible and challenging by integrating other traditions -- from yoga to zazen (Zen meditation) -- other martial arts and verbal conflict resolution. Aikido is not separate from daily life -- it provides students with a context to enrich themselves and their relationship with the surrounding world. A fundamental aspect of this growth involves gaining insight into the paradox of martial arts:  by learning how to fight one ultimately learns how to resolve conflict."

--Benjamin Pincus Sensei