Tommy Chia Sensei began his Aikido training in March 1989 at Aikikai Singapore Bukit Merah SAFRA Dojo.

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Tommy Sensei became an Assistant Instructor, then an Instructor with the Aikido Federation (Singapore) in the 2000s. He attained 4th dan from Aikido World Headquarters (Hombu), Japan in 2014.

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After close to three decades of practising and over a decade of teaching Aikido, Tommy Sensei strongly feels the importance of understanding the Aikido principle and demonstrating it through techniques. He also realises that strengthening proper executions of kihon waza shall be the foundation and building blocks for all advanced techniques. He then created Aikido Academy with the aim to further study this and to infuse the Aikido principle into practice, via the proper execution of kihon waza.

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Tommy Sensei had also trained in the traditional way of Tae Kwon Do in the early 1980s and received his 1st dan with Singapore Armed Forces Tae Kwon Do in 1986 from the Singapore Tae Kwon Do Federation. 

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He trained in Kendo in the early 1990s with the Singapore Kendo Club, from which he realised the importance of the 5 elements (Posture, Projection, Center line, Timing and Distance) which he then incorporated into his Aikido practice.

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He had further trained in Iaido with Eishin Ryu Iaido Singapore since January 2016 and attained his 2nd Dan in Japan on Nov 2019.