My Grades / My Aikido Memberships

My Way

1994 I met PAUL MÜLLER at a seminar in Karlsruhe. We have been connected not only by Aikido but also by a close friendship ever since. Since then, I have attended countless seminars with him and even organized some with him. At the end of the 1990s, we organized weekly seminars in Karlsruhe and France with the support of the Franco-German Youth Office. These took place in picturesque locations, such as the village of Simiane-la-Rotonde in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or Bouloris, Antibes, on the French Riviera. The two-week seminars allowed participants to fully immerse themselves in Aikido. In France, I met Roberto Arnulfo, who, like Paul, had shaped the early days of Aikido in Europe.
Paul has also been a guest at our University dojo in Karlsruhe every year for over 20 years. We often travel together for Aikido classes in Strasbourg.

1995 I met NISHIO SENSEI in Strasbourg and attended his seminars in Strasbourg, Munich (with Adriano), and Bouloris. In 1999 I was awarded my Shodan by Nishio Sensei in Strasbourg.

One of the well-wishers was Adriano Trevisan. It was a great honor for me because he is the author of my first textbook on Aikido: "Aikido - The Comprehensive Teaching and Practice Book". This marked the completion of the circle of my Aikido journey, from the first exercises learned from the book to achieving the Shodan rank. Interestingly, "Sho" means "the beginning."

Unfortunately, Nishio visited France for the last time in the year 2000. After a long illness, he passed away on March 15, 2005, at the age of 77.
Nishio Sensei was one of the greatest Aikido masters I have ever had the honor of meeting. In addition to holding the 8th Dan in Aikido, Nishio Sensei also achieved the 8th Dan in Iaido, the 7th Dan in Karate, and the 6th Dan in Judo. He was therefore one of the most versatile martial arts experts of our time.
In the following years, Kooji Yoshida came to Strasbourg. He had previously accompanied Nishio Sensei twice as his assistant.

2003 At the wedding of Paul and Elisabeth, I met Shoko Watanabe—an Aikidoka, artist, and friend of Paul—as well as Oleg Glushko from Moscow. Currently, Oleg conducts seminars with Paul in Bouloris.

I attended a few seminars with Shoko, and in 2009 I earned my 4th Dan in Aikido at one of his seminars in Kronach. There, I met Michał Górski from Poznań, who served as a member of the examination committee. He is one of the first Nishio students in Poland.
Michał Górski & Shoko Watanabe - Kronach 2009

In 2005 together with Michael Russ from Kronach, whom I had met during Nishio seminars, I founded the NISHIO AIKIDO DEUTSCHLAND DER VERBAND. The purpose of the association is to preserve and promote Aikido and Toho Iai as taught by Nishio Sensei in its original form in Germany. I assumed the position of Vice President within the association and currently serve as the Examination Officer of the NAD. The Nishio Aikido Deutschland association is officially recognized by the Hombu Dojo in Japan.

Since 2012 I have been an officially recognized instructor at MUTOKUKAI EUROPE. Yamada Yoshimitsu Shihan serves as the technical advisor, while Malcolm Tiki Shewan and Stéphane Benedetti are the technical directors and founders of "Mutokukai Europe." Through Mutokukai Europe, I had the opportunity to meet Stéphane Benedetti and Zenon Kokowski. Zenon was one of the first Aikidokas in Poland and earned his Shodan under Nishio Sensei in Uppsala. He is currently the head of a dojo in Frankfurt am Main.

 Waldo & Stephane Benedetti

I currently hold the 5. DAN Aikido AIKIKAI TOKYO and the 2. DAN TOHO IAI awarded by Nishio Sensei. Over the years, I have had the privilege of training with renowned teachers such as Shigeho Tanaka (9th Dan), Nobuyoshi Tamura (8th Dan), Seishiro Endo (8th Dan), Katsuaki Asai (8th Dan), Christian Tissier (8th Dan), Kouchi Tanaka (7th Dan), Renato Filipin (6th Dan), Daishiro Nakajima (6th Dan), Paul Matthis (5th Dan), Ali Nasseri (5th Dan), Takashi Kuroki (5th Dan), and Markus Hell (5th Dan). I have developed close friendships with many of them, which continue to this day.

2014 I organized an Aikido-Iaido exhibition at the beautiful chocolate and tea shop "Zuckerbecker" in Karlsruhe-Südstadt.


Since 1999 I have been teaching Aikido und Toho Iai at KIT Karlsruhe. o date, I have taught approximately 1,000 students and have trained several Shodan and Nidan practitioners.
In2004 with the permission of my teachers, I established independent Aikido examinations at Karlsruhe University. Every student has the opportunity, if they wish, to take an Aikido exam or a proficiency test at the end of each semester.

My Grades

My Aikido Memberships

Currently, I am focusing on Tanto Dori (knife defense) and the connection between Aikido and SYSTEMA, an ancient Russian martial art.

Starting from the summer semester of 2020 I will be teaching Tanto Dori and Aikido fundamentals alongside Iaido in the swordsmanship course at KIT Karlsruhe.