School(s) in: Münster, Osnabrück, Damme, Melle, Lengerich, Rheine

School Owner since: 1993

Motto:

WingTsun is for me the wonderful feeling as a teacher to help other people to become safer, fitter, more confident.

Why did you start with WingTsun?

Since I was intensively and successfully involved in competitive sports between the ages of ten and 18, I have always been a fighter. But even at the age of 21, I was still an absolute flyweight with a body weight of 65 kg and a height of 1.82 meters. In this day and age, where the law of the strongest applies, I was definitely in the victim role.
So at the age of 21 I started to train JuJutsu in
the police sports club and after two years of training I came to WingTsun through my teacher at that time.
Here I dived into the – for me still – fascinating world of our martial art and decided after only one year of training to become a WingTsun instructor. From then on I knew that one day I would be a full-time WingTsun instructor.
 After another year I opened my first WT school in 1993 with the 10th student degree and gave lessons twice a week in addition to my own daily training.
 This increased my self-confidence enormously and in terms of self-defense I now felt absolutely safe.

Why are you still doing WingTsun?

The enthusiasm to teach students and pass on my knowledge grew in me. So I opened four more schools within the next three years. For several years, I taught myself in five locations, in addition to my own WT training and, at that time, in addition to my job as an electrician.
The logical step into self-employment followed in 1998. From then on I was a full-time WingTsun teacher and a childhood dream came true. Today I am a teacher with body and soul. The daily joy of teaching and learning is still unbroken and I am looking forward to the next 25 years with my WingTsun family.
 In the meantime I have a strong and constantly growing team of instructors with chief instructors who are part-time or even full-time WT instructors. That obliges.

What was your standout WT experience?

An outstanding event for me was then in January 2002 my appointment by Grandmaster Kernspecht as Sifu of WingTsun.
This recognition as a worthy representative of the EWTO and qualified WingTsun teacher means a lot to me. I am convinced that without an intimate, family-like relationship of trust between teacher and student, our art can neither be learned nor taught.
 Just recently, a master friend wrote, “There is no respect or loyalty anymore.” I disagree. We as Sifu exemplify these very values and others. And when I look back and see that many students have been training with me for 10, 15 years and some even 20 years, then I know that I am on the right track as a Sifu. That I can inspire people again and again and experience their progress is a great joy for me.
All this I owe to my great role model and SiFu Prof. Kernspecht, who always stood by me with word and deed and was able to inspire me like no other always anew.

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

If I was then a junior teacher on the way to becoming a master as the first HG, I am now a junior master on the way to becoming a Grandmaster with the 5th MG.

While as an aspiring 1st HG I saw the focus of my teaching in practical self-defense, the path to the actual martial art opened up when I passed my 1st HG. Learning and studying the BiuDjie and Wooden Puppet forms with their applications and higher strategies of dueling is a constant challenge that will certainly never end. This also applies to the implementation in everyday life.

Now as a junior master, I feel I am a safe, confident and experienced teacher with now 23 years of teaching experience. As a constant learner, my SiFu is now opening the way for me to the innermost part of our martial art. What I can say so far is that this stage will be no less exciting and fascinating than the others before. I am very happy to face this new challenge.