Meet Your Instructors
A 9th Dan with 57 years of training leads every program, backed by a Master Instructor with 20+ years of his own. That’s not a marketing line — it’s the reason our students learn faster, fall safer and stick with it longer.
Kaicho Pete Nappier: 57 Years on the Mat
“Kaicho” (会長) means head of the organization, the senior instructor a dojo is built around. Pete Nappier has earned that title the only way it can be earned: by training continuously for 57 years and holding the rank of 9th Dan (kudan) in Aiki Budo.
Kaicho’s teaching blends the traditional Japanese methods he was raised in with modern instruction that works for today’s kids and adults. He is known around Hickory for his patience with young and neurodivergent students, his no-nonsense adult classes, and a weapons curriculum; bokken, jo and tanto; that few dojos in North Carolina can match.
Beyond the dojo, Kaicho is a U.S. military veteran and an advocate for conflict de-escalation, speaking locally on how Aikido principles can defuse confrontations before they turn physical. His philosophy is simple: develop confidence, character and practical self-defense without unnecessary violence.
- 9th Dan, Aiki Budo
- 57 years of continuous martial arts training and teaching
- Founder, AikiDojo of Hickory / Samurai Institute LLC
- Specialties: Aikido, Aiki Budo, Japanese weapons, de-escalation, youth development
- U.S. military veteran
Tony Robinson: Assistant Kaicho
Assistant Kaicho Tony Robinson brings more than 20 years of martial arts experience to the mat at AikiDojo of Hickory; a Master Instructor, martial arts educator and life coach who leads adult, teen and weapons training alongside Kaicho Nappier.
Tony holds the rank of 5th Degree Master in Tigershark Hapkido and 2nd Degree in Tigershark Jujitsu, and earned his Shodan (black belt) in Aiki Budo. That cross-training shows in his teaching: he sees a technique from more than one angle and can break a complex throw or lock into pieces a first-week adult can actually use.
Off the mat, Tony holds a B.S. in Psychology & Human Services and an M.A. in Human Services Counseling & Life Coaching. It is why parents of anxious or high-energy kids, and adults working through their own stress, find him such a steady presence; the discipline and confidence he builds in students is grounded in real training in how people grow.
- 20+ years of martial arts experience
- 5th Degree Master — Tigershark Hapkido
- 2nd Degree — Tigershark Jujitsu
- Shodan — Aiki Budo
- B.S. Psychology & Human Services · M.A. Human Services Counseling & Life Coaching
- Master Instructor · Martial Arts Educator · Life Coach
“Train the body. Strengthen the mind. Build the character.”
Ask Tony about the weapons program — he trains and teaches alongside Kaicho in the Friday night Advanced Weapons Class.
Why Experience Matters When You Choose a Martial Arts Instructor
Safety Comes From Skill
Teaching a child to fall without injury is a skill that takes decades to master. Our students learn ukemi (falling) before they learn anything else.
Small Corrections, Big Results
A 9th Dan sees the half-inch of foot placement that separates a technique that works from one that doesn’t, and fixes it in seconds.
Every Student, Every Class
Kaicho and Tony are on the mat in person. No franchise curriculum, no video instruction, no rotating part-time staff.
Train With a 9th Dan. Your First Week Is Free.
Come meet Kaicho Nappier and Tony in person. Pick a class, show up, and see what 57 years of experience feels like from the inside.
Hickory, NC
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