Michael Schroden

Aikido teacher, 4th Dan Aikido

Born in 1975 in Gerolstein in the Eifel region, I moved to Cologne at the age of 16 and began my training with a large telecommunications company. Since then, I have worked in several positions there and am now a BID manager.

I started karate at the age of 15. After moving to Cologne, I trained in kickboxing for several years and Wing Chun for a few years. In 2006, I completed a trial training programme with Dirk Kropp and have been training in his dojo ever since. In May 2016, I started training to become an aikido instructor and successfully completed this in 2021 after 5 ½ years and 2210 hours on the mat.

I continue to practise in Cologne with Dirk Kropp, but also gain experience in other dojos in Europe and Japan and continue to follow the path of Budo intensively.

What fascinates me about Aikido is that, as a martial art, it offers a platform for personal development, promotes a healthy physique and therefore enriches my life enormously, both physically and mentally.

For me, Aikido is a way of life that is not only practised on the mat.

Since July 2024 I have been teaching in Hennef in the premises of the Hennefer Turnverein.