AIKIDO ACADEMY
SINGAPORE
Student's Review
I am currently attending Aikido classes conducted by Tommy Chia Sensei at Jurong Green Community Centre. I am pleased to share with you my feedback as a student about Tommy Sensei’s lessons.
I have learned a lot in Tommy Sensei’s classes. Tommy Sensei is very knowledgeable in the art of Aikido, and he holds no reservations in imparting his knowledge to the students. He structures the lessons very well, and is always able to break down complex moves and concepts into progressive steps achievable by the students. Coupled with Tommy Sensei’s clear instructions and explanations, I always leave the class feeling very fulfilled.
Tommy Sensei also understands that individual students have different learning styles and preferences. During the class, he is able to assess whether or not each of us understands what he is trying to teach, and will use different approaches to address the difficulties we face during the class. Tommy Sensei is a very encouraging teacher and his teaching approach is highly effective. It is no wonder that my fellow peers and I hold him in high regard, and are inspired to do better in the pursuit of the art of Aikido.
One of my major concerns when I decided to take up Aikido was the safety aspect. Aikido is, after all, a form of martial arts; and the risk of injury could be high if the class is not managed properly. Nevertheless, my mind was totally put to ease on the very first lesson. Tommy Sensei takes training safety very seriously, always anticipating possible unsafe situations during the class, and ensures that we only attempt moves that are suitable for our levels. In addition, he spares no effort in inculcating safe training attitude in all the students, always emphasizing the importance of us respecting and taking good care of our partners during practice sessions.
In summary, I enjoyed Tommy Sensei’s classes a lot, and I continue to look forward to having him as a teacher in my journey of Aikido.
Regards
Yew Chor Wei
As a beginner student in Akido at JGCC for about five months under Tommy Chia, and having been trained in self-defence by others before, I find that Tommy Sensei is an excellent trainer due to his personal qualities and teaching style.
Everyone is probably talented at something and I really think this trainer is gifted in Akido, which seems to be very intuitive and instinctive for him. For instance, he would 'read the attacker's energy' and then redirect the attacker's force and topple the attacker so easily, all with minimal movement!
Besides his talent, what makes Tommy Sensei a great trainer is his patience. With poor physical coordination, I find it hard to pick up any sport and many coaches asked me to go elsewhere for training but Tommy Sensei is extraordinarily patient and keeps correcting my mistakes without fuss. He is very encouraging and simply does not give up on any student.
Also, Tommy Sensei is the most observant and meticulous of all the trainers I have had. From far away, he could notice a very small mistake in a student's quick movement and he would want to correct it, before it becomes a bad habit. In my opinion, this tells me that he has very high standards and is uncompromising when it comes to improving the students' techniques to bring them up to par with the proper Akido standards and teaching.
Last but not least, it is very obvious to all his students that he has a passion for Akido as he strives to impart his knowledge and the values of Akido to them. He gives them the reason and basis for each move, and every technique, so that they will have a deeper understanding of it, and remember better. All the while, he is also teaching the values and the spirit of Akido - respect, cooperation and discipline.
To further the growth of Akido locally, I do hope that more and more students would have the opportunity to learn under Tommy Sensei. He is an inspiring teacher, with an analytical mind and deep passion for the art of Akido.
Thank you for reading.
From: Deanne Choo
Private educator and
Akido student at Jurong Green CC
I started learning Aikido from Tommy Sensei since May 2016.
He is patient and encouraging, yet firm in his teaching and upholds the disciplinarity of the art when he is on the mat. As a coach, he treats his students fairly and gives attention to everyone without bias. What I liked about his class especially for a beginner is his focus on technique and his explanation on the why and how each technique is executed, without losing sight of the flow and form of the art. Aikido, like all martial arts requires much situational judgement and response during training, thus executing the movement without understanding the rationale and the intended outcomes does not help to move learning forward.
As an experienced educator and a school leader myself, I pay particular attention to the character traits of the trainer as well as the pedagogical approaches employed by the trainer. I am glad that Tommy Sensei has met my learning needs well. I believe Tommy Sensei has achieved his ikigai through Aikido, as exemplified in the lessons that he has conducted.
From: Florence Ng
I started my first Aikido training under Tommy Chia Sensei’s guidance two years ago at Buona Vista Community Centre, only expecting myself to last for at most three months. Nonetheless, I found myself coming back to each and every of his class.
Tommy Sensei’s classes focus on building the fundamentals, which, although some students may find it repetitive and mundane, I personally trust that it is much needed for the better. Every martial art should be trained with a strong foundation and every advanced techniques should be built upon the basics. More importantly, he finds ways to bring down his explanation to my level of understanding, no matter how slow learner I might be. Sometimes he teaches me how to adjust the movement according to the situation given my strengths and weaknesses. This makes me feel that my training is meaningful as there is always something to learn and a goal to keep training towards to. In fact, it is from Tommy Sensei’s class that I manage to achieve steady progress instead of dashing through the movements.
