Pittsburgh

Chief Instructor:

Barbara Litt, 6th Dan

Barbara Litt, head instructor, 6th dan, has taught Aikido in Pittsburgh, PA from 1995, founding Aikido Kokikai Pittsburgh (AKP) in 1997 at the Wilkins School Community Center. In 2024, AKP moved to share space in the nearby dojo of Shaolin Studios. Barbara began to study Aikido Kokikai® in 1988 in Princeton, NJ, and is now a senior student of Sensei Shuji Maruyama, of Nagakute, Japan. From 2021, she serves as a Director of the Aikido Kokikai Federation (AKF) USA. She teaches Aikido because the practice has greatly improved her life and she wants to share its potential. The longer she practices, the better it gets—and it is always interesting. Barbara’s day job is teaching Japanese language and culture at Carnegie Mellon University.

Location: 

Shaolin Studios, 1115 S. Braddock Ave.,

 Pittsburgh, PA  15218 

Schedule:

Tuesday 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Thursday 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm

About the Dojo:

We are an active group of martial artists, open to all levels and all bodies! Our mission is to share the power and beauty of Aikido Kokikai®, a modern Japanese martial art that emphasizes blending with your opponent’s attack to redirect and throw efficiently and effectively. Our classes for adults are ongoing so you can start anytime. Youth (high school age and older) may practice in the adult class with the instructor's permission.