Froggy Bottom Cares Winter 2024/25, Mon, Jan 6th, 2025 @ 9:00 AM Accelevents

Just in time for Holiday Gifting!

Tell your loved ones you bought tickets for them for a chance to win a great new guitar!

Froggy Bottom Guitars, once again, is offering a terrific guitar, an R-14 Deluxe of Master Grade quilted Sapele and German spruce. See more about the guitar on the Raffle page.

Tickets are $25 each or seven for $150. The drawing will be held when all 1500 tickets have been sold. The winner will be one very happy guitar player!

William Gleason Sensei and the
Froggy Bottom Cares
Winter 2024-25 Campaign

Our Cause

Our efforts here will endow Shobu Aikido Vermont with the resources necessary to: facilitate a reliable venue for Gleason Sensei’s instruction in Vermont–underwriting seminar fees, host teacher training sessions, and provide grants to other ASU dojos who support training with senior instructors.

In his 6th decade of practice, Gleason Sensei lives a very modest life and is in continuous support of the training. He is working on a third book and is focused on providing the highest quality teaching at every opportunity.

This fund will help Gleason Sensei continue to deliver the high-quality instruction experience for which he is known, facilitating the transfer of this strong and gentle art to the next generation of Shihan.

The fund will also provide opportunity for new students of Aikido to imagine how they might bring their practice to the world as both practitioners and instructors.

Why a Guitar?

One other important thing that should not go without mention: Gleason Sensei is an accomplished blues guitarist, as well. You might catch him in venues around Gloucester, MA.

Shobu Aikido

Shobu: to cultivate wisdom through martial arts study.
Aikido (The Way of Harmony): a modern martial art dedicated to the practice of physical conflict resolution in a way designed to mitigate destructive outcomes and to overcome struggle without cultivating violent intent.
Shihan: the term for an Aikido teacher who has dedicated their life to the art–not only teaching, but bringing up other teachers to extend the tradition.
Sensei: the honorific term for a master.

Aikido Background

The product of many decades of rigorous physical, philosophical, and spiritual study, Aikido was developed by Morehei Ueshiba Shihan in Japan in the mid-20th century.

Renowned as one of the most highly-respected and influential martial artists of modern Japan, Ueshiba Sensei was actively teaching until his death in 1969.

The primary mission of Aikido is to nurture and train individuals in fundamental mechanisms of self-defense in a way that enhances self-awareness, promotes resilience, and personal development.

Individually, practitioners improve their balance, stability, flexibility, and mobility through full-body practice. Working with partners, they learn non-verbal communication, collaboration, and interpersonal development.

William Gleason Aikido Biography

In 1970, William Gleason arrived in Japan to study at Ueshiba O’Sensei’s Hombu Dojo, studying there for 10 years under high-level Senseis, direct students of Ueshiba, specifically Seigo Yamaguchi Shihan, a senior student of the founder, and Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, the last live-in student of the founder.

Gleason Sensei returned to the US in 1980 and founded Shobu Aikido Boston. He remains one of the organization’s active senior instructors, teaching at numerous dojos nationwide. Several of his students have attained rank and founded their own dojos.

Shobu Aikido Vermont was founded by Gleason Sensei’s senior student, Ralph Malerba, in 1992. Todd Trzaskos began training when the dojo was formed. Trzaskos was introduced to both Gleason and Saotome Senseis just months later and was Malerba’s senior student.

Upon Malerba’s retirement in 2005, Trzaskos took responsibility for Shobu Aikido Vermont where he continues instructing today while engaging in regular study with Gleason, Saotome, and other instructors.

Supporting the work of Shihan and Sensei will guarantee that this ‘way of harmony’ can continue to help future generations deal with adversity without violent intent.