Don O'Bell
Don O'Bell


Don O'Bell was a physicist and an instructor of the martial art of Aikido for thirty years. He was the founder of the Aerospace Corp./Air Force Aikido Dojo in El Segundo, Ca., and the co-founder and head of the ACE Aikido dojo in Santa Monica, Ca. Don held a fourth degree black belt in Aikido. He was also trained in T'ai Chi, Gung Fu, and western boxing.

Don passed away in late October, 2000. He gave a great deal to the art of Aikido, including inventing a Kata that people can practice alone, something not found very often in Aikido training. He also came up with the concept of ACE - the Awareness of being Centeredly Extended - an extrapolation of Tohei Sensei's work, and from there, the notion of Kinesthetic Invisibility, using ACE to not give any reference to an attacker such that there is anything for them to react to or counter.

Don will be missed by his students and friends.