School(s) in: Essen

School Owner since: 1985

Motto:

WingTsun for me is a system where you can pull a hat out of the rabbit every day.

Why did you start with WingTsun?

Bruce Lee was the measure of all things at that time. I had already had seven years of karate and JiuJitsu at that point. Now I finally had the chance to learn the same thing he did. When I looked at WT and finally started, one ego bubble after another burst. At the time, all I thought was that it was the most awesome system on earth. Today, I know that’s true.

Why are you still doing WingTsun?

I compare WingTsun with a journey in which I am far from having reached my destination. Whenever I reach a place, I discover crossroads and paths that make me curious and that I want to explore.
 Every day I face new crossroads in persona of my students. By helping them to go their own way, I find new paths for myself.
 In this way, solutions emerge that raise further questions. Step by step I understand more of WingTsun
every day.

What was your standout WT experience?

Of course, achieving the 1st technician degree and reaching the master level was an outstanding WT event. But this is only superficial. The
discovery of the principle-oriented WingTsun, which makes procedures and forms appear in a completely different light, was the greatest experience for me. Whereas before I learned sequences and forms in order to master the techniques, now they represent the experience of pure function. With the help of my SiFus GM Kernspecht I dived and still dive further into the world of principle-oriented fighting.

What changed for you when you received the 1st HG or 5th MG?

At the 1st HG, finishing the student level and reaching the teacher level was a satisfaction of one’s ego. Reaching the master level helped me to renounce my ego for the most part; because only when you know that you know nothing, you have the chance to advance as far as possible. Only when I was a master did I understand the following Chinese proverb: “Knowledgeable is one who knows that there are still things he does not know. Ignorant is one who believes that there is nothing he does not know.”