Women and Aikido

The next Women's Beginning Class will be January 2013.

Women may be the West's most important contribution to Aikido.

We are delighted that women are well represented at Heart of San Francisco Aikido.

Although we are deeply grateful for the magnificent art of Aikido from Japan, we are very aware that women were barely included in its development. Even today in Japan, women are often ignored or overtly discouraged from practicing Aikido. In this country, most Aikido dojos are headed by men and have only a small minority of women training in them. This trend is beginning to change, especially on the west coast.

One of the primary purposes of Heart of San Francisco Aikido is to create a learning environment that is inspiring for women. We work hard on special outreach to women — offering special women's-only courses twice a year in the winter and summer — and a major part of the teaching we offer is done by women. We strive for excellence in women and seek to maintain a strong female blackbelt presence in our dojo community.

Getting Started

For women new to the art, please check the information about our beginners' classes. Women of all ages are encouraged to join, and the beginners' classes are limited to women students for the first four weeks.

Women's Beginning Class Schedule

Wednesday: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Sunday: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

You can also check our events calendar for dates of upcoming classes and special events as well as find the dates of the next Women's Beginning Class; they are offered in January of each year.

Price

$95 for two months of beginning classes and includes a gi.

Signing Up

You may register and pay online with your credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) or through a PayPal account. Please provide your address and telephone number as your shipping address so that we have your contact information on file.

The next Women's Beginner's Class will be January 2012.

Mailing Address

Please feel free to call Penny Sensei at (415) 643-8407 to discuss any questions you have about Aikido or our classes. Or check out our F.A.Q. for answers to frequent questions.