Uchi Deshi

"Uchi" means home, inside or inner. "Deshi" means apprentice or personal student. An uchi deshi is traditionally a student who learns by shadowing the sensei in all activities.

Aikido of Berkeley has a full-time Uchi Deshi Program designed to allow a dedicated student to achieve accelerated growth through total immersion in the practice of Aikido during a specific time period.

Benjamin Copeland receiving his Shodan
December, 2005

Benefits

  • Modern, full-time dojo just blocks from beautiful San Francisco Bay
  • Live-in facilities including living quarters, laundry, showers, and full kitchen
  • Personal instruction from chief instructor, Kayla Feder Sensei
  • Low-cost of $350 per month which covers tuition and rent (food expenses must be paid by the deshi).
  • There is no minimum stay
  • Deshi from abroad are welcome.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Have adequate medical insurance during the committed period.
  • Have adequate financial resources to allow for uninterrupted study.

Practical Considerations

  • Have adequate medical insurance during the committed period.
  • Have adequate financial resources to allow for uninterrupted study.

Focus Personal Life on Aikido Practice.

Prior to becoming uchi deshi, a person must have decided that Aikido practice is a high priority in his/her personal life. The uchi deshi should rearrange his/her personal life to reduce the interaction with life outside the Dojo. This may mean taking leave from a current job or going part-time, resigning from certain social responsiblities, minimizing contact with family and friends, and following a specific exercise and/or diet program to prepare for the rigors of uchi deshi life.

Help to Maintain and Improve the Dojo.

By definition, an uchi deshi is at the core of the Dojo next to the Sensei and sempai; by participating in the Uchi Deshi Program, the uchi deshi has adopted the Dojo mission as his/her own. Thus, anything that furthers the goals of the Dojo also furthers the goals of the uchi deshi and vice versa. In this regard, taking care of the Dojo and making improvements in the Dojo has the same affect on both the Dojo and the uchi deshi.

Therefore, the uchi deshi should always strive to take care of, and make improvements to, the Dojo as if to himself or herself. Such effort includes taking direct responsibility for daily Dojo operations such as opening and closing the Dojo for classes, keeping the Dojo clean, enrolling new students, answering the telephone, etc.; it includes helping the Sensei with administrative tasks and paperwork related to Dojo business; it also includes initiating and getting involved in various projects to enhance Dojo facilities, such as maintaining the mat in good condition and repairing broken equipment and fixtures. Since the Dojo and the uchi deshi are on the same path, the condition of the Dojo reflects the impeccability of the uchi deshi. Thus, if an uchi deshi leaves the Dojo in better condition than when he/she started, the uchi deshi has grown.