Aikido at RIT

Aikido Kokikai® is at RIT


Students attending the Rochester Institute of Technology are able to take Aikido through the Wellness Department.  Classes are held Monday and Wednesday nights in the Clark Gymnasium Wrestling Room.  (NOTE: RIT, like many universities, has yet to re-establish any of their martial arts classes in the post-Covid era.  We have no indication from RIT, as of yet, when this status will change.)

Aikido Kokikai of Rochester was first formed as a club at RIT in October of 1984 and we have been happy to maintain a continuous relationship the RIT ever since.  Many of our instructors are RIT alumni.

The RIT program is currently led by Hugh Higgins, Sensei, 3rd Dan.  Hugh Sensei took over the program from Shawn Birmingham Sensei after his retirement in 2019.  Shawn Sensei led the RIT program for almost three decades.  Hugh Sensei is joined by Christian Haacke Sensei, 2nd dan.


Hugh Huggins, Sandan (3rd degree)
Aikido is fun. So I try to have fun at class. It is challenging mentally and physically. I have practiced martial arts on and off for 28 years. I have been studying Maruyama Sensei’s thoughts on Aikido since 2009 and am constantly amazed that you can always learn something new and improve every day. Our classes are designed to be scalable so that everyone, regardless of prior experience or physical make up can experience the pure fun and happiness that comes from discovering something new about themselves, their mind and their body.


NOTE: Like many universities, RIT has not yet restarted martial arts programs since the enactment of Covid restrictions.  We anxiously await collegiate settings returning to a point where the rewards of martial arts programs can again be utilized by students.



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