Tri City Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial arts dojo located at 37427 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, California 94536. Founded in April 1996, the dojo has provided continuous Aikido instruction to adults and children in the Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Milpitas, and surrounding communities for 30 years.
Our purpose is to preserve and teach authentic Aikido in a respectful, welcoming, and non-competitive environment. Students learn practical martial arts skills while developing balance, awareness, coordination, discipline, confidence, and consideration for others.
Thirty Years of Aikido in the Tri-City Area
Tri City Aikido was established in 1996 by Anthony Campagna Sensei. For three continuous decades, Campagna Sensei has led the dojo and personally taught its classes, building one of the longest-established Aikido programs in the Fremont area.
The dojo was originally located in Newark before moving approximately one mile to its present Fremont location. Although the address changed, the school continues to serve the same Tri-City community of Fremont, Newark, and Union City, along with students traveling from Hayward, Milpitas, San Jose, and other nearby cities.
Our history is not defined simply by how long the school has existed. It is defined by consistent instruction, long-term relationships, generations of students, and a commitment to maintaining the principles and training methods of traditional Aikido.
Our Chief Instructor
Anthony Campagna Sensei holds the rank of Godan, fifth-degree black belt, through the Aikikai Foundation. He began studying Aikido in 1986 and founded Tri City Aikido ten years later.
Campagna Sensei has taught Aikido continuously since opening the dojo. His martial arts experience also includes study in Shotokan karate, boxing, wrestling, Tai Chi, and Taekwondo. This broader experience contributes to his understanding of body movement, timing, structure, distance, balance, and practical application, while Aikido remains the foundation of the dojo’s curriculum.
His teaching method emphasizes learning through direct experience. Students are shown how correct posture, alignment, timing, connection, and movement affect a technique. Over time, deliberate practice becomes natural movement that can be performed without excessive conscious thought.
Learn more on the Anthony Campagna Sensei page.
Our Aikido Lineage
Tri City Aikido maintains a direct connection to the traditional teachings of Japan. The dojo is affiliated with the Kumano Jyuku dojo in Shingu, Japan, and follows instruction passed through the lineage of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido.
An important figure in this lineage was Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei, one of Morihei Ueshiba’s close students and a recipient of tenth-dan rank. Hikitsuchi Sensei taught at Kumano Jyuku in the Kumano region of Japan.
Mitsuo Tasaka Shihan, seventh dan, continues this teaching tradition and serves as a regular visiting instructor at Tri City Aikido. His visits allow our students to receive instruction connected directly to the Kumano and Shingu approach to Aikido.
This relationship is important to our school. It helps preserve the principles, etiquette, weapons work, movement, and philosophy that have been passed down through generations of instructors.
More information is available on our Aikido Lineage and Mitsuo Tasaka Shihan pages.
What We Teach
Aikido is a Japanese martial art based on coordinated movement, balance, timing, redirection, joint control, throws, pins, and positional awareness. Instead of relying only on strength or meeting force directly with greater force, students learn how posture, movement, structure, and timing can change the outcome of an encounter.
Training at Tri City Aikido includes:
- Empty-hand Aikido techniques
- Throws, controls, joint locks, and pins
- Escapes and practical self-defense applications
- Falling, rolling, balance, and safe movement
- Ground-related movement and positional awareness
- Bokken, or wooden sword, training
- Jo, or wooden staff, training
- Tanto, or training knife, practice
- Weapons-taking and disarming exercises
- Traditional Japanese terminology and dojo etiquette
Weapons training is not treated as a separate performance activity. It helps students understand distance, direction, posture, timing, centerline, commitment, and the origins of many empty-hand movements.
A Non-Competitive Martial Art
Tri City Aikido does not use tournaments, trophies, or competitive sparring as the basis of training. Students work cooperatively so both partners can improve.
Cooperative training does not mean passive or unrealistic training. It allows students to study techniques safely, gradually increase speed and intensity, and understand how movement affects another person. The goal is to develop skill without creating an atmosphere driven by ego or the need to defeat classmates.
