"My first night I came to watch I felt at home--the right amount of etiquette and friendliness with a mix of modern and old- school philosophy.  The first night of actual class gave me a feeling of being on the right path and an eagerness to learn more; I could not wait for the next nights' workout.  Now,  after being a student at the dojo for a period of time,  my eagerness has increased due to the excellent teaching of Sensei Perry Lambert, and Assistant Instructor Sensei Jason Scott.  Aikido of Jacksonville is an excellent place to embark on a journey of self discovery, to learn a modern martial art and to gain lifelong friendships with other students."

                  -Richard Keys, Physical Therapist, Brookshealth

"I have participated in a variety of Martial Arts over the last 20 years to include Tae Kwon Do, Judo, wrestling, and kick boxing.  The art of Aikido is truly unique in its attempt to harmonize self defense training with physical, mental, and spiritual fitness.  Sensei Perry Lambert is an exceptional instructor whose emphasis on "street effective" Aikido is in the true tradition of Japanese "Bushido".  His Aikido is fun, challenging, effective, and extremely gratifying as you progress in skill."

                     -Scott Stacy, Colonel, USAF

"As a retired U. S. Army Military Police veteran, I was looking to join a first-class organization that practiced the art form close to it's original teaching, yet open to explore and experiment with other forms to make it more street effective. Under the leadership of Sensei Perry Lambert, I found that organization."

"Growing up, I had always wanted to study martial arts, but I wanted something different than "The Karate Kid".  I wanted something traditional, yet street effective;  something where I could go and have fun without any pressure.  I not only found that, but a good group of friends, a little family with Sensei Perry and Aikido of Jacksonville."

                    -Petty Officer Second Class Richard Roberts, USN

“Having studied at several schools over the past 15 years, I can honestly say that the Aikido of Jacksonville dojo offers an inviting training environment – respectful, friendly and challenging with expert leadership under Sensei Perry Lambert which allows for personal growth in mind, body and spirit.”

                     -Tim Robinson, Enterprise Operational Risk, Bank of America

"As a college student, daily I sit in classes and fill my brain with, often times, dry and seemingly useless knowledge.  But, a few hours a week I am able to open my mind and body to learn the colorful traditions of this Japanese art.  Aikido has made me stronger and more balanced both physically and mentally, which I think has made me a better student.  As a newcomer, Sensei Perry and everyone at Aikido of Jacksonville made me feel right at home.  I can't imagine a better group of people to share Aikido with."

                       -David Stiles, Student, Jacksonville University

"As a person who has never had any formal martial arts training, I was very skeptical about which type of martial art and at which dojo to study. I wanted to study something that I thought would be fun to learn, but also something that would be street effective. I visited a couple of dojos and was somewhat disappointed. I initially wanted to study at Aikido of Jacksonville because after watching the class, I observed that this was a practical style of self defense. Once I began studying, I realized that it is also a great way to relieve the stress I build up from my job. The qualities that I value at Aikido of Jacksonville are the fellowship and caliber of people with whom I train, and the comfortable and patient teaching style of Sensei Lambert."

                -Troy Masters Hurst,  Fostercare Social Worker

"I finally got a chance to go work out with Sensei Perry Lambert. The first thing that I noticed was how personable everyone there was. It was no surprise, but it's what I noticed. After some basic warm-ups, we did some aikitaiso. The shihoundo and happoundo patterns that they used were a bit unfamiliar to me. Then we did ukemi and then waza. The only way to describe the general feeling of the waza is through poor use of metaphors on my part. Sometimes a technique can have the feeling of a car door slamming shut, or a tube of toothpaste being emptied in one continuous squeeze, what I felt here was like dry branches being snapped off. As if a hand reached out and effortlessly snatched off a branch from a tree. Really nice, crisp, effortless performance. The majority of the class focused on ryomunedori, but in their style they call it ryokata-tori. In any event, it was a double grab to the lapels. Lots of katame waza and osae waza. I received some expert advice on some aspects kotegaeshi, particularly on the entry from munetsuki. I also got a few pointers on iriminage-who doesn't need that. They did a randori exercise where nage stands in the center of a circle and the remaining students attack one after another. The pace was very energetic, but controlled. Also, I noted that they use a "round-robin" rotation when practicing. You would pair up with someone, each of you would go twice, and then you would thank each other and immediately pair up with someone else, until Sensei called the next technique. Sensei Lambert worked out with every student there, and worked out with me for every technique, and was sure to take the time to make sure I understood the waza as he was teaching it. He also took ukemi for me. I think that it's important that able-bodied instructors work out when they teach, and even more important that they take ukemi (more on that later). Perry's school touts that their aikido is "street-oriented" and I will comment on that as well. They operate from a very relaxed posture, and don't rely on starting and stopping in a certain kamae. There was no strict adherence to rigid pinning forms at the end of each technique. Atemi was emphasized early in each technique to keep the attacker at bay while doing kuzushi or moving to shikaku. The attacks and responses were a bit more appreciable for real altercations. He also showed several points where uke could do kaeshi if nage was careless. When I think street-effective Aikido, what usually comes to mind is the firm, car door slamming Iwama style, or the imaginative vigor of Saotome's students. Without being static, overly confined to basics, or off-the-wall, Aikido of Jacksonville is teaching traditional Aikido that is in fact very effective. I had a great time there. I highly recommend that anyone living in Jacksonville or visiting contact the dojo and stop by. You won't regret it. "
                      
                    -Autrelle Holland, January 5, 2006