Today we’d like to introduce you to Burgess Renkema.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in West Michigan involved in sports, but didn’t play any in high school. While in school I was encouraged by my parents to do something active and chose to start taekwondo. After years of training and competition in sparring and kata demonstration I took a break from martial arts and started a family. In 2008 I wanted to start over, so to speak, and develop a new aspect to my martial arts background. Feeling comfortable in my ability for striking arts I wanted something that complemented it, but not another striking art. After some research I had discovered aikido that was new to the area and went in for a meeting with Dave Mata Sensei and observed a class, and right away was hooked. There was so much detail to what happens in each technique and I took the opportunity to try and take it all in.
Grand Rapids Aikikai was founded by our instructor Dave Mata in 2006, we were originally located on Hall street just off of US 131. We operated as a Birankai Aikikai Dojo – the branch of Aikido founded by Chiba Sensei – until 2021 when, because of the Covid lockdown, we were left with ending our lease and we lost our training space. When restrictions were lifting that spring and summer we began training outdoors with our weapons specifically to maintain social distance at a local Grand Rapids park. In the winters and poorer weather we operated as an Aikido club in small groups in a friend of the program’s pole barn. Throughout that summer and fall a group of dedicated students, including Tim and myself began the process of reestablishing Grand Rapids Aikikai under the umbrella of our newly formed nonprofit Grand Rapids Martial and Cultural Arts. Through the nonprofit we started leasing space one night a week from a different local school, Mirandette’s Martial Arts, in 2023. I, as the senior student, assumed the chief instructor role in the program and Tim the second instructor. We have since been able to certify Tim for his next belt test, and can conduct testing for white belt ranks through the help of our sponsor instructor from Kalamazoo Aikikai. Tim and I recently received our teaching certification with Birankai and we are again a stand alone school recognized by Hombu Dojo in Japan.
We have since expanded our program to offer a college level course in Aikido at Grand Valley State University for enrolled students on Tuesday nights, and continue teaching on Monday nights at the Bowen Blvd location.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely losing the space we had was a challenge, we lost a lot of regular and active students during that first year after the lock downs. We try to keep them all in correspondence and updates, and are always encouraging them to come back when they are able. There was an obstacle in trying to bring the program back as well. We didn’t have any significant financial backing to get our own space, and were trying to find the right space for what we needed and also some room to grow. We had a couple of leads that, unfortunately, dried up or became infeasible, and Rick Mirandette and Mirandette Martial Arts was very supportive, and continues to be.
There are a lot of hurdles with establishing a nonprofit. There was always a new process to learn for the people that decided to crew the original board. Having a group that has the same vision for what we are doing is great – everyone is currently a former or current student.
Everything is an opportunity to learn, and an opportunity to experience what we were and are capable of. We have a strong group of regular training students, and love being able to introduce this art to new people. Also being able to find our community again, and attend local seminars and training events reinforces the necessity of that community to make Aikido be what it needs to be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As the chief instructor of Aikido at Grand Rapids Aikikai I enjoy the study that I can put into the art and trying to bring that out. Aikido is a relatively young martial art from Japan, and is distinctive for its philosophical focus on harmony and non-aggression, aiming to resolve conflict without serious injury to either person. It is often translated as “the way of harmonious spirit.” The central principle is to blend with the energy of your partner and redirect their momentum against them. Techniques are designed to neutralize with joint manipulation (katame waza) and throws (nage waza) to control the aggressor. Through our application of ki (our harmonious spirit) while maintaining our physical and mental center, we apply and receive techniques effectively by maintaining composure. The ultimate goal is focusing on self-mastery and self improvement on both sides of the engagement, rather than defeating an opponent. We try to find full and complete body movement that isn’t just a “block” or “counter”, and helping the students find more meaning out of the technique is the cultivation of focus and awareness that is important to Aikido’s function. All the participants (including the instructors) are looking at the conflict inside themselves over the conflict in front of them, bringing out our own awareness to relax and move with, blend with, and respond without aggression to outside conflicts. Martially we take the attack away from the aggressor, by first directing it where we are in control. What do we control in the conflict: ourselves. This is the message I always hope to portray in class, not through an overly spiritual training, we explore what the martial application is, ultimately to be aware of the destruction we cause without control. Settling internal struggle through breathing, meditation, physical conditioning, and attention to respecting life is all apart of achieving self control in our art.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Our aikido program was started by our instructor taking a risk, and wanting his own space for sharing his knowledge with his students. We definitely took a risk in bringing GRMCA to life, there was a lot of research and study to make sure we were taking the correct course and that our 501C3 was developing the correct message and that aikido was still a part of that focus. The nonprofit has been operational for a few years now, but is still trying to find its place to grow to, and with a goal of finding more martial arts to include in its portfolio is always a present focus. The first one was simpler because it was us, but the second was almost there and slipped away. We want a group of students and teachers that are working towards the same purpose of enrichment in life, and not just a focus on combat sparring if it’s a martial art. For a cultural program that fits with us continues to be a little out of reach, we are hoping to be grounded enough to bring something else soon.
For me personally the risk was definitely in the responsibility of representing our instructors, our school, and the larger organization of Birankai as my appropriate next step. Although I had the senior-most rank of the group, was I right for that next step? Ultimately the step was ready for me and being able to bring this into its next phase has been a great development in me and the group.
Pricing:
- $60 monthly dues for training aikido on Mondays and participating in Zazen
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grmca.org/aikido/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandrapidsaikikai/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574027980977
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrandRapidsAikikai
- Other: https://www.grmca.org/
