Taught in: Berlin-Mitte with DaiSifu Uwe Kopplin

Motto:

Wing Tsun is not only a martial art, but an attitude towards life. It has been part of my life for years, shapes my personality and has taught me to always find my inner center.

Why did you start with WingTsun?

Before my WT time I already trained other sports. Since the first WT trial lesson, I was convinced of the ingenuity and structure of the principles. It has always fascinated me how little effort can make a great force surmountable.

Escrima seems to be the perfect complement, as I can learn here with a weapon system in combination. I learn to better estimate the handling of distances, which ultimately makes it easier for me to move more safely within various distances without weapons. It also trains the optics so that movement sequences can be better recognized and anticipated.

Why are you still doing WingTsun?

At the beginning of my WT career, reaching the 1st HG was almost unimaginable and at first seemed hardly achievable for me. My pride and ambition were awakened after I passed the first1. HG. The first step on my way to the master had been taken. There was no other way for me but to take the stairs upwards, to go even further and higher. Since 2014 I am a proud master; however, my development journey is not over and will continue excitingly in the future.
 When I’m not in training, there’s just something missing. It hasn’t lost a bit of its fascination all these years. On the contrary, I have the feeling that the further I get, the more possibilities and insights open up to me. It’s simply fun and exciting to see where the system and I myself will develop.

What was your standout WT experience?

Over the years and from all the experiences I had, three events in particular have stuck with me: The first Grandmaster course with Leung Ting and René Latosa, respectively. It fascinated me as a student how the grandmasters interpreted the system and moved. It awakened my ambition to interpret this knowledge in my own way.

My appointment as Sifu was once again a great leap forward and filled me with pride. In the truest sense I felt excellent, empowered to teach with quality and responsibility. In addition, it enriches my experience and understanding once again as a teacher.

As something very special remained in my memory the 25th anniversary celebration of the EWTO …
The meeting of different martial arts in such a large scale had been an absolute highlight; to observe how masters of WT and also strangers to the system can act, communicate and interpret movements in the most diverse ways.
 The extraordinary atmosphere was created on the one hand by the extent of the course and on the other hand by the feeling of belonging to a big family; of being a like-minded person.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank SiGung Kernspecht and my SiFu Uwe Kopplin for accompanying me on my way and I look forward to what I hope will be a long time to come.