aikijones
New Member
Let me start by saying I am honoured to be able to communicate with people studing Aikido, and of course Shihan Steven Seagal. First I'll introduce myself. Most people call me DJ or aikijones because my name is to long and very hard to pronounce.
I have studied Martial Arts since 1991. First in juijutsu and now Aikido in Japan.
I'll give you some insight as to why I am here at the Seagal Forum.I lived in Taos, New Mexico and as a youngster watching Star Wars. I saw Shihan Seagal Practice Aiki-ken and Aiki-jo at the Taos Plaza.(Taos is where his first Dojo in the States was located) but that is another story. Anyway as a kid of 11, Seagal's aiki was my first real experience in the martial arts world. Well I did watch Kung fu theather every Saturday on Tv.
Around 1991 Shihan Seagal was famous for his Aikido. At the same time I was into martial arts so much that I thought nothing else existed.
So of course I watched all his films. Anyway in 1996 I had to return to Taos New Mexico for Family.
So of course I watched all his films. Anyway in 1996 I had to return to Taos New Mexico for Family.
Immediately I went to find a juijutsu dojo but in Taos they only had a Taekwando dojo so I thought. It so happen that I went into the TKD dojo and watched a class. After the class I saw people in Martial Arts uniform on the other side of the building. I asked Master Thor theTKD instuctor what is next door, he said Aikido. The next night I went to an Aikido class and I thought to myself after the class "well I can punch and kick a little, lets do something different". So I joined the Aikido Tenshin Dojo.
Now here comes the twist of events. One day after practice I was looking at a schedule roster and I saw the name Shihan Seagal. I asked Sempai Crieg Dunn the instuctor. "Who is Shihan Seagal?" Sempai Dunn looked at me and laughed. I was serious though and I asked well who is he. Sempai Dunn said "you really don't know." Now kinda fustrated because I'm asking an important question. Sempai Dunn said "our Shihan is Steven Seagal." Now I gave him the same laugh. But he replied "if he ever comes down here do not ask for his autograph first" because he is your shinhan first. I knew he was serious so that stopped me from any other questions that day.
After that lesson, my entire life in Taos flashed before me, "so that's who I was watching as a kid in the Plaza." This is how I came to the forum. Shihan has been apart of me since I was a kid
