At the age of twelve, shortly after I had begun European fencing, I was introduced to Judo. Later, I studied Thai boxing and Linglom under S.Subastopong, and then Kendo, Karate and Aikido; the latter I studied throughout college under Sensei Asai from Düsseldorf. During this time I was also trained in stage combat and stage fencing at the Acting Academy in Bochum. In Berlin I studied classical Shaolin Kung Fu at the Kung Fu Academy. In Innsbruck and in Berkeley, I studied Wing Chung (Loin Ting style). As a professional actor changing my residence every other year, I found it difficult to keep practicing most of the martial arts I had studied - styles were not necessarily offered in each city in which I lived. So, I started to look for a martial art to practice that was as original, as pure as possible; a martial art that required a non-violent attitude from its practitioners; a martial art wherein little equipment was required; and most importantly, one that I could practice on my own, a martial art that required no partner. I found and began to study Iaido in Berlin under Gerald Eisenack Sensei. Philippe Sabatier Sensei became my teacher soon after.
Since the retirement of Sabatier sensei from Iaido I have become a student of his teacher , Seigan Esaka Sensei, in Tokyo, where all my Iaido examinations took place. I currently teach Iaido in Berkeley and in San Francisco. * Nanadan = 7th degree, ZNIR = Zen Nihon Iaido Renmei, (All Japanese Iaido Federation).
