About the Rocky Mountain Ki Society

Rocky Mountain Ki Society is a non-profit educational organization
formed to share the principles of KI and KI-AIKIDO with the greatest number of people
regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national or ethnic origin.

Rocky Mountain Ki Society is formed by four dojos along the Rocky Mountain Front Range: the HQ dojo in Westminster, Fort Collins Ki-Aikido at CSU, the Denver Ki-Aikido dojo of Susan Chandler Sensei and the Boulder Ki-Aikido.

RMKS was founded in 1977 by Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei (8th Dan Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido, Okuden Ki Development, US Chief Instructor). Its first dojo was located in Boulder, Colorado.
During the following years more RMKS groups formed: under Russ Smith the Fort Collins dojo in 1979, which was incorporated into CSU's sports program in 1980; and the later HQ dojo by Kevin Eva and other instructors in Denver around 1981.
After some location changes and the closure of the Boulder branch, Susan Chandler Sensei established her dojo in Denver's South and the Headquarters of RMKS moved into a new dojo in Westminster in Spring 1998.

Abel Villacorta opened the Boulder Ki-Aikido dojo in April 1999 to provide continuing practice for students after the CU Boulder introduction class.

After Kashiwaya Sensei's relocation to the Seattle Ki Society in 1990, RMKS was headed by one of Kashiwaya Sensei's original Uchi Deshi, Russell Jones Sensei (5th Dan Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido, Chuden Ki Development). He moved to Brazil in 1998.

Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei, USA Chief Instructor
Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei

Russell Smith Sensei, Head Instructor of RMKS
Russ Smith Sensei

 Our current Head Instructor is Russ Smith Sensei, 4th Dan, Chuden in Ki Development. He teaches the Ki-Aikido classes at CSU Fort Collins for almost thirty years now!

RMKS's regular instructor core in the four dojos includes:

  • Russ Smith, 4th Dan, CSU Fort Collins
  • Susan Chandler, 4th Dan, Denver
  • Derek Nabel, 3rd Dan, Westminster
  • Lance McClure, 3rd Dan, Westminster
  • Ron Charpentier, 3rd Dan, Westminster
  • John Daniels, 3rd Dan, Denver
  • Abel Villacorta, 3rd Dan, Boulder
  • Jennifer Niessink-Trotter, 2nd Dan, Boulder
  • Bill Stanley, 2nd Dan, Boulder
  • Christian Goldberg, 2nd Dan, Boulder
  • Jeff Copeland, 2nd Dan, Fort Collins
  • David Hills, 1st Dan, Denver
  • Sarah Bokusky, 1st Dan, Fort Collins
  • Vladimir Pereskokov, 1st Dan, Boulder
  • Russell Greenlee,  1st Dan, Boulder
  • Missy Schreiner, 1st kyu, kids class Boulder

 

  
   
   
   
     

 

 

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