Meet Philippe Orban, 6th dan Aikikai and very close student of Christian Tissier for many years. Although he could have stayed in the comfort of teaching regular classes at the Cercle Tissier in Vincennes, Philippe decided to move abroad and open a dojo in Leipzig (Germany), almost ten years ago. In this interview, he kindly agreed to share his experience with us and to explain his conception of Aikido and how it fits in the way it is being practiced on the other side of the Rhine.

Guillaume Erard: How did you discover Aikido?

Philippe Orban: I discovered Aikido for the first time on TV with a very short demonstration; I must have been about 15 years old. It pushed me to try to learn more on the subject and I discovered the very famous documentary by Michel Random "l'esprit du Budo", fantastic! Every Wednesday afternoon, I used to go to the library and watch it. I probably saw it over 30 times. I eventually started practicing Aikido when I was 18, in "Terminale" [final year of high school, before the A level] and it led me to quit the boarding school.

Please click here to read the full Interview with Philippe Orban