Anshinkan Dojo

Testimonials

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending and participating in a class at the Anshinkan Dojo in Madison Heights
and began training the early part of 2019. My first impression was how friendly the folks were when they greeted me.
The Anshinkan dojo is one of those rare jewels in the martial arts community that exemplifies substance over image.
This dojo lies quietly in the suburbs of metro-Detroit, but is bursting with knowledge, spirituality, humanism, and,
martial arts technique. Under the instruction, motivation, patience, and guidance of Sensei Schoon, and his higher
ranking students, the classes teach how the subtle intricacies of the Aikido style martial arts manifest themselves to
provide a viable and completely effective usefulness that transmits to the real world. With 45+ years - on and off - of
many types of Martial Arts and Self-Defense training under my belt - no pun intended - this school rates as absolutely
one of the best.
I recommend that anyone interested in studying the martial arts make an appointment to observe how effective
Aikido and Sensei Schoon's instruction are.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I recently joined the Anshinkan Dojo and I have already learned that Sensei Marcus Schoon, a highly skilled and most patient Martial Arts Instructor, will make you the best you can be. As he challenges and inspires, you will find he enjoys teaching as much as you do learning. I feel so comfortable and welcome. I highly recommend the Anshinkan Dojo.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I have been taking the Yang Family Tai Chi classes at Anshinkan Dojo for nearly a year and a half and I enjoy training here very much! Sensei Marcus Schoon is an excellent teacher. He brings a lot of in-depth knowledge, skill and experience to everything he teaches – whether it be Tai Chi, Aikido or Kenpo. His professional and even-keeled demeanor is also very much appreciated. And, everyone around the dojo is very friendly, helpful and respectful. I highly recommend this place and am very thankful to have found it!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My 9 year old son has some emotional and behavioral issues and Sensei Marcus (and the rest of the team) are great with him. He's learning so much about harmony and discipline in a fun and engaging way. He LOVES his Aikido time and I love watching him excitedly learn and grow! I encourage anyone interested in martial arts for their children, or themselves, to come down to the dojo and see for yourself! ♥

My daughter Olivia began studying Anshinkan Aikido in 2012 with Sensei Schoon when she was 8 years old. I had been looking for a martial art that promoted discipline and respect as well as being good exercise and of course help grow self-confidence with a practical self-defense program. The school certainly hits all those points while maintaining a good balance of fun learning. My second daughter Mia also now attends and I am proud that they both look forward to each lesson with enthusiasm. The program is structured to really encourage participation and to help each other while still giving individualized attention.

Both of my children also take dance and gymnastics classes which are supplemented by Aikido's focus on coordination, balance and flexibility. I highly recommend Anshinkan Aikido to any family looking to encourage their children to learn a martial art that has so many real life benefits.

I’ve wanted to learn Tai Chi for years, but was unable to find a Sifu who had affiliations with a “proper” lineage that taught the authentic Martial Art as opposed to the aerobic movements often seen being taught by people with no qualifications/traceable lineage. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sifu Schoon was a registered instructor of the Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan. I watched one class being taught and knew I had to give this a try! Not only am I learning authentic Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan, but I am also learning meditation, mindfulness, letting go, and relaxation. Sifu Schoon has separate classes for Tai Chi Forms, Push-Hands, and Tai Chi Weapons. He’s a patient teacher to ensure all students get help whenever needed. My wife and I are taking the Tai Chi classes together and we are enjoying the workouts.

I was searching for the right school for my 5 and 7 year-olds to start training. I wanted a school that had a true lineage and steeped in tradition. I learned Anshinkan Dojo opened close to home and was offering a variety of Martial Arts from China and Japan. I made contact with Sensei Schoon and was invited to bring my sons in for a free class to try things out. What impressed me the most was Sensei Schoon’s patience with the children. He understood the boys needed to adjust to the dojo environment, mannerisms, and vernacular. He also does a great job of encouraging them to push outside their comfort zones, and cleverly disguises techniques in a series of fun games/activites. The enthusiasm my sons have towards being active and progressing in the art of Aikido is due to Sensei Schoon’s teaching methods. It has also brought them closer as siblings and I cannot place a high enough value on that.

My son and I have studied Yoshinkan Aikido continuously under Schoon Sensei since December of 2010 at the Anshinkan dojo in Madison Heights, Michigan. When we joined the youth class my son was 10 years old and we have since progressed to the adult classes.

Although I have a background in a different martial art, I was focused on selecting a non-violent, non-combative art for my young son to begin with. I am pleased to say that after over four plus years of training in Aikido, I am very satisfied.

When we were in the youth classes the pace and tempo was appropriate for pre-teen and young teen students. The classes were a mix of basic movements and techniques. Many of the drills were done with an age appropriate methodology and every youth class ended with an aikido based physical game that all the students found fun. My son liked attending the classes and as a parent I liked the positive environment of the dojo.

The skills and techniques that my son learned at Anshinkan dojo were effective and not "watered down" as my son was able to effectively apply the technique on a training partner that was significantly bigger than he was at the time (often times me). Although the training pace was slower in the youth class the content is the same as the adult class.

