The beginnings in Paris I started to practice Aikido in 1976 in Fontenay-Sous-Bois under the direction of Max Mazzone. This was long before the cleavage between the two federations; Aikido was indeed still under the thumb of the Judo federation. The dojo was a bit rough, in winter we had to scrape off the frost from the windows. The cold temperature and humidity used to freeze the mats. I kind of liked it because it reminded me of the old Samurai stories. I got promoted to Shodan about three years later, which is where I started to think about the real purpose of Aikido. Christian Tissier's Martial Arts Circle had just opened so I went there to pursue my training. I practiced over there for 12 years even though I still went to my old dojo in order to enjoy the peculiar atmosphere and to see my friends that were still there. Following Max Mazzone's advice, I passed my Sport Education qualification and I started to teach within works council of companies such as IBM and Air France. A few years later, I went for my sandan in Paris at same time as Micheline Tissier. I did my first trip to Japan in 1986... first time at the Hombu Dojo... magic! I visited Tokyo, Kamakura, Kyoto and Hiroshima. This was my very first contact with Asia.