I have been learning WT since 1993 – 11 years so far. I started with a training contract to Trainer 2 level and spent 4 years in Heidelberg under the direct instruction of Sifu Andreas Gross, Sifu Heinrich Pfaff and Sifu Bernd Wagner. Since 1998 I have also trained regularly at the Berlin school headed by Sifu Peter Vilimek.
What particularly fascinates me about WingTsun is its philosophical concept, its transferability to other areas of life and the improved quality of life that WT gives to women. One of my favourite pastimes is to go on cycling holidays in far-away countries on my own. I have been in Mexico, Sicily, India, Nepal and Norway – just to name a few. Travelling alone is not without its problems for a woman. WT has helped me out on several occasions during direct confrontations with less than hospitable locals – for example, I did not find it at all funny when five Indian yobs tried to dismantle my tent in the middle of the night. A Lap-Sao/Punch sorted the matter out much more quickly than my rudimentary grasp of Hindustani. In addition, the philosophical side of WT, and specifically the Taoist aspect, helps me to carry out my journeys the way I do (be spontaneous, adapt, make use of opportunities, limit planning to the minimum ...) and to withstand the mental and physical stresses of cycling through the mountains. In technical terms I am gradually becoming more familiar with Biu-Tze Chi-Sao – what fascinates me here is the cleverness and precision of the movements, and though it may sound strange, the sheer cheek of waiting until the last moment before responding, but then all the more effectively.

In February 2005 we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of our school in Brandenburg. It is almost 10 years ago that I welcomed my first group in a gymnasium near Brandenburg cathedral together with my brother Ingo (1st TG WT). At the time I held the 6th student grade and was still training at Langenzell Castle.

I was born in Brandenburg / Havel, and therefore have a special connection with this place. I admit that it not exactly one of the most attractive places in the region, but it has its attractions, especially in the summer (lots of water and forest). So at the time I thought I would give it a try, though initially it was not my aim to start a school in Brandenburg. In 1993 the concession for Brandenburg had already been given to two other students, but when they emigrated to Thailand the way was suddenly clear. So I followed the first fighting principle and took the opportunity.
Even at the risk of singing the old song about the ”poor, deprived eastern half of Germany“, I have to say that the local infrastructure is really bad. Since we started our school, around 15 000 people have left the town because they saw no future for themselves here. That’s almost 20% of the total population! What’s more, they belong to our primary target group, i.e. young, active people who are performance and success-oriented. We currently have approx. 24% unemployment in the town, and this is clearly reflected in its appearance.

Unfortunately the student numbers in our school are declining heavily, and the same is happening in the other martial arts schools here. People are quite simply tightening their belts. At present we have approx. 15 regular students. We are also involved in various schooling and youth work projects which are aimed at integrating immigrants, and we also offer courses at the adult training college. On the other hand, it has proved difficult to persuade the people participating in these projects (especially children and newcomers to the town) to join our school as students.

Despite all the economic and structural difficulties, we do our best to make people enthusiastic about WingTsun with regular advertising.
A website is currently being developed. For a long time we placed advertisements in the local newspapers, but the response was poor. We leave the official colour brochures produced by the EWTO in cinemas, discos, cafés, tourist information points, copy shops etc. We have also given a large part of our WT literature to the city library as a donation, which produced a certain amount of feedback. We also carry out several public presentations each year. For occasional mailshots we cooperate with a local organiser of youth festivals, with whom we produce, print and distribute flyers.
We obtain the best response from short-term projects (e.g. project days with young people). All in all the results of our advertising efforts have been depressing however – we have often covered the entire city with official EWTO posters and run advertising campaigns together with the WT school in Rathenow – with no response. Then again, there have been cases where we were approached about campaigns or advertisements which we carried out years ago. Completely unpredictable.

How do I structure my classes?
I normally follow the classic structure: forms, basic techniques, Chi-Sao, Lat-Sao, Blitz-Defence. I still benefit greatly from my training at the Castle where the content is concerned. Otherwise I obtain lots of ideas from my Si-Hing Georgios (3rd TG WT). At present I am working on the Bong-Sao with my students. At the end of each session I have them do one of two exercises: either I organise some martial arts specific circuit training which they absolve twice (approx. 10 minutes), or I have them form a circle with one student in the centre who is confronted with various Blitzdefence programmes. This subjects the students to more realistic stress and gives them an impression of their actual skill levels. Twice a week one my students (Thomas, 12th SG WT) organises additional training sessions aimed at endurance, focus-mitt work and contact.

My personal goals are to continue developing my Biu-Tze Chi-Sao skills – and I think the Wooden Dummy will also give me a great deal: better and more stable positions. I am sure I can benefit from this as a not particularly strong woman. I am looking forward to it. Oh yes, and to finally complete my 2nd TG dissertation and send it off. I passed the practical examination almost one year ago, after all (sackcloth and ashes!).