About Sensei John Langley

Sensei John Langley has 34 years of experience in aikido and currently holds the grade of 7th dan. 

Sensei John Langley has now to his credit over 22 dan grades including 2 sandans, 5 nidans and 15 shodans. The club membership of kyu grades currently stands at 30. However, John has been fortunate to teach thousands of students over the 31 years.

Four weekends a year are spent teaching dan grade classes and each year since 2001 Sensei Langley has taught a 4 day winter school. From 2005, the annual Institute of Aikido winter school will be extended to 5 days.

Reasons for commencing aikido

In 1971, John Langley became seriously ill from a double flu virus and his weight plummeted from ten stone to five stone. He was unable to even walk due to muscle loss and lung damage. His mother looked after his health and well being, and slowly helped John regain his strength.

From this point 1972 onwards, John began to attack every level of fitness training that he could, including: mountaineering, swimming for the south of England, Rugby and the Duke of Edinborough's Gold Award. By August 1973, he decided to set even higher goals to reach peak fitness; one of which was to study a martial art that would stimulate both the mind and the body.

Having watched all of the martial arts that were then available, including karate, judo, jujitsu and taikwando, John chose aikido.  John joined the Slough Aikido Club, UK, which was part of the Institute of Aikido.

He lived in Windsor, so each training session meant a ten-mile cycle trip to the dojo (in all weather conditions).

In honour of Sensei John's 1st great teacher Mr. David C. Timms (3rd dan) and Mr. David Harris (1st dan)

History begins

John's first Senseis were Mr. David C. Timms (2nd Dan) and Mr. Ron James (3rd Dan).

He began to train three times a week at Slough and every day at home. At this point, the training consisted of jo, bo, bokken, kicking, punching and, of course, aikido.

After two years of training, Sensei Timms introduced John to the London Aikikai who's Sensei was and still is: Sensei Hayden W. Foster at " The Hut" in Hillingdon.

History with Sensei Foster

During the next 12 months, John trained five times a week between London Aikikai and Slough Aikido Club, including all of the sessions taught by Sensei Foster.

He was invited as a 1st Kyu to the Monday night "closed door" training sessions for dan grades. This was a great privilege, especially as after only a few months, Sensei Foster chose John to be his uke.

Mr. David C. Timms (3rd Dan)

In the year that followed, he travelled to Scotland, Reading University, Cornwall (with Sensei Ron James) and to the Barry Summer School in Wales. During this period, he befriended Robert, Lawson and Fiona from Scotland and Eric, Freddy, Sam, Ron and others from Hillingdon.

At the end of three years of training and 12 months with Sensei Foster he was graded by Sensei Foster, Sensei Andy Allen and Sensei Hamish McFarlane and passed his shodan grading.

After attending another 12 months of sessions and another Barry Summer School, John emigrated to Australia, whilst Ron emigrated to New Zealand.

On arrival to Perth, Western Australia, John immediately found a Japanese Sensei, Yoshiaki Unno, at his William Street dojo and also commenced training at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Aikido club.

Over a period of years, Sensei Yoshiaki Unno taught both Aikido and his other martial arts, and graded John during this time.

History of Sensei Yoshiaki Unno

Sensei Yoshiaki Unno taught Yoseikan Budo. He held the Grades of 7th dan aikido, 7th dan karate, 6th dan kobudo (weapons), 4th dan bojutsu and 2nd dan judo. He also taught kenjutsu.

His Sensei was Kancho Minoru Mochizuki (10th dan) as Yoseikan Budo Hombu Dojo, Shizuoka City, Japan.

After several years, Sensei Yoshiaki Unno left UWA and John continued his aikido training with another dan grade who had spent several years in Japan and who had settled in Western Australia.

Rather than continue to train in the Yoseikan style of with UWA, John decided to start his own dojo, and contacted Sensei Foster for advice. After talking with Sensei Foster and Mrs Shirley Timms he received written correspondence from Mrs Timms and upon that, John formed The Institute of Aikido Australia in 1993.

The Institute of Aikido Australia

Having learnt aikido, jo, bo and swordwork from Sensei Yoshiaki Unno, John began to combine all that he had been taught from both Sensei Foster and Sensei Yoshiaki Unno around the pure form of aikido. However, Sensei Foster's style was so powerful that John developed his style in that direction and returned to Great Britain in 1996 to train with his Sensei once again.

John's focus is now on maintaining and teaching the original and effective style of O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba.

Click here for Aikido Family Tree of The Institute of Aikido Australia.

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