Fifteen minutes from midtown. On the mat since 1998.
Sarpy Aikido serves the Omaha metro from our dojo in La Vista, just south of the city line. We teach one art, we teach it carefully, and we have been doing it in the same community since 1998.
We train at 8116 Park View Blvd in La Vista, NE 68128. La Vista sits directly south of Omaha in Sarpy County, so for most of the metro the drive is shorter than people expect, often shorter than crossing Omaha itself.
Take I-80 west to the 84th Street exit and head south. Roughly 15–20 minutes outside of rush hour.
Head east to 84th Street. For much of Millard this is a 10–15 minute drive with no interstate at all.
West on Highway 370 through Papillion. Around 15 minutes. We have trained service members and military families throughout the dojo's history.
All within about 10–15 minutes. Ralston and Papillion are our immediate neighbors in Sarpy County.
Parking is free and on-site. See the map on our home page for exact directions.
The Omaha metro has a deep and varied martial arts community, and we are glad to be part of it. If aikido is the art that has caught your interest, here is what training with us actually looks like, so you know what to expect before you walk in.
Aikido works by taking an attacker's balance and structure, blending with force and redirecting it rather than meeting it head-on. The goal is to neutralize a situation without needing to be bigger or stronger than the person in front of you.
Practice is cooperative by design. You and your partner take turns giving and receiving technique, which lets both of you work at full commitment while staying safe. Saturday open mats add progressive resistance so you can pressure-test what you have learned.
Because aikido relies on timing and structure rather than speed or strength, it is something people continue for a very long time. It is common for students to train for decades and still be refining the same fundamentals they learned in their first month.
We group by experience. Fundamentals gives newcomers a dedicated place to start, and the Advanced class is where that foundation gets sharpened. Both bring together students at every stage, so beginners train alongside people who have already walked that path.
One dojo, one art, and two generations of the same family teaching it. If you are weighing up martial arts schools around Omaha, this is the part that is hardest to judge from a listing.
Sensei Ron Christenham opened Sarpy Aikido after training under Robert Kubo Shihan in Hawaii. The dojo has been part of the same community ever since.
Sensei Jeff took over as head instructor in 2020, continuing his father’s work. Read more about our instructors →
Our aikido runs from Morihei Ueshiba through Koichi Tohei and Robert Kubo Shihan to Aikido of Hawaii International. See the full lineage →
Fundamentals, Advanced and Saturday open mats all run on the mat at the La Vista dojo. See what each class covers →
We train three days a week, which works for most Omaha commuters. Evening classes start after the drive south.
Our dojo is at 8116 Park View Blvd in La Vista, immediately south of the Omaha city line. From midtown the drive is typically 15–20 minutes, and from west Omaha or Millard it is often closer to 10–15.
No. Our Fundamentals class on Mondays and Thursdays at 6:00 PM is built for people with no martial arts background at all. Most of our students started that way.
Almost certainly not. Aikido does not rely on speed or strength, and we have students who began in their forties and fifties. Tell us about any injuries and we will work around them.
Yes. You are welcome to come watch any scheduled class, or call (402) 981-7096 ahead if you would rather talk first.
Comfortable, loose-fitting athletic clothing is all you need. As you keep training you will have the option to buy a traditional gi (uniform), but nobody expects you to own one on day one.
Yes. Parking is free and on-site at 8116 Park View Blvd, so you are not hunting for street parking after the drive down from Omaha.
Ready to learn practical self-defense? Visit our dojo and see what makes Sarpy Aikido different.