About Moe

Maurice ” Moe” Stevens

About the time I started college my father, Merritt Stevens, Jr., started studying judo with my uncle William Travis “Pete” Stevens and Sensei Jim Lenain at the Springfield, Ohio YMCA. During the summer of 1966 I started studying with them. I continued my study with Everett Witty at the Richmond, Indiana YMCA while at college and with my father and Sensei Lenainin the summer, earning a shodan in judo from my father in 1968. Around that same time my father became interested in Tomiki aikido.

He chose to study with Karl Geis from Houston, Texas, eventually earning a godan through him. I became a high school English teacher and coached football, wrestling and track upon graduation in 1971. I continued studying when I could during the school year and intensely during the summer breaks. My father would attend the seminar held by Sensei Geis during the winter and summers. I could attend the summer sessions. I earned a sandan through Karl and Lynn Geis. We later joined the Japanese Aikido Association(JAA) through the clubs in Chicago under Bob Dzubla and Tom Manfredi.

Upon his retirement, my father became employed by the state of Ohio to teach unarmed self defense at the Ohio Police Officer’s Training Academy and later by the Ohio Corrections Department. During this time many of his students helped him to refine the system he created based on aikido techniques. These students included, Moe Stevens, Carol Apple, Steve Wood, Mickey Pozner, Dan Chambers, Tim Jones, Scott Calderhead, Mickey Gelum, and others. Shortly before my father died of cancer in 1989, he tested me for yondan. This test was the most grueling test I have ever taken. I was uke for two other dan tests that day and then, using Tim Jones as an uke, we preformed ALL of the kata(250 plus techniques of Ichi no kata through Roku no kata) we had learned through Sensei Geis , my father and Lee Ah Loi. This was not the typical yondan test, but my father knew he was dying and wanted to validate my ability and knowledge as the leader of the organization he was leaving behind.

With encouragement from the other leaders of the Ohio aikido clubs my father founded I eventually accepted this role and in 1990 competed with Sensei Steve Wood as an uke in the first international “Tomiki Aikido Friendship Festival” in Nara, Japan. My father was awarded a rokudan and given a posthumous award for his achievements in aikido. As a result of many areas of America coming together for one event, Bob Dzubla and Seiji Tanaka formed the JAA/USA and in 1991 the first biannual JAA/USA National tournament was held in Denver. I had the privilege of being the first President of this organization. At that tournament I tested for and was awarded the rank of sandan. The Japanese only recognized two ranks below my father’s rank when he awarded them. They wanted me to test for sandan again in front of Japanese judges.
During the first international Tomiki tournament in the USA held in Vandalia, Ohio(1995) hosted by Sensei Carol Apple, I tested for and was awarded the rank of yondan by Nariyama shihan, Shishida shihan, co-technical directors of the JAA, and Tanaka sensei . In 1997 during the National Tournament held at USC , I tested for and was awarded the rank of godan by Sensei Tanaka, Nariyama shihan and Shishida shihan, both co-technical directors of the JAA. In 2006 I earned the rank of rokudan at the national tournament held at Vassar College in New York BY Sensei Tanaka, Sensei Bob Dzubla, both founders of the JAA/USA and Sensei Dave Nettles, technical director and president of the JAA/USA.

During this entire time I was also studying other martial arts and earned rank in shido muso ryu by Carl Geis, shin gi tai jiu jitsu by John Saylor, and kachido aikijitsu by Tom Manson. From 1971 to my retirement in 2001 I taught high school English and coached football wrestling and track along the way. Currently I am teaching akikdo, jiu jitsu, and wrestling in my home dojo, The Mojo, in central Ohio. It is housed in a 2112 sq ft completely matted, climate controlled area of a 3169 sq ft barn on our property.