Aikido Northshore

Aikido Northshore is located in Kirkland, WA which is directly east from the city of Seattle. It opened in May of 1995 under the direction of Lee Crawford Sensei, 4th Dan. The dojo is affiliated with Aikido Schools of Ueshiba and offers a full schedule of classes for children and adults. The children's program starts children as young as four years old up to 15 years old.

Lee Crawford Sensei started training in 1980 at the University of Wisconsin Aikido Club in Madison, Wisconsin with John Stone Sensei 5th Dan, and Robin Cooper Sensei 5th Dan. In 1988 Crawford Sensei relocated to Seattle where she trained for seven years with George Ledyard Sensei, 5th Dan at Aikido Eastside in Bellevue, WA. In May of 1995 Crawford Sensei established Aikido Northshore.

Crawford Sensei stresses the purpose of the training at the dojo is to strengthen the quality of the student's life. Following Saotome Sensei's statement "Aikido has but one principle- the universal reality of life. In their own nature as living human beings all possess the basic secret of Aikido. The purpose of Aikido is to better people's lives, to make their spirits blossom and become strong, and by making better people to make a better world."

The training in the children's program is centered on the philosophy of strengthening the child's focus, self-esteem, self-confidence, communication and social skills, as well as developing a concept of cooperation with the other students. The student's are encouraged to bring in their report cards and are rewarded with silver stripes for their belt that indicates the hard work they do at school. This reward is to try to encourage the children to incorporate their Aikido training into their regular lives.

"What we teach children is not brute force, not violence, but the cultivation of ki through mind-body training which will eventually build confidence, self-esteem and a sense of control over their lives." Kisshomaru Ueshiba