Meet John Wiley | Dojo-Cho/Chief Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Wiley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My wife and I moved to Colorado Springs from the DC area in 2015 where we both practiced Aikido for over 15 years. We practice Iwama Style Aikido, which is a style of Aikido that strives to remain true to the Aikido that O-Sensei, the creator of Aikido, developed. When we first moved here, we visited other Aikido dojos, and found that most dojos either had a very different focus than we did, or the dojo simply lacked any credible evidence of an actual lineage back to the founder. We practiced for about a year at a local dojo when we decided that it was time to return to our roots and open a dojo that is focused exclusively on Iwama Style Aikido. Aikido is a unique martial art, in many ways. Our goal is to build an Aikido practice community that remains true to the martial roots of Aikido, while continuing to promulgate O-Sensei’s vision of Aikido as an Art of Peace.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I hold a Sandan (3rd Degree Black Belt) in Iwama Style Aikido, along with a 3rd level certification in Aikido weapons. My wife, Elizabeth, holds a Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt) in Iwama Style Aikido. She also holds a 1st level certification in Aikido weapons. All of our black belt ranks were officiated by Patricia Hendricks Shihan, who holds a Shichidan (7th Degree black belt) and Menkyo Kaiden (certificate of complete transmission) in Aikido weapons. We are the only dojo in the Front Range region teaching Iwama Style Aikido. One of the things that sets us apart from other Aikido dojos in the area, to be frank, is our lineage. We have a strong, and on-going, relationship with our teacher and we continue to invest significant time in our training. My wife and I both continue to train with our teacher, Hendricks Sensei, and our sempai (people senior to us). Aikido has become a bit diluted over the last decade or so, and lineage is a reliable method of quality control. We are third generation students of O-Sensei. Our teacher was a long-term live-in student of Morihiro Saito Sensei. Her teacher spent over 23 years at O-Sensei’s side, training almost every day with him. Our dojo also offers more mat time than every other Aikido dojo in the area combined. We also work to keep both our monthly dues and equipment costs low, so that training is accessible to everyone. Operating an Aikido dojo has always been a challenging endeavor. These days, Aikido faces a good bit of criticism. Some of the criticism is deserved, as the art has seen significant and unfortunate dilution over the last 20 years. There’ve been many people, in some cases with completely fabricated credentials, that have tried to turn Aikido into some kind of odd Japanese Yoga. The claims that Aikido doesn’t incorporate striking, for example, are simply not true. Aikido is, at it’s core, an effective martial art. I’ve practiced a number of martial arts, outside of Aikido, and while Aikido is not an art that you can learn in a month, it is an effective art with a life changing philosophy. Other arts are fantastic as well. I have a deep love for traditional Judo, and I find BJJ both fascinating and effective. I also find Western boxing fascinating in it’s simultaneous simplicity and depth. Aikido, however, is an art that you can study for a lifetime. It’s an art that anyone can study. Aikido is age and gender neutral. Our dojo welcomes any sincere student that walks through our door. After almost 30 years of in-depth study, I’m still learning. Our biggest challenge has been in getting this message out to people that might be interested in Aikido.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Many of our friends practice Aikido, so we’d probably ask them to teach a class at our dojo. Outside of that… We love Paint Mines. We usually take guests on a drive up Pikes Peak and for a long hike in Palmer Park. Our favorite restaurants include The Carter Payne, Aroi Thai, Sushi O-Sushi and OCC Brewing. Four doors down from our dojo is Las Americas Restaurant. Their food is amazing. We might grab a pizza from Roadrunner Pizza (a largely unsung family pizza restaurant here in the Springs that makes some of the best pizza we’ve ever had). Garden of the Gods is also a place we tend to take visiting friends and family.  We love to spend time at Cogstone Brewing. A recent addition to Colorado Springs is Milagros Cocina Mexicana. While they’ve very recently opened, their food is wonderful. Colorado Springs has a lot of outdoor recreational opportunities as well, and most of our friends and family love being outdoors. We’d probably spend most of our time hiking, to be honest.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people along the path of our Aikido studies that we owe a “life debt” to. Our current teacher, Patricia Hendricks Shihan (Aikido of San Leandro in San Leandro, CA) has been an influence on our Aikido for over two decades. She is also our organizational division head. Her teaching and support to our dojo and our personal study of Aikido has been invaluable. Our long term teacher, Yvonne Thelwell Sensei (Aikido of Arlington in Arlington, VA), is an amazing inspiration and her support, both as teacher and friend, over almost 30 years has also been instrumental. My first teacher, George Simcox Sensei, embodied Aikido in everything he did. My Aikido is also heavily influenced by Mark Larson Shihan (Minnesota Aiki-Shuren Dojo in Nowthen, MN). Larson Sensei’s dedication to the preservation of Iwama Style Aikido, and the martial roots of Aikido, has been inspirational to me for decades. I also have to mention my best friend, Ed Golden, who passed away unexpectedly in early 2022. Ed and I started Aikido together in early 1995. If we hadn’t come to the mat together, there are so many parts of my life that would have unfolded differently had he not been a part of my life. I’m thankful, every day, for the more than 30 years I had him in my life. Our dojo would not exist today if it weren’t for each of these people, and many more that have supported us in myriad ways along our path to opening a dojo.

Website: https://cos-aikido.com

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Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/traditional-aikido-of-colorado-springs-colorado-springs

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTx5O8rgpLPlt2SJNs8O60w

Image Credits
Keli Fink