Our Instructors
Noble Sensei
Noble Sensei is Chief Instructor of Alexandria Zen Center. He is also the founder and head of Zenshinkai Aikido Association, a national organization of practitioners dedicated to learning and leadership advancement through Martial Arts and Zen.
Noble Sensei holds the rank of rokudan (sixth-degree black belt) in Aikido through Hombu Dojo in Japan. He also holds nidan (second-degree black belt) in Iaido, and reputable black belt ranks in various other martial arts, including judo, jodo, karate, kenpo, and tae kwon do. Within the White Plum Lineage of Zen, he holds the title of Roshi (Zen priest).
Since beginning his training in 1985, Noble Sensei has been extremely active in advancing his skill in Martial Arts and Zen. With nearly 40 years of highly active training experience, and 35 years of highly active teaching experience, his level of professional and knowledgeable instruction is a rare find. Much like an experienced surgeon, Noble Sensei possesses the expertise to finely identify and sculpt our students’ strengths, giving them exactly what they need to grow into their potential.
Noble Sensei has taught specialized training events across the country and around the world, including Bulgaria, Poland, and Greece. He has now retired his travels to teach full-time here in Alexandria. This allows him to fully dedicate his instruction skills to our members. As chief instructor of all our programs at Alexandria Zen Center, Noble Sensei incorporates Zen philosophy throughout all of our classes to enhance the centering nature of our training.
We are extremely lucky to have Noble Sensei in our teaching staff.
Lincoln Sensei
Alison Lincoln Sensei is Dojo Cho (head of school) of Alexandria Zen Center.
Lincoln Sensei began her martial arts training in 2005 and holds the rank of Yondan (fourth-degree black belt) in Aikido. She is a trained and certified Aikido instructor through our national organization, Zenshinkai Aikido Association.
Lincoln Sensei is highly active in sharpening her skill. With well-over one hundred specialized Aikido training events under her belt, she has trained in dojos coast-to-coast to fine-tune her understanding of the art.
Lincoln Sensei began her teaching path in 2007 in Brooklyn, NY. Since 2007, she has taught and led youth and adults programs in Brooklyn and Massachusetts before landing here in Alexandria permanently. She now teaches our youth and adult Aikido programs 6 days a week.
“Lincoln Sensei is a patient and dedicated teacher. It is clear that she takes care to ensure students of any experience level feel comfortable on the mat. I also cannot emphasize enough how empowering it is to learn martial arts from another woman. Lincoln sensei has been a role model to me since I started training with her 5 years ago.”
Helpful Etiquette Tip: Traditional Martial Arts (TMA) commonly incorporate traditional etiquette. Much like a specialist, a traditional martial arts instructor has earned a title. To maintain adequate respect between students and instructors, our instructors are referred to as ‘Sensei’, meaning teacher in Japanese. This small but traditional act of etiquette helps a community navigate clearly and grow.