Unlike other martial arts, Aikido is not all about techniques. Even though I may not be able to fully comprehend the spiritual aspect of Aikido, Tommy Sensei incorporates Aikido’s harmony and sincerity into simple etiquette on and off the training mat. Tommy Sensei’s class is perhaps the only class I have attended that emphasizes on Aikido principle and philosophy through practise. He spares no room for malice and violence on the mat. We are taught to always respect each individual’s physical ability and make sure our training partners are not injured due to our recklessness. Over time, his way of teaching has stretched out to benefit me beyond the dojo mat, as I found myself becoming calmer and more patient in any given difficult situations. I believe that with proper training attitude, every student will find something to gain from his class, be it physical or spiritual, or sometimes, both.
All in all, Tommy Chia Sensei is reasonably one of the very few Aikido Sensei out there that hold such great dedication and passion for the art. Being given the right opportunity to blossom, I believe his class will inspire many more to better themselves through learning the harmonious way of the art.
With best regards,
Le Thuy Linh
Quantity Surveyor at Rider Levett Bucknall LLP
I am a current Aikido student of Tommy Chia Sensei at Buona Vista Community Centre. I
have had the pleasure of learning and practicing under his guidance every Monday and
thoroughly enjoy every class. He is a driven and passionate instructor who plans his lessons
well, making every step of the process easy to follow as the structures flow so fluidly.
In total, I have been practicing Aikido for about 7 years under several different instructors.
As someone who has spent many years working as an educator, I can see that he has
excellent rapport with all of his students no matter the age and background. He has the
ability to connect with his students and has the talent of demonstrating both simple as well
as advanced techniques for everyone to grasp easily. It is without reservation that I can say
he has excellent experience and knowledge in Aikido, and the ability to convey that
knowledge and experience to his students.
Tommy Sensei has great initiative and brings a positive attitude to each class. He is very
encouraging, and I leave every lesson with a sense of fulfillment.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact
Sincerely,
Noriko Masaki
Media Integration Analyst
MSc. Psychology
BA. Communication & Linguistics
norina.x@gmail.com
Tommy Chia sensei is my aikido instructor at Jurong Green Community Centre (JGCC) currently. I began my aikido training under him at Buona Vista Community Centre (BVCC) in 2011. I have been his student ever since then & have known him for close to 6 years now.
I find him to be passionate about the art of aikido; and is committed & dedicated to sharing & teaching it to the students. He places a lot of emphasis on the basics & fundamentals in his classes. He is meticulous in his teaching method providing sufficient explanations & demonstration to allow students to have better understanding of the art. His classes are also fun & easy to follow as he is thorough in describing & showing the techniques.
From my personal experience, I believe his knowledge of the art, experience & teaching style, which he has developed painstakingly over the years, would enhance the students’ training experience by making it more engaging & enriching.
Yours sincerely,
Ong Wai Chung
(JGCC)
13 Oct 2017
I would like to use this opportunity to express my thankfulness and recommendation of Tommy Chia Sensei - Instructor Tommy Chia, who has always been an outstanding example of how an instructor should be.
Tommy Chia Sensei has always come to his class to teach with dedication and passion. He has helped every student in the class to progress. He has a creative way to explain the class content, and hence has helped his students absorb the lessons quickly.
As a project manager, i always receive stress in many forms from my line of work. Tommy Chia sensei, however, has always brought fun to his class as a way to let his students disperse their stress. I have received not only fruirful knowledge, but also a relaxing environment to immerse myself in.
I believe, given the PA trainer title, Tommy Chia sensei will excel in his chosen path, and expand Aikido to more people.
Yours faithfully,
Linh Chu
--
Chu Phuong Linh
Tommy Chia Sensei has been teaching me Aikido for several years. Having myself been training in Aikido for 15 years before meeting him, as well as an MOE School Teacher for 18 years, I can affirm that Tommy Sensei has had solid researched and experiential knowledge on all aspects of the Art from the very internal elements which form the foundation, up to the very solid educational pedagogy to deliver it.
As a School Teacher by profession for 18 years, I know what good teaching is and isn't.
With this, I strong recommend Tommy Chia Sensei to be a very competent Aikido Instructor in his own right.
Randall Lim
2nd Dan Aikido
Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (NIE)
I have been involved with Aikido since 2015. I joined for many reasons, but mostly to help me keep in shape and stay healthy. I was lucky to train under Sensei Tommy. Sensei Tommy follows a structured, direct and practical approach to instruction, which has helped me make significant advancements in my Aikido practice. He is a very patient instructor and works well with all students. Sensei Tommy is a highly qualified and committed Aikido instructor and I strongly recommend him to any Aikido practitioner.
Tony Leong, CMSAC, RegCLR
Counsellor | Facilitator | Practitioner
MSoc (Professional Counselling)