Filip Filmar, Aikido Institute of San Francisco
Diane Deskin Sensei of Sonoran Aikikai (Tucson, AZ) taught a weapons-intensive seminar on President’s day weekend 14-16 February 2026 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a wonderful opportunity for a group of enthusiasts to spend a long Aikido weekend learning the secrets of weapons practice, re-connecting with old friends, meeting new ones, and creating the shared experience that is an Aikido seminar.
The seminar was hosted by Aikido Institute of San Francisco, and took place in the majestic dojo space of Aikido By The Bay in San Mateo, CA. The lessons were split up into 3 days, an afternoon lesson on Friday March 14, a day-long series of lessons the next day on Saturday and a morning lesson on Sunday.
Diane Sensei noted early on that the seminar keyword was “Connection”. (Incidentally it turned out to be also the word of the month of the hosting dojo, as evidenced by the whiteboard at the entrance waiting space!) So yes, we were supposed to study weapons techniques, but the emphasis in all of them was on the martial connection between the practitioners. If that didn’t set the quality bar high at the outset, I don’t know what could!
Diane Sensei wove the thread of connection throughout the three days of the seminar. The Friday lesson examined the connection from a beginning bokken stance. Saturday brought a study in connection using jo basics. And we closed off the training on Sunday with more bokken. Now, I won’t dwell on the techniques in particular – if you missed some of those, may I interest you in joining in the next time – the real scoop is past the technique form. It is instead the inner workings of a uke-nage connection.
I find it particularly tricky to discover independently, and a teacher’s role in each student’s journey to understanding is critical. A teacher offers an outward illustration of the technique and explains how the movement is supposed to feel like. Students then attempt to replicate this in their own practice.
I am certain that subtler points of Diane Sensei’s lesson flew over my head. At times I had to revert to offering the minimum, which is an attempt to mimic what I think I am seeing. Luckily this did not faze our teachers, who we rely after the fact to distill Deskin Sensei’s message into a form that we, the students, can follow and develop. It is a big homework to take away, but do not fret since there’s a lifetime of practice ahead of us. It’s been several weeks since the seminar was completed, and we’re still riffing on its main message in our regular practice, both in weapons and body arts. That makes it a success in my book. And I wish for you that the thought of a lifetime of small Aikido steps fills you with joy.
I remain grateful to Diane Sensei for sharing her wisdom with us. And also to all the fellow Aikido people who ensured that the logistics wheels were properly oiled and that bellies were properly treated after a long day of practice. All that with a healthy dash of friendly banter and story-swapping.
Thank you, Diane Sensei, teachers, all attendees, for creating and maintaining a great atmosphere. For those who wonder what it was like, you just had to be there. We missed you, but hopefully only until the next time.
Editor’s note: Filip Filmar is a member of Aikido Institute of San Francisco. He received his nidan from Robert Nadeau and works at Google as a Senior Software Engineer.
Author Filip Filmar on the left, with Deskin Sensei.