Jesse's Aikido Origin

I grew up in a rough and tumble Chicano neighborhood in a poor area of West Denver. My parents were professional rock musicians.

My childhood was physical. I played hard. And I often got beat up and made fun of as the only ‘blanco’ on my block.

I dodged, hid, weaved and sometimes punched through it. Eventually, my mom got a better paying job, we moved to a better neighborhood and I started with my Karate teacher Clarence Thatch. 8 years later and someone put a black belt on me.

Bullies didn’t pick me anymore.

Jump cut… Studied philosophy in college. Jump cut… met a stunning woman. Jump cut… dance career. I had all but forgotten about the martial arts.

Then I had some boys. And the boys had some bullies.

But my martial training hadn’t taught me how to help my boys take on their bullies. I’d learned to choke, break boards, fight 10 rounds, and hardened my shins by kicking tires. But I hadn’t learned how to help others. I hadn’t learned how to inspire my boys to find their confidence.

One day in Longfellow Market Amber and I ran into Hannah. We knew Hannah from the dance world. She said that she was involved in starting up an Aikido dojo. Hmmm…

One day I popped into a Thursday afternoon class and talked with Galen Sensei. Aikido was to be for my boys you see. I thought I’d take a class or two now and then. Maybe hang out and watch the boys and relive my teen dojo years.

But the art grabbed me and started tossing me all over the studio. Galen, Ben, Erik, Marit and I were regulars to the Thursday afternoon class. I got all banged up and I remembered how much I loved getting all banged up.

I missed the martial training. I hadn’t finished with it yet. The learning was only beginning.
It was hard to get the boys to participate at first. And it still is sometimes. But they are growing in such beautiful ways. I can see the seeds in Jasper of a confidence, a physicality, and a bully resistance that will serve him well. Caius is learning to train well with others, and to use considerable 4-year-old strength in more focused ways.

And I am learning to face off against all kinds of Uke’s. I’m coming to something. Something about learning the appropriate posture to stand in hardship. Something about hardship transmuting to poignance. Something about camaraderie, friendship, and kindness.

And also some kind of understanding about life. It goes something like this...

It isn’t about being a badass. It is about standing, yet again, when you know you are not.