I first became interested in martial arts as a nineteen-year-old, back in 1976. It wasn’t something I had gone looking for, but by chance my brother had started going to a kung fu class and one day I went along out of curiosity. I enjoyed it at first and ended up staying for a few years, but in the end I realised that it didn’t suit me as I am by nature not someone who likes to fight, and I increasingly found that the violent clashing aspects were not what I wanted. I felt that there must be more to it than this; it seemed to be all physical technique and force, and while chi was mentioned, it was never explained or taught in relation to the techniques.
After leaving kung fu, I tried a few different martial arts as they came my way, drawn in each time by wanting to learn more about this powerful force called chi, but each time it didn’t seem to be where I was looking.
Many years later in 1985 at the age of 28, I chanced upon a flyer for Ki Aikido classes. I had never heard of Aikido before, but when I went along to my first class I instantly realised that I had found what I was looking for. From the very first class we were learning about chi, or as it’s called in Japanese arts, ki. Not only that, but Ki Aikido also offered a way of dealing with conflict without aggression or violence. The classes were focused yet light-hearted, full of energy and fun. The teacher was relaxed, encouraging and confident; at the time I aspired to be like him, and years later I understood that this was the result of developing your ki and applying the foundational concepts of Ki Aikido.
I attended classes every week and before long my teacher decided I was ready to undertake my first grading. At this point the headquarters in Somerset didn’t exist, so I travelled to the Princess Hall in Burnham-on-Sea where the grading and course was held. I hadn’t been to this area since childhood holidays in the nearby Pontins camp – suffice to say that the experience was very different in a positive way!
Not long after I had graded, we received the news that my teacher had to move away. While I could have found another Ki Aikido class, my life was heading in another direction: I had now got a family and was busy building an electrical contracting business. All of this filled my time but I never forgot about what I’d learned through Ki Aikido. One of the reasons it stayed with me was that before my teacher left he had organised an area course. I had no idea what this meant at the time, but the experience left a lasting impact.
The area course was held at Coleshill, a picturesque little village not far from where I lived. Apart from my yellow belt grading in Burnham-on-Sea, my experience had been limited to our little club of about eight people. Suddenly I found myself with a group of around 50 black belts who had travelled to this little village from all over the country. I had never seen anything like it, and in the centre of all this was Sensei Williams and Sensei Margaret. I can still picture Sensei teaching the course. Sensei Williams had a way of teaching that was straight forward and he made it easy to understand. When he talked about co-ordination of mind and body and how developing your Ki can help you in daily life, it immediately made sense.
The main memory I have from that day him giving a demonstration of Aikido where approximately ten black belts attacked him at the same time. I can still see this memory like a little video. At the time it seemed unbelievable as he dealt with them all in a calm relaxed way hardly seaming to move. I did not understand what I was seeing but I knew I was witnessing great skill and development of mind and body that had taken many years, and it was this memory that stayed in my mind for the next 15 years.
It was now 2005 and chance once again brought me to Ki Aikido. I had been looking for something to help one of my sons and in one of my online searches I came across a local Ki Aikido club. I talked my son into giving it a go, and before I knew it I was back practising myself. It felt like such a gift to have found my way back and I was determined to make up for lost time. In many ways it felt like I had never left, like when you meet an old friend for the first time in years and just pick up the conversation as if no time had passed. However, one thing that had changed was that Headquarters was up and running, and I travelled there as often as I could, alongside attending two different clubs in the local area. My life suddenly seemed full of Ki Aikido. The gradings flew past and in 2009 I took my 1st Dan grading and passed.
I was now a black belt but my journey felt like it had only just started in many ways as I had long harboured a desire to teach. After consulting with Sensei Margaret I was granted permission to open my own club. Although I felt like I had limited knowledge, I was overjoyed that I could start helping others to find the benefits that I had found from practising Ki Aikido. For me the benefits had been being able to bring my life back into balance. At the time of my return to Aikido I was working very long hours, under pressure to keep everyone happy. I was working myself into the ground but I seemed unable to stop. The practicing of Ki Aikido and following the rules of co-ordination of mind and body gave me a way to take back control. To stop trying to please everyone and to focus on what I needed to make my life work.
I have now been teaching for 16 years and over that time I’ve seen many people stay and many go. It’s true to say that I feel very privileged that the people I’ve taught have been diverse, a mixture of every part of our society, all with different reasons for wanting to learn, but all benefiting and growing as a result.
Having started my Ki Aikido journey in 1985 as a white belt eager to know more, I arrived at a new start as on 15th November 2025 I was awarded 5th Dan with the chance to wear a white belt once again. As I enter 2026 and look back over the last 40 years, I am grateful for every moment that this profound and endlessly fascinating art has given me, and I look forward to continuing learning.
Chris Dolling
Chesham White Hill Ki Aikido Club