Shobu Aikido of Boston

I have been studying at Shobu Aikido of Boston since 2003. I was hooked from the first day. I am still there 3 – 4 times a week.
The community is great and I have made some really good friends there.
I have been to dojo all over the country. I travel a great deal for work. I have enjoyed training and the community at pretty much all of them and have taken things from them and hopefully left things behind. No matter where I have been though it still just doesn’t stack up. The training under Gleason Shihan is superior.
If you are open minded and willing to work hard you will find something here you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

I’ve gotta be honest here, I’m a very intermittent Aikido student. That being said, this is an amazing dojo. I’ve heard it called «the most internal dojo on the East Coast», if that means anything to you, walk through the door, sit down and watch a class. Don’t worry you’ll get «it» pretty quick and you’re always welcome. Sensei Gleason is the most traditional that I’ve encountered this side of the Mississippi (he knows my former teacher in Boulder as well). They have student memberships and packages available or you can pay by the class. Super bonus — parking is available and its accessible by bus.

Have been practicing under the guidance of Sensei Gleason for the last 11 years. While the dojo’s location has changed three times over those years, the training has remained absolutely incredible.
The main reason is Sensei Gleason continues to search for better ways to communicate, illustrate, and teach the principles behind the techniques… the heart of things, instead of just things. Those interested in the Art of Aikido will find no better place way to learn and no better teacher to learn it from.

About a year ago, I decided to check out some of the various martial arts options in the Somerville/​Cambridge area. Shobu Aikido was the first place I went to see, and from the beginning, I knew it was exactly what I wanted, and I never bothered to look elsewhere. The community is diverse and welcoming, Bill Gleason Sensei is amazing, and aikido has become an important part of my life.
When I first started, I knew that the Sensei was supposed to be really good, but I had no idea how lucky I was in getting to train with Bill Gleason. He’s a seventh dan shihan who spent years training in Japan. He teaches mixed level classes four days a week (not to mention seminars and intensives), so even the newest students get his attention and instruction.
There’s a strong concentration of advanced students at the dojo, which means that new students get to practice with people who really know their stuff and are happy to help out. After formal class, there’s open mat, where there’s always the chance to ask questions and work on techniques.
As a woman, I was also happy to find that while male students are in the majority, there’s a strong group of female regulars, and I have never once felt anything but welcomed by the men.
The dojo itself is a great space in a good location in Union Square. There is on-​site parking and easy access to multiple MBTA bus lines. Several students also bike, and in the non-​winter months, there is a Hubway station just a short walk away.
All in all, a great place.

I have trained here for just over a year. Shobu Aikido of Boston is a welcoming environment, great for beginners (like myself). It’s also clearly great for advanced students given the number that attend on a regular basis. Sensei Gleason is a fantastic teacher, everyone has something they can learn from him.

Five stars, truly deserved.
Shobu is without a doubt the best place you can train aikido in the Boston area, and is among the best in the country.
The space near Union sq is beautiful, spacious and excellent for training, providing a sanctuary for members to refine their practice and improve themselves as human beings. Training opportunities are abundant and students are serious about their training, often training hard after class in order to improve their understanding of the challenging material taught during class.
Gleason shihan (read: Master-​level instructor) is world-​class and his student instructors are excellent teachers, each emphasizing different aspects of the Shobu approach to aikido. By training here, you will receive well-​rounded and stimulating instruction that will continually challenge you as you steadily progress.
Come here if you want to learn aikido. Period.

Mind-​Blowing classes masterfully taught by Gleason Sensei combines Budo (original martial art training) with modern day wisdom and philosophy. Training includes yoga-​like body conditioning as well as practical self-​defense techniques.
Bill Gleason’s Aikido is one of the finest examples of true Aikido — the kind of power and grace that works pretty much anytime on anyone — that I’ve ever seen in over 13 years of martial arts training in countless dojo’s.
I am awestruck that Gleason Sensei (a national treasure) lives and teachers in Somerville and that I am lucky enough to have found this amazing art!
Gleason Sensei is one of the few American scholars to study and contribute on the Japanese Kototama. His classes connect these spiritual old-​world concepts from his books and writings to peacefully resolving physical conflict — Aikido.
A «Shihan» or 7^th Dan black belt, he is one of very few Aikido teachers in the nation (world in fact) who truly studied O’Sensei’s (Aikido’s founder) ‘esoteric’ Kototama and actually translated it in a meaningful way.
Understanding ‘hidden secrets’ are the essence of every martial art — training yourself to create effortless power with Ki (your mental and physical intention) goes beyond the physical level.
If you are new and interested in martial arts, start here! Don’t settle for something watered-​down.
If you are already a martial artist, and are interested in studying Budo then you owe it to yourself to see what Gleason Sensei is teaching… absolutely the real deal.
Gleason Sensei teaches Sundays, Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays (Aikido, internal martial art and Japanese sword)

I have trained in aikido since 1992, and other martial arts since the 80’s. I can say, with confidence, that William Gleason Shihan (7^th degree black belt) is a true master of the Japanese martial way of aikido. Very few westerners have achieved the rank that Gleason Shihan has, and here in Somerville, you have the opportunity to train with him several times a week. Be aware that others pay hundreds of dollars to attend a weekend seminar with him — more than you pay for an entire month of teaching. As I write this, classes are offered every day of the week.
Without a doubt, if you are interested in aikido, this is the place to train in the Boston area.

I think the best thing about this Boston dojo (besides Sensei Gleason) is the incredibly supportive student community. I started training at Shobu Aikido in January after a ten year hiatus from martial arts because I was looking for a spiritual/​martial practice that could take me beyond what I’ve learned in yoga and other sports.
Sensei Gleason is a wonderful teacher who pays close attention to his student’s limitations, abilities and needs. His presence is very grounding and his teaching style is compassionate.
The majority of the students at Shobu Aikido are male and, being a young female graduate student, I braced myself for the worst. However, I have not gotten any sexy-​vibes or inappropriate comments in the four months I have been there. In fact, I am treated as an equal by my fellow students (it is, afterall, 2009) who take an active interest in helping me learn.
Thank you, Shobu Aikido of Boston, you made my semester.

I have done a lot of martial arts training, both in Boston and elsewhere, and I finally settled at Shobu (back in ’00). I love the community, the space, and above all, Bill Gleason Sensei’s teaching. He explains and truly manifests the martial and spiritual content of aikido as not only complementary, but inseparable aspects of the art.
For those who don’t know, Aikido is a noncompetitive martial art with its roots in jiu-​jutsu. The techniques are based on movement and joint control rather than striking, and the focus is on awareness, relaxation, and personal development rather than destructive power. Nevertheless it is a serious art, and it’s very hard work, with a lot of rolling and falling (which makes for an excellent workout as well as a useful safety skill). For a more thorough explanation, a simple web search will yield many excellent online resources.
Visitors are welcome to stop by anytime, but the best times are when Gleason Sensei is teaching, usually Tuesday /​Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings.