O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba 12/14/1883 - 4/26/1969
After he intensively studied various swordfighting and jujutsu styles, Ueshiba became famous as one of the strongest men of Japan.
In 1919, he turned towards the spiritual, pacifistic teachings of the Omoto religion and started to develop the Art of Peace. In 1942,
in the midst of the chaos of World War II, O-Sensei named his new martial art Aikido, and moved to the small country town of Iwama.
There he continued to practice, teach and refine Aikido until he passed away in 1969.

Morihiro Saito Sensei 3/31/1928 - 5/13/2002
9th Dan Aikikai. Being an Iwama native, Morihiro Saito started training in Aikido in 1946 and became not only a student,
but a close confidant of O-Sensei for the following 23 years. After the founder's death, he was put in charge of the Iwama dojo
and became the guardian of the Aiki-shrine. Today, he is also known for his books, his clear and structured way of teaching,
and the organization of the huge number of techniques that comprise Iwama-style Aikido. It is through Saito Sensei's
timeless Iwama style techniques, that the teacher and students of Austin Iwama Aikido will always remember him.

David G. Alexander Sensei 10/11/1945 -
6th Dan Aikikai. The Founder of Westlake Village Aikido.

Christopher S. Field, 6th Dan, Dojo-Cho
Christopher S. Field is a 6th degree black belt with over 30 years of Aikido experience.
Field Sensei was trained by David G. Alexander, one of the top Iwama Aikido teachers in America. Over the 10 years he spent with Alexander Sensei, Field Sensei attended annual seminars with Morihiro Saito Shihan, Alexander Sensei’s teacher and the longest direct student of Aikido’s Founder, Morihei Ueshiba.
When Alexander Sensei stepped back from teaching, he appointed Field Sensei the Technical Director of his dojo, Westlake Village Aikido. Field Sensei was entrusted with preserving the techniques as taught so that they would not devolve over time. Field Sensei continued teaching at Westlake Village Aikido until moving to Austin, where he founded Austin Iwama Aikido in 2010.
Field Sensei bolsters his own education, as well as that of his students, by hosting nearly annual seminars with his teacher’s peers. In 2024, Field Sensei and four of his students spent time as uchideshi (live-in students) at the Founder’s dojo in Iwama, Japan.
Field Sensei focuses on preserving & promoting high-quality, effective techniques and training methods. Since Aikido is fanatically technical, he aims to ensure all students learn the fine details that make techniques really work. Furthermore, faithfully passing on these details not only helps new students develop strong techniques but also reduces the chance for knowledge deterioration.
Field Sensei wants to equip students today, so that they can teach tomorrow without any degradation between generations.
And he wants to ruthlessly throw you to the ground. 😉

Russell Podgorsek, 4th Dan
Russell began training aikido in 2008 with Richard Judd sensei. He moved to Austin in 2010, began studying with Christopher Field Sensei,
and has been teaching regularly since 2013. In 2022, he was awarded 4th dan and has been to Japan to study at the Founder's dojo as uchi
deshi twice (2016 and 2024).