Virginia Aikikai is affiliated with the Hombu Dojo through the Midwest Aikido Federation founded by Akira Tohei. Akira Tohei had started his aikido training under his cousin Koichi Tohei right after World War II, at which time students must have already mastered another martial art. Aikido was considered a finishing school for martial artists. He began training under O'Sensei in 1956. From this experience, Tohei taught Aikido that works against any form of martial art, which philosophy is continued by Virginia Aikikai.

His style of aikido reflects that time period. In 1972, the founder sent him to Illinois to head the Illinois Aikido Club and he then founded the Chicago Aikido Center in 1975. As Tohei Sensei quickly absorbed more aikido dojos, he founded the Midwest Aikido Federation in 1977.

Patrick Crosby began studying under Akira Tohei in 1977 and founded Virginia Aikikai when he moved to the Tidewater area of Virginia in 1993. As the senior student of Akira Tohei he became a shidoin of MAF in 2001. Pat stressed the importance of building on a good foundation in aikido. He returned to Chicago in 2011 and occasionally returned to teach in his old dojo. Mr. Crosby has made many trips to Japan to train in the Hombu dojo.

Richard Killblane (Nodan) became the instructor of Virginia Aikikai in 2011. Rich, former Airborne Ranger/Special Forces, practiced several martial arts prior to Aikido, starting with boxing and wrestling in high school, and Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido in college. His military combatives training also introduced him to other martial arts such as Judo and Jujitsu. Older and seeking a more refined martial art, he discovered Aikido in 1996 and recognized it's potential. He trained in a number of schools until finally becoming a student of Pat Crosby in 2003 when Virginia Aikikai merged with Tidewater Aikikai. Currently, he trains under Jim Baker's Aikido of Norfolk. Under Rich, the ultimate goal of aikido is for it to work against other martial arts. For him, aikido really is a finishing school for martial arts.

Daniel Akers began studying aikido under Richard Killblane in 2013. He also practices kenjutsu and iado. In addition to teaching and assisting, Daniel travels to MAF seminars and often attends summer camp.