Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Maletic.
Hi Tim, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an assistant instructor in Aikido at Grand Rapids Aikikai, a martial arts school in Kentwood. I was a long time runner, hiker, yoga practitioner, and meditation practitioner, but with zero martial arts experience, when I discovered this Aikido program while searching out activities for my then-14-year-old daughter. When I learned there were martial arts that integrated with Zen I was immediately drawn in, and the practice did not disappoint.
Aikido is first and foremost a martial art, but it can equally be seen as a spiritual path to fitness. That can be a little hard to get your head around, as few fitness programs seem to focus on the spirit. My admittedly biased idea of a typical fitness program is where people are paying money to get something – respect, a certain kind of body shape, pride, or just a good feeling. People who have trained in Aikido for a while eventually realize they’re paying to get rid of things, number one being Ego. The ultimate truth of Aikido is the same as for Zen: no separation. We are all one.
To be an accredited martial arts school you have to be a part of a lineage of teachers that are actively connected with the headquarters dojo. In our case, this meant our teachers here in Grand Rapids were part of a broader network of teachers that studied under T. K. Chiba Sensei. Chiba Sensei was a direct student of the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. So our teachers have and continue to maintain a strong connection back to the Aikido headquarters dojo, Hombu Dojo, in Tokyo.
Ever since that first visit with my daughter to train at Kyoseikan Dojo with the teachers and students that made up Grand Rapids Aikikai, I’ve continued the training. In the aftermath of Covid, Burgess and I, along with the help of other dedicated students, are now leading the program, and striving to keep this art alive for the greater Grand Rapids community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road. But we have a passion for what we’re doing, and we won’t give up. The art of Aikido has a long learning curve. I’ve read it has a “mean-time-to-blackbelt” of around 8 years, which is much longer than most martial arts programs. It is also suffering from our current culture’s infatuation with mixed martial arts and the assumption that a martial art is measured by who can kick who’s ass. My teachers and I have a different conception of “martial”, but it does not lend itself to marketing. You have to be willing to take the long, slow road, which runs contrary to American culture.
So our dojo was struggling even before Covid came along and reconfigured everything. We lost our beautiful training space. Our teachers moved on and established their own dojos elsewhere. But these changes, of course, created opportunities.
As you know, we’re big fans of Grand Rapids Martial and Cultural Arts. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Grand Rapids Aikikai is a martial arts program that offers a spiritual path to fitness. It is as far as I know the only Aikido program in the greater Grand Rapids area where students can obtain ranks that are officially recognized by Aikido headquarters in Tokyo. Grand Rapids Aikikai is the first program being offered through the newly formed 501(c)3 nonprofit, Grand Rapids Martial and Cultural Arts (GRMCA).
The mission of GRMCA is to serve as a center for training, teaching, and education in the culture and practices of Aikido, laido, Zazen meditation, and related martial arts meant to develop mind, body, and spirit. To carry out the educational purpose of GRMCA, we expect activities to include classes, cultural arts partnerships, martial arts training, self-defense workshops, and regional study seminars, as well as specialized training for youth and women. We plan to conduct fundraising to provide support for needs-based scholarships to classes and training programs and for public presentations that expand awareness and understanding of martial arts and the cultures from which they derive.
Any big plans?
We are continuously striving to bring the art of Aikido to new students, so increasing our enrollment is a number one priority. Once our membership numbers can justify it, we will look to add additional training days and time slots into our weekly training calendar. We are also looking for additional martial or cultural arts programs that can better meet their needs by coming under the umbrella of the GRMCA nonprofit. And of course, we plan to just keep training.
Pricing:
- Members of Grand Rapids Aikikai pay a monthly fee of $60 and attend as many classes as they like. We currently offer two Aikido classes on Monday evenings following a brief session of seated meditation (zazen).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grmca.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandrapidsaikikai/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574027980977
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrandRapidsAikikai
