The Dojo-cho (head instructor) of Ryde Aikido is Jeff Standen (5th Dan). Classes at our Ryde dojo are led by Jeff; John Porter (5th Dan); Andrew Short (2nd Dan); Andrew Ho (2nd Dan) and Tomote Teramoto (1st dan).
All our instructors are members of Aikido Kenkyukai International (AKI) and accredited by the Martial Arts Industry Association of Australia.
AKI is affiliated with Aiki-kai Japan (the head Aikido organisation) and our instructor’s gradings are awarded through the Aiki-kai Hombu (headquarters) in Tokyo, Japan.
The Martial Arts Industry Association is the peak industry body for martial arts in Australia, and all instructors have undergone training in martial arts coaching, first-aid, COVID-19 safety and risk management, and all have police background and working with children checks. Instructors operate under the MAIA National Code of Practice, and are bound by their Instructors Code of Ethics.
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS:
Jeff Standen (5th Dan)
Jeff began training Aikido in 1988 with AKI in Sydney. From 1991 to 2000 Jeff also trained in Darwin with Aikikai Australia under the late Seiichi Sugano Shihan (1939-2010), before returning to Sydney. Over the years, Jeff has travelled with his dogi and trained in dojos in every state of Australia as well as overseas including Holland, England, Greece, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. With the support and encouragement of other senior teachers in AKI Jeff established the AKI Ryde Dojo in October 2009, and continues to train whenever and wherever possible. He loves training as well as teaching Aikido and brings a dedicated and joyful spirit to the dojo.
John Porter (5th Dan)
John also began training Aikido in 1988 under the guidance of Takeda Shihan. Over the decades John has trained extensively with AKI in NSW, the ACT, Queensland and overseas. John is a diligent student and very experienced teacher of Aikido, having taught adults and kids classes in the Blue Mountains for many years.
John loves training and practising Aikido and brings a dynamic and enjoyable energy to the dojo.
Andrew Short (2nd dan)
Andrew Short began training Aikido in Canberra and joined Ryde dojo when he moved to Sydney around 5 years ago. Andrew began his martial arts journey in Karate where he gained a 2nd dan before beginning aikido. He has trained both aikido and karate in Australia and Japan. Andrew is far too handsome to show his photo here.
Tomoe Teramoto (1st Dan)
As our first female instructor, Tomoe brings a lovely energy to her training. She has been training Aikido for over 7 years with AKI West Ryde and is accredited by the MAIA. Her style is accurate soft and powerful, and she aptly avoids force in executing her techniques.
“I would like more people to enjoy the training of Aikido, it is not only physical but also mental and emotional training. We have such a nice group of people in Aikido Kenkyukai which is not always easy to find.”
Andrew Ho (2nd dan)
Andrew started martial arts training as a teenager and his Aikido journey began in 2001 with Freddy Khong Shihan while working in Singapore. During his time in Singapore, Andrew also had the opportunity to train with Yuishinkai Aikido for a short period of time. Andrew later moved to Sydney and joined AKI NSW in 2008. He has been training regularly in AKI West Ryde dojo since 2012. Andrew is a dedicated student and enjoys training in both empty hand and weapon (in particular Aiki-jo) techniques. Apart from training, Andrew also has great passion for researching history and concept of different martial arts around the world. Andrew is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.
Glenn Johnston (1st Dan)
Glenn has been training Aikido since 1992 in Australia and Japan. Glenn brings his diverse experience in Aikido to our dojo having trained with a number of dojos over the years. In addition to his experience with AKI he has also trained with Aikikai Australia under the late Seiichi Sugano Shihan. Glenn also travelled to Japan each year and trained with the Shohei Juku Dojo in Fukuoka Japan from 1997 to 2005 under Suganuma Sensei. Glenn has been a dedicated and consistent student who enjoys both training and teaching Aikido.
Mickael Quelin (1st Dan)
Mickael started Aikido in 1998 in France (FFAB) under the teachings of Marie-Christine Verne (5th Dan) and was fortunate enough to participate in a number of seminars directed by Tamura Shihan who has been a great inspiration for him. 
Mickael has also practiced “Iaido” (the art of drawing the Japanese sword) for 2 years, which has been a great complement to his Aikido practice.
After moving to Australia in 2007 Mickael settled in the area and resumed his practice in 2013 when he joined AKI NSW at Ryde Aikido. As he explains;
“I found in Ryde Aikido a perfect place to continue my Aikido journey and really enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the club.”
Visiting Instructors
We are also fortunate on occasion to be joined by senior Aikido instructors from other dojos around Australia and overseas for special classes and seminars. Keep an eye on our News and Events page, or subscribe to Aikido Ryde (in the right hand side column) to receive notification of these special events.
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