Frank Doran

Frank Doran is an aikido teacher in the United States and was chief instructor of Aikido West in Redwood City, California from its founding in 1974 until his retirement in 2024. He was the initial instructor of the Stanford Aikido Club when it was founded by students in 1972, teaching 5 days a week. He served as chief instructor until 2008 and continues to return as a guest instructor.

He was awarded the rank of 8th dan shihan in January 2017 by Aikido Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba (grandson of aikido's founder) at the Hombu Dojo, World Aikido Headquarters in Tokyo.

As a U.S. Marine in Korea, Doran served with A Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine regiment (A-1-5). He is a former U.S. Marine Corps hand-to-hand combat instructor and police defensive tactics instructor. His martial arts training began in 1955 when he enrolled in a Judo dojo. Doran began studying aikido in 1959 while stationed at the Marine Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. In 1962, he went to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Japan to train under Koichi Tohei.

Doran, along with Robert Nadeau and Patricia Hendricks, founded the California Aikido Association (CAA) in 2002. He served as the Head of Division 2 of the CAA from 2002 to 2016.

Teaching Philosophy Doran emphasizes that Aikido is Budo—a way of life that seeks to polish the self through a blend of rigorous physical training and spiritual discipline. His classes attempting to balance effective technique with the ethical and philosophical aspects of Aikido. As an internationally recognized teacher, he has been a frequent guest instructor at training seminars throughout the United States and abroad.