Instructors

Philippe Wyffels

Philippe Wyffels (dojo-cho)

Philippe Wyffels Sensei is the chief instructor for Aikido of Salt Lake. He has trained in Aikido for more than 30 years. A native of Brussels, Belgium, Philippe Sensei began his training in Brazil under Roberto Maruyama Sensei (7th dan) of the Maruyama Institute of Aikido.

Philippe Sensei came to Utah as a shodan (1st degree black belt) in 1999. He received his nidan (2nd degree) and sandan (3rd degree) rank advancements in Salt Lake City from Masayuki Yamane Shihan (7th dan) of Sakura Aikikai  (Sakura City, Chiba-ken, Japan). In 2016, he was awarded his yondan (4th dan) from Roberto Nobuhiko Maruyama Sensei of São Paulo, Brazil.

Gerry Carpenter

Gerry Carpenter

Gerry Carpenter began training at Salt Lake Aikikai in 2009. He was awarded his shodan (1st dan) by Masayuki Yamane Shihan (7th dan) of Sakura Aikikai (Sakura City, Chiba-ken, Japan) in Japan in May 2014. He received his nidan (2nd dan) in 2016 and his sandan (3rd dan) in 2019 — both from Roberto Maruyama Sensei of the Maruyama Institute of Aikido of São Paulo, Brazil.

Steph Beller

Steph Beller

Steph Beller is an assistant instructor at Aikido of Salt Lake. Originally from Switzerland, she began training with Philippe Sensei and Gerry Sensei in 2016. She was awarded her shodan (1st dan) in Salt Lake City in February 2022 through the Maruyama Institute of Aikido.

Jeannette Rodriguez

Jeannette Rodriguez

Jeannette Rodriguez is an assistant instructor at Aikido of Salt Lake. She has been practicing martial arts since the year 2000, including Tai Chi, Aikido, Jiujitsu and Judo.  She began training with Aikido of Salt Lake in 2018 and received the rank of shodan (1st dan) in 2022.