Grady Lane, Chief Instructor

Brevard Aikikai was founded in 1987 by Grady Lane Rokudan (6th degree black belt, Shidoin) who serves as chief instructor.  Lane Sensei teaches traditional Aikido as handed down by the founder and his emphasis is placed on Aikido's philosophy and ethics while at the same time teaching it's full range of capabilities from passive gentle persuasion to full street effectiveness.

Lane Sensei began training in the martial arts in 1972 with the study of Karate.  He currently holds a black belt in Karate.  Lane Sensei became interested in Aikido in 1975 after watching the Aikido class that followed his Karate class.    He remembers being somewhat unimpressed by what appeared to him as an old man dancing around the mats a bit.  After  he had watched several classes the instructor invited him to participate in a demonstration.  With the bravado of youth and his assurance in his Karate skills he accepted the invitation feeling confidant that the match would be brief.  It was.  In a matter of seconds he found himself painfully pinned in a wrist lock and quickly recognized that Aikido was definitely an effective martial art.  He joined the class and has trained with dedication to Aikido for over 30 years. 

Lane Sensei studied under the tutelage of Dr. Tom Walker Sensei, 5th Dan.   His black belt promotions came from Shihan (master instructor) Yoshimitsu Yamada an 8th degree black belt and head of the United States Aikido Federation.  He currently holds the rank of Rokudan (6th degree black belt), and a Shidoin certificate (senior certified instructor/examiner) with the United States Aikido Federation.  He has been teaching Aikido since 1982.  Lane Sensei has instructed classes for local law enforcement agencies. He has also been a featured instructor in seminars at Aikido Center of Jacksonville, SandDrift Aikido, and Palm Beach Aikikai .  Sensei makes annual visits to Florida Aikikai to train under Peter Bernath Shihan.  Lane Sensei believes that all forms of Martial Arts are good  and offer many benefits to those who train in them.  

Lane Sensei regularly attends and trains at many USAF sponsored camps and seminars given by Aikido Shihans (master instructors). He has trained with the following Shihans: Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba, N. Tamura, Y. Yamada, M. Kanai, S. Sugano, K. Chiba, I. Shibata, A. Tohei, M. Saito, S. Yamaguchi, Y. Kawahara, H. Osawa, Y. Kurita, D. Waite, C. Berthiaume, H. Konigsberg, P. Bernath to learn new techniques and increase his knowledge of the Art.  Sensei also encourages his students to attend seminars to observe and learn from the different teaching styles of these master instructors.