Donovan Waite
Donovan Waite Shihan, 7. dan
Chief instructor of Aikido Institute of Philadelphia, member of the USAF Technical Committee
Born in Jamaica, Donovan sensei moved to England where he started Aikido at the age of eight, earning his shodan before his 14th birthday.
Donovan sensei continued training in the UK until 1984, when he moved to New York as an uchi-deshi under Yamada Sensei. Here, he continued his intense training as well as teaching, perfecting his aikido style for over a decade. It was during this time that Donovan sensei developed his unique style of ukemi (art of receiving), which found significant following worldwide.
As one of the youngest to achieve the status of Shihan in the West, Donovan sensei has become Chief Instructor of Aikido of Center City in Philadelphia, which he founded in 1997.
Besides giving regular classes at New York Aikikai he also served as a member of the technical committee of the United States Aikido Federation. Highly popular around the world, Donovan sensei traveled extensively, teaching his precise and technical style, which is also presented on numerous instructional DVDs.
His sudden death in 2021. February left a huge void in the international Aikido community.
