Didi Goodman
Preferred Title: Master Began training: Styles/Arts: Cuong Nhu -Shichidan Hall of Fame Award: 2016 - 30+ years 2026 - 50 years Other Awards: Location: Berkeley, CA Dojo: Cuong Nu Redwood Dojo, Rohai Dojo Website: wordpress.com/ | Biography:
Master Didi Goodman began her martial arts training in college in 1976, in a student-run Taekwondo class. She then trained under women’s martial arts pioneer Pauline Short at Karate for Women in Portland, Oregon, before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area and continuing in Taekwondo. In 1986, she joined the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists, and through PAWMA Camp was inspired to study Aikido, then Cuong Nhu, which later became her full-time practice. Master Didi Goodman holds the rank of Hachidan in Cuong Nhu, a Vietnamese eclectic style that blends “hard” and “soft.” She founded Redwood Dojo in Oakland, California, in 1992, and now serves as co-head instructor at Rohai Dojo in Berkeley, with Grandmaster John Burns. She has taught many hundreds of children, teens and adults. A writer, editor, and poet, Master Goodman has written on martial arts topics for books, newsletters and blogs. She is the author of The Kids’ Karate Workbook: A Take-Home Training Guide for Young Martial Artists, from North Atlantic/Blue Snake books, in addition to two volumes of poetry. In 2014, she was inducted into the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors Hall of Fame for 30+ years of training. She served on the AWMAI Board of Directors from 2017 to 2023. Her greatest joys in the martial arts are the creativity afforded by the breadth and depth of the Cuong Nhu style, and the satisfaction of seeing students of all ages grow into their own strength and accomplishment as martial artists. Photo by Tih Penfil |
