Dear Friends, Students, & Colleagues of Main Street Martial Arts and Rhode Island Aikikai:

I am writing to all of you to say what a great honor it has been all of these years to practice Aikido and all other Martial Arts with all of you. I have traveled the world and trained with 1,000s of amazing people from every continent in the world with the exception of Antarctica. When I was younger, I once thought that I would go out and change the world and make it a better place for everyone, but I now realize that all of you have reached out and changed me to try to be a better person to live in world we’re all a part of.

Picture: Werth Sensei draws his sword before his opponent can get hers out of the scabbard.

Some of my fondest memories of practicing the martial arts come from training in the U.S.A., U.K., Europe, East Africa, and the Middle East. I have trained with students from Singapore, Japan, and China. I have trained all over North America and with many people native to South America. I have not yet slapped flippers with the penguins of the Antarctic. In my travels, all of you have impressed upon me the importance of following a life of commitment, passion, and community. All of you have shown me all over the globe that there is great work to be done not just world-wide but right here at home in my own local community.

In 2000, I therefore embarked on the greatest mission of my life, and that was to build a leadership community right here in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, one of the most inconspicuous little places on the planet, although most of us here don’t think so! I realized in all my travels from the streets and wasted neighborhoods of Juarez, Mexico and Nairobi, Kenya, to the posh capitals of Dublin, London, Berne, and Washington, that there are many people who struggle, of all backgrounds, and of all means. Although it helps to have a financial footprint in this world, I have found that no matter how much or how little a person has, there is always one great thing that we all seek and that is CONNECTION to each other, to the inner world, and to the greater world around us. I have found that that connection exists deeply through our mutual struggle to take a stand, make a commitment, fight for local causes, and to serve the person next to us, of any size, status, or means. This is why I believe in practicing martial arts and building the next generation of future leaders in our local community from the early years to young adulthood.

I welcome all travelers to stop in to our school to visit us and to practice our art on the floor with us. We have students of every size, shape, color, and socio-economic background, from young urban students to college professors, from young children making their way through life to local business leaders, from shattered families to healthy families, and from the occasional drop-in student trying a class to the avid enthusiast.

We welcome everyone to learn a little bit more about us and what we’re doing to change lives and to help us build a new generation of leadership. Try working on your physical fitness and martial arts techniques with a child of five-years-old, or with the firm gentle hand of a seasoned practitioner. Our students are working from day-to-day and year-to-year to develop their skills, to see a day when the world might leave its impression on them, and to learn to serve others with joy in their hearts. We’re all working to help our children become stronger, to build our families, and to create a local community that is truly “World Class” in every way.

Thank you all for your support and guidance over the years. And thank you for being here to walk this road with us and to follow along on our journey to peace, health, and safety. I enjoy having this life-connection with you. Please sign up on our Home Page on the left-hand side under the menus to "Create an Account" on this web site and perhaps subscribe to feed entries (updates) at the bottom left of the Home Page, and I will do my best to stay in touch with you. I hope to meet you here at my home dojo, or when I’m next out on the road coming through your town. Talk to you soon.

Sincerely,

Mr. Michael L. Werth Sensei, Founder & President
Kids’ Action League of Martial Artists, Inc. 501(c) (3) - www.kaloma.org
Main Street Martial Arts, Inc. - www.mainstma.org
GED Rhode Island - www.gedri.org

Contact Us to try a some free martial arts or cultural arts classes in any of our programs at (401) 274-7672 or email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We're looking forward to meeting you!

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