Aikido teaches students to address conflict with awareness, control, and appropriate action. The ideal result is not unnecessary injury. It is the ability to respond decisively while maintaining balance, composure, and responsibility.
Adult and Teen Aikido
Our adult program welcomes beginners as well as experienced martial artists. Students do not need previous training, exceptional flexibility, or peak physical conditioning before beginning.
Adults study the complete curriculum, including empty-hand techniques, weapons, falling, movement, joint controls, throws, and practical applications. Training can improve coordination, mobility, balance, posture, conditioning, concentration, and confidence.
Because Aikido skill depends on timing and efficient movement rather than strength alone, adults can begin in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. Students are encouraged to progress according to their own ability while continuing to challenge themselves.
Visit our Adult Aikido Classes page for additional information.
Children’s Aikido Programs
Tri City Aikido offers age-appropriate children’s programs designed to meet students at different stages of physical, emotional, and social development.
Children learn dojo etiquette, listening skills, coordination, balance, safe falling, basic Aikido movement, self-control, and respectful partner practice. Older children gradually receive more detailed technical instruction and may also study bokken and jo.
Our approach combines structure with encouragement. Students are expected to pay attention, follow directions, and treat others respectfully. At the same time, instruction is designed so cooperative students are able to learn and progress without the entire class being dominated by disciplinary interruptions.
Program information is available on the following pages:
Our Teaching Philosophy
Aikido cannot be learned only by memorizing instructions or watching demonstrations. Students must experience how a technique feels when posture, timing, movement, and connection are correct.
In the beginning, students consciously think about individual details. With repetition and correction, those details become integrated. The long-term goal is for proper movement to become instinctive and available without hesitation.
This process requires patience. Progress is not measured by how quickly someone collects techniques. It is measured by improvements in movement, awareness, control, understanding, consistency, and the ability to work constructively with different training partners.
Traditional Dojo Culture
A dojo is more than a room where techniques are practiced. It is a place of study, discipline, responsibility, and mutual respect.
Students at Tri City Aikido learn traditional etiquette and terminology so they understand the culture connected to the martial art. This includes bowing, care of the training area, respect for partners, appropriate conduct, and familiarity with commonly used Japanese terms.
These traditions are not maintained merely for appearance. They create a structured environment where students can train safely, concentrate fully, and recognize their responsibility to the people around them.
Our Fremont Dojo
Tri City Aikido is located at:
Tri City Aikido
37427 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94536
Phone: (510) 298-4222
Email:
The dojo is located on Fremont Boulevard, directly across from Holy Spirit Church. Its central location is convenient for students traveling from Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Milpitas, and nearby communities.
Communities We Serve
Although our physical dojo is in Fremont, students attend from communities throughout the southern East Bay and nearby South Bay.
Our primary service area includes:
- Fremont
- Newark
- Union City
- Hayward
- Milpitas
- San Jose
You can learn more through our individual Cities Served pages.
Class Schedule
Adult and Teen Classes
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 7:00–8:30 PM
Saturday: 9:30–11:30 AM
Children Ages 4–6
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 5:15–6:00 PM
Children Ages 7–9
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 6:00–6:50 PM
Children Ages 10–13
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 6:00–6:50 PM
Schedules can occasionally change. Please contact the dojo before your first visit to confirm the appropriate class.
Free Trial Class
Prospective students may attend a free trial class before deciding whether to enroll. No previous martial arts experience is required.
Guests should arrive approximately 15 minutes before class so there is time for an introduction, orientation, and any necessary preparation. The trial is intended for people who are genuinely considering training and are ready to begin if the program is a good fit.
To request a trial, visit our Get Started page or call (510) 298-4222.
Official Tri City Aikido Profiles
The following are official online profiles and resources for Tri City Aikido:
Begin Your Training
Tri City Aikido welcomes adults, teens, children, beginners, returning students, and experienced martial artists who are interested in studying traditional Aikido.
Whether your goals include practical self-defense, improved movement, physical activity, personal discipline, confidence, mental focus, or a deeper study of Japanese martial arts, the best way to understand the dojo is to experience a class.
Call (510) 298-4222 or visit our Get Started page to arrange your free trial class.
