Sensei Lamar Sanders is 5th Dan, and studied Aikido in Atlanta, Georgia from 1972 to 1979 with Sensei Rodney Grantham, who was one of the first to teach Aikido in the Southeast. Sensei Sanders studied Aikido in Washington, DC from 1979 to 1984 under Sensei Clyde Takeguchi and Sensei Gordon Sakemoto. From 1984 t0 the COVID epiDemic, he taught Aikido at the Harbison Recreation Center in Columbia, South Carolina. He now teaches at the TriCity Leisure Center of West Columbia.
Sensei Sanders and the school are members of the United States Aikido Federation (USAF) , founded by Sensei Yoshimitsu Yamada from Japan. The USAF is one of the first Aikido organizations established in the United States. It is affiliated with the Founder Morihei Uyeshiba's school in Japan, which issues all black belt certificates for the USAF.
Other than applying Aikido to American-style attacks and making modifications for use in law enforcement, Sensei Sanders teaches the traditional Aikido techniques developed by Morihei Uyeshiba.
Sensei Sanders and members of the Columbia Police Department and Lexington County Sheriff's department have developed effective Aikido techniques for law enforcement. In particular, the Aikido Sankyo wrist lock implemented for searching and handcuffing prevents escalation to any kind of violent reaction.
The Sensei has a degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech. He was a hydrologist for the U. S. Geological Survey for 43 years before retiring in 2003. He was a hydraulic engineer with the South Carolina Department of Transportation before retiring in 2009.