Central Aikido Information

Central Aikido is a student organization of the University of Central Missouri for the benefit of the student body. It was founded by Cliff Fuller and Tom Burden in April 2009. Originally founded as a group for practicing Aikido, it soon began to grow and change to fill the needs of the members. Cliff, with 27 years in the USAF, served as the general instructor while Tom, with 2 years in the Ki Society, served as president. Classes were originally conducted on the stage of the Lovinger gym, on mismatched mats pieced together. While the conditions were far from ideal, training was steady. By October the club had integrated into the Blue Springs Aikido Schools network to become their second satellite dojo. In 2011 we moved into the newly renovated Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The move allowed for uninterrupted, more regular classes and then the addition of new classes. Soon after the move we acquired new mats giving us over 1,200 sq feet of padded practice space. In 2012 all ties with Blue Springs Aikido were severed. Today Central Aikido is a full dojo with multiple classes offered throughout the week by talented and dedicated instructors. The unique combination of Aikido backgrounds of our instructors brings to the mat some of the wisdom and experience of some of the best Aikidoka in the US, creating an experience not normally found in other dojo.