Head Instructor: Damir Jamsek Sensei
Damir Jamsek Sensei is the head instructor at Austin Aikikai. He is a Rokudan (sixth degree blackbelt) and Shidoin (certified instructor), in aikido and a student of Yamada Sensei, chairman of the United States Aikido Federation. Jamsek Sensei has studied aikido since 1984 and has also trained in aikido under the late Akira Tohei Sensei and instructors from the aikido headquarters in Tokyo. Before beginning his training in Aikido, Jamsek Sensei studied karate and tae kwon do for seven years and attained the rank of Nidan.
In addition to his training in aikido Jamsek Sensei trains in shinkage (Yagyu Shinkage Ryu Heihou, a form of kenjutsu originating in the sixteenth century) under the direction of the late Yagyu Nobuhara and now Yagyu Koichi Sensei. Jamsek Sensei has also studied Western fencing.