Midlands Aikido Sensei awarded highest honour
Martial Artist of Aikido instructor Sensei Mark Pickering Shihan has achieved one of the highest honours in the UK martial arts community, being awarded his 7th Dan Black Belt in Aikido a milestone that reflects more than 42 years of dedication to the discipline.
Over the decades, Sensei Pickering Shihan has travelled extensively around the world to study and share Aikido and self-defence, training under some of the most respected masters, including Tony Cassell’s Shihan and the late famous Sensei TK Chiba Shihan, whose influence guided him from his earliest years in the art. Today, Sensei Pickering Shihan continues to teach and conduct seminars locally and internationally, helping to spread the principles of Aikido to students across many countries around the world.
Alongside his lifelong commitment to Martial Arts, Sensei Pickering Shihan has worked as a celebrity and diplomatic bodyguard, collaborated with the British elite special forces, and carried out security assignments worldwide. Despite such a demanding career, his devotion to Aikido and his students has remained unwavering.
In November 2025, Sensei Pickering Shihan travelled to Japan, accompanied by some of his students from the UK and internationally. He formally received the honour from Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu the head of the Aikido foundation Japan worldwide - a proud moment for both himself, the British Birankai organisation, and the Aikido community worldwide.
Sensei Pickering Shihan has ran his own dojo at Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre in Birmingham for nearly 40 years, offering classes for juniors, teenagers and adult students. The dojo operates as a non-profit making club with Sensei Pickering Shihan and the other instructors generously volunteering their time and experience to share the principles, techniques and philosophy of Aikido with others. Sensei Pickering Shihan also holds the position of the British Birankai Chairman and Technical Director of Birankai Austria. His proudest moment was to see his senior student Sensei Stuart Lovering, who has his own dojo at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre, also receive his 6th Dan Black belt promotion
Both instructors exemplify the spirit, discipline, and humility that lie at the heart of Aikido, and their achievements bring great pride to the martial arts community locally and internationally.
