Portsmouth Aikido was founded in 1995 by Judy Ringer and a group of local residents interested in starting a dojo.  With the guidance and support of Mitsunari Kanai Sensei, a direct student of Morihei Ueshiba, Portsmouth Aikido offered its first class in 1995. 

With our focus on quality instruction and rigorous training in a mutually supportive environment, we have offered aikido classes to hundreds of beginning and advanced students of all ages. 

In 2009, Judy Ringer transferred her title of Chief Instructor to Aaron Cass, under whose leadership Portsmouth Aikido became a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit, added a kids' program, and expanded its programming.  In 2012, Portsmouth Aikido moved into the gorgeous new facility in which we now practice.

Portsmouth Aikido joined the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba in 2025 under the guidance of William Gleason Shihan. With strong connections throughout the aikido community, Portsmouth Aikido looks forward to many more years of continued training, putting the principles of aikido into practice on the mat and in our daily lives.

S T A F F

Aaron Cass, Chief Instructor

Zach Nobel, Senior Instructor

Ray Lefebvre, Senior Instructor

Peter Shindler, Instructor

George Workman, Instructor

Jonathan Blakeslee, Instructor

Sofie Larsen, Kids Instructor