As an adult student, I find the classes both mentally stimulating as well as physically challenging. The learning process is not "hard" (as if running a marathon) but more challenging in that you are training your body in a new way of moving, while remaining connected and blending with your opponent.

Each class starts with a brief, minute or two presentation and discussion of an aikido or martial topic followed by a thorough warm up and stretching routine with basic movements. From my perspective, just this beginning portion of the class helps me tremendously as in my day to day world I don't prioritize stretching as much as I should.

As techniques are learned and practiced they will be performed on a training partner. As a student you practice both performing as well as receiving the technique. This dual approach significantly accelerates the learning process.

Additionally, both when learning new techniques as well as when working on the details of known techniques the students (both new and senior) are treated with respect when in the dojo not only from the staff but from the other students.

When Schoon Sensei teaches the class, I am comfortable in his teaching style as the moves and techniques come naturally to him, you can tell that he has spent many hours/years practicing his art. His movements are fluid and smooth and an inspiration of what Aikido should look like.

Although the curriculum is occasionally challenging as more difficult concepts are introduced, Schoon Sensei teaches with encouragement and positive reinforcement. He challenges his students to excel both on and off the mat while learning Aikido.

I fully recommend Schoon Sensei’s Aikido program at the Anshinkan dojo for all level of students.

An old Japanese samurai saying is “from cup to cup” meaning that knowledge is passed on from teacher to student like tea is poured from the cup of the master into the cup of the disciple. The master does not add cream and sugar to the tea before he passes it on, meaning the teacher does not dilute, modify, or add anything to the knowledge he is passing on; it is taught exactly as the master learned it from his or her master. Likewise the student must come with an empty cup in order to receive the tea. If the student’s cup is already full it serves no purpose other than to store what is already in it, but if empty, it can receive whatever the master gives. The meaning of this is that the student should not have a mind full of preconceived ideas which shut out the lesson, but should receive the teaching “as is”.

This direct “cup to cup” link to the traditional martial arts is emphasized at the Anshinkan where you can be sure you are receiving an authentic traditional martial education. Sensei Marcus Schoon, is “close to the source” in all three of his styles: his Kenpo training was under Master Ed Parker personally, his Tai Chi instructor was a personal student of the 4th grand master, and his aikido training was under Kevin Blok Hanshi who received training directly under Yoshinkai founder Soke Gozo Shioda.

However, do not be intimidated by Sensei Schoon’s impressive resume! The Anshinkan is a very good dojo for the beginner. Most of the adult students at the Anshinkan had no prior martial training before joining. Personally, I was already… uh “older” when I began my training in aikido. The more I learn the more I wish I had begun martial training in childhood because so much of what I have learned would have been very helpful in growing up. Many of aikido’s “teachings” deal with issues of personal growth and strengthening such as increasing self-confidence, creating your own self-identity, and finding a basis for self-esteem without the need for getting the approval, or avoiding the disapproval, of others.

I encourage all parents to consider martial training as something they should do together with their children. First off, if you are looking for a way to spend “quality time” with your kids, this is it! Beyond that, the “culture” in the dojo is that you and your child will both be students, and therefore “peers”, rather than the typical parent/child dynamic; thus your relationship can be deepened and broadened.

Children and adults alike will be challenged in unexpected ways!

I've been training for over 20 years. I've practiced karate, aikido and iaido for most of that time, enjoyed all of them thoroughly and benefited a great deal in many ways from my practice and, as an active practitioner of iaido, still do. For most of this time Tai ji was something I was aware of and always wanted to try, but avoided because I didn't want to get sucked into something new-agey. Finally, after seeing a demonstration of the Yang style at Anshinkan this summer, I decided it was time. Although I've only been doing it a short time, I've become very impressed with Tai ji. It's far more than just a form of low-impact conditioning or moving meditation (though it is a superb form of both of those things to be sure). It is also a deep and incredibly effective martial art that embraces and includes all three core areas of striking, grappling, and weaponry. It's an intriguing martial practice that is challenging in all the best ways, and its benefits carry through to the rest of my martial practice. I look forward to continuing in Taiji for a long time to come.

As a life-long martial artist myself I can think of few better martial arts for children to learn than aikido. Unlike other martial arts, in aikido kids learn skills that apply very widely, like how to fall safely. Not every child gets into fights but they absolutely all fall down from time to time! Aikido is also good in that it provides all the discipline and other social benefits of martial arts training without being competitive. There are no dangerous (and costly) tournaments. Instead of emphasizing techniques that are measured in terms of power and damage, aikido emphasizes conflict resolution through awareness and self-control. Understanding and redirection of the aggressive intent of others where it can do no harm to anyone--including the attacker--is the goal. Because of this aikido gives children an incredibly important lesson at an early age: that understanding and discipline can overcome violence and aggression.

When my own kids wanted to start training it was an easy choice. Three years in, they're still having fun and learning a lot. I'm glad they chose aikido.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________