Our Teachers

Technical director of  Aikido Zentrums Offenbach

• Aikido since 1995, teacher: Thorsten Schoo (6.Dan Seishinkai)
• Aikido teacher training 1995-2006
• Aikido teacher since 2006
• Founder and  technical director of the  AIKIDO Zentrums Offenbach (founded 1. February 2006)
• Born 1969, studies in BWL, physics and astronomy, PhD in astrophysics, Habilitation in experimental physics.

Gradings

1. Dan, 1998, FFAAA/Aikikai
2. Dan, 2000, AFD/Aikikai
3. Dan, 2004, AFD/Aikikai
4. Dan, 2007, Seishinkai
5. Dan, 2015, Seishinkai

Aikido vita

Markus began his Aikido practice in November 1995 with Thorsten Schoo, who was then 1. Dan Aikido and head of the Aikido Institut Frankfurt. He immediately became hooked and came to class 4-5 times per week. Early he started to accompany Schoo sensei on national and international Aikido seminars. Thorsten Schoo was a direct student of Christian Tissier from Paris, France and he weekly visited his dojo to take classes there. Frequently Markus came along to Paris to attend Tissier sensei’s classes. He also attended seminars by other teachers: Patrick Bénézi, Pascal Durchon and later Marc Bachraty to practice with them.

Regular visits to the annual summer seminars in France became a constant in every summer. Intensive practice with many advanced students from France and from the rest of Europe. In addition his own teacher, Thorsten Schoo started to organize summer seminars providing ample opportunity to fill many summers with 4 weeks of intensive Aikido-life.

His 1. Dan grading was taken in Paris in June 1998 as a member of the french Aikido association FFAAA. Two years later, in November 2000 he passed 2. Dan grading in the newly founded  Aikido Föderation Deutschland, headed by Christian Tissier Shihan. In June 2004 Tissier Shihan awarded him his 3. Dan. After the foundation of the Seishinkai Aikido Deutschland association, Markus became a member and received his 4. Dan in the summer of 2007 and recently, in August 2015 he received his 5. Dan.

In January 2006 Markus began to teach classes in addition to his own Aikido studies. He founded the Aikido Zentrum Offenbach and together with his wife Annette formed a new group of Aikido practitioners in Offenbach. Supported by his motivated students they could start to offer Aikido for kids. Some of his advanced students later founded their own dojo in Offenbach. In 2014 the Aikido Zentrum Offenbach moved into their own dojo space in the heart of Offenbach.

Chairwoman: Aikido Zentrum Offenbach e.V.
Seishinkai Aikido teacher for kids and for adults
Head of the kids classes

Vice president Seishinkai Aikido Deutschland e.V.

Study of martial arts since 1992 (Wendo, Karate), Aikido since 1997

Health practitioner, body therapist with own practice

For me, Aikido is a physical way to better get to know yourself including your limits and your possibilities. It is a way to realize my full potential – in line with O´Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido:

„The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all than you encounter.“

(Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Nr. 1)

In Aikido for Kids we allow children to find a space where they can experience physically how strong they are without belittling others. They strengthen their social competences and learn that they can only advance if they cooperate. They learn the immediate value of fairness, respect, attentiveness and other virtues.

They will profit from this integral training in their later life.

To make the valuable, integrally healthy aspects of Aikido accessible also to people who are not practicing martial arts I developed AIKI DO IN. It combines my experiences from body therapy with the japanese martial art Aikido. It can be described as meditation in mutual movement: AIKI DO IN combines the positive effects of posture and mobility practice with mindfulness mental practice. More information can be found here.

Geb. 29. Januar 1971
Diplom-Soziologin (Nebenfächer: Sozialpsychologie/Psychoanalyse, Philosophie, Statistik)
Mutter von einer Aikidoki, 9. Mon.
Beschäftigung mit den Kampfkünsten seit 2000 (Kung Fu, Thai Chi), Aikido seit 2014 (6. KYU).

Was bedeutet Aikido für mich:
Das Aikido Training gibt mir die Chance meine Seele in Einklang mit dem Klang der Schöpfung zu bringen, was sonst vielleicht noch einzig durch das Musizieren gelingen kann. Die Ruhe in der Bewegung/die Bewegung in der Ruhe gibt mir Kraft, für meine vielfältigen Aufgaben und Verantwortungen. Auch auf meine endlosen Fragen, die ich im Zusammenhang mit dem „Do“ und den „Energien“ habe, bekomme ich im Training immer wieder Antworten.

Was bedeutet es für mich im Kindertraining zu assistieren:
Ich habe als Kind und Jugendliche sehr viel Wettkampfsport gemacht (Leichtathletik, Geräteturnen, Rhythmische Sportgymnastik, Handball, Standard Formationstanz) und empfinde deshalb das Fehlen von Wettkämpfen im Aikido für die Kinder sehr positiv und wohltuend. Es ist mir eine große Freude mit den Kindern zu trainieren, ein klein wenig ihr „reines Ki“ zu lenken und sie dabei zu unterstützen, ihren Weg für ein starkes Leben zu finden. Dabei ist es mir jederzeit äußerst wichtig, die Kinder in ihrem Charakter zu respektieren und sie einfach so sein zu lassen wie und wer sie sind.