I held a Dan grade in Judo in the former GDR, but for me my martial art primarily revolved around tournaments. Self-defence aspects only became gradually more significant to me. At the time I thought that martial sport and self-defence were one and the same thing. After training for a number of years I realised that Judo is of only limited use for self-defence.
Accordingly I changed styles: by sheer chance, good old ”Albrecht Pflüger” came to my aid with two books. ”Karate” seemed the answer to my problems. I found what I was looking for, namely punching and kicking techniques. Although karate was frowned upon or even banned in the GDR, I found kindred spirits everywhere and got to know groups in Zwickau, Karl-Marx-Stadt, Magdeburg, Berlin and Schwerin. We would train together and exchange views. During this time I also got to know Dr. Hufnagel from Klingenthal – one of the very few karate Dan grades in the former GDR. Even then, in 1983, his views about the practicality of karate techniques were much more flexible than those of many confirmed or perhaps dogged karate followers. His techniques did not have to have millimetric accuracy, they had to work. Some of his karate techniques were not so wonderful to look at either, but they were usable and effective.
Despite all the different views I encountered about karate in the GDR, I took the classic path of Kihon, Kata and Kumite. I practiced the first two stages very intensively, however in free-fighting there was very little to be seen of Kihon and Kata techniques. At this point I was again helped by Dr. Hufnagel, who gave me the English instruction book "Wing-Chun Kung-Fu" by Yim Lee to read. I immediately recognised that this style was created for practical use. I was particularly impressed with the concept and sequences of Chi-Sao. Even though the techniques shown did not seem to be as precise as those in karate, I was sure they were more effective.
As soon as the wall came down in November 1989, my training partner Malte Leistner and I looked for a WT school in the "West", finding one in Nuremberg run by Si-Hing Wolfgang Träger. What he showed us immediately caused us to drop our previous martial arts activities and start to learn WingTsun.
I have remained enthusiastically loyal to WT since December 1989. My Sifu is K. Kernspecht. I learned the basics of WT from my Sihing W.Träger in Nuremberg, however he left the EWTO in 1998 (?).

In 1996 I fulfilled a dream and turned by hobby into my profession: WT instructor. I was appointed as a Sifu in 2003 – which I also regard as a moral obligation towards my students. I have been a 2nd TG in WT since 2001, and since then I have worked hard for my 3rd TG, which I hope to obtain by April 2006.
Despite my advanced age (55) I have even taken up a course of study by joining the WT correspondence course in Bulgaria in April 2004. Here too I have formulated a number of goals, but that is another subject.

What is so fascinating about WT?

On the basis of my own martial arts experience (Judo and Karate) I have come to certain conclusions through intensive practice. I have been obliged to see that martial sports and self-defence are two different things. The more movements or techniques you have to learn, the more time it takes to master them. The greater the choice of techniques you have, the greater your confusion when things get serious. In a self-defence situation you need to decide on a solution within fractions of a second, and the fewer the decisions you need to make in a given situation, the faster you can react. Where practical self-defence is concerned, the motto is therefore “Less is more“. The best self-defence is the one that can counter the most attacks with the smallest number of movements (I believe I have heard my Si-Fu say this on several occasions).
I found that WingTsun ideally meets these requirements, as I do not need to rely on predefined movement sequences but respond according to what I “feel”, i.e. I try to work with the opponent’s strength. As a slightly older martial artist I find this the ideal way to work without using strength. In the harder styles I would no doubt have sunk without trace by now. I think there are only very few of my age who can still perform at their peak. Things are slightly different with WingTsun. My students constantly tell me they can see my eyes light up when my enthusiasm gets the better of me.
Nonetheless, as logical as the principle of “winning by giving way“ might be, it is hard to translate into practice. I try to explain to my students that ”the way is the goal“. Training should be fun, and movement, coordination and stamina should be developed to achieve a completely new physical awareness.
Naturally the great aim, namely fighting skill, is always at the centre of things.

When did you open your school?

WingTsun has been taught in Schwarzenberg, Saxony since December 1989. Thanks to the activities of my longstanding training partner Malte Leistner, myself and my students, there are now WT schools throughout the region, in parts of Saxony and Thuringia.
In the mid-90s we hit on the idea of forming an association of schools to include WT schools in the following areas:Annaberg, Aue, Freiberg, Schwarzenberg, Stollberg, Reichenbach, Zschopau and Zwickau.

The WingTsun school in Schwarzenberg has the role of “headquarters“. It has a total area of around 310 sq. m. comprising a training area, fitness section, changing rooms, toilets and showers, a bar and an office. It also has the basic equipment needed for martial arts training: punch bags, pads, focus mitts, protective vests and a judo mat. 4 times each week students can take advantage of various martial arts programmes, including Qi-Gong and Tai-Chi.
All the other schools in our association have their own training programmes and services. The association exists for the mutual benefit of its member schools, with the emphasis on furthering and developing traditional Asian exercise systems across the region, attracting young people to these systems and encouraging social contact between the members.
At first the WT school in Schwarzenberg held its training evenings in local gymnasiums, then moved into its own rented premises in 1994. An increasingly large membership soon meant that these premises were unable to cope, therefore with a great deal of difficulty I acquired a small factory from the authorities in 1997. With the help of my family I laboriously converted the building into a WT school.
As a result I now have the ideal conditions: a workplace, residence and ”Chinese garden” on a single site.

What made you choose this location?

Schwarzenberg is a major town with around 14 000 inhabitants. The fact that I worked and lived there, and that I was well-known owing to my previous martial arts activities, made it obvious that I should open a WT school there. Being well-known also helped me to find the right premises, of course.
The locations of the other schools in the association came about through the students who trained with me, then moved to other towns to take up courses of study or jobs and wanted to establish their own WT schools.
My school is directly on the main road and very near to the centre of town. You can see the school building from a very busy road junction. Accordingly our wonderful school and its trademark, a dragon (a more European version of which is also part of the town’s coat of arms) are easily visible from a distance. Right next to the school there is a shopping centre with a large car park, which means there is plenty of parking available.

How is your training organised?

In the past I worked with a number of instructors who have since left the EWTO. At the time I already noticed that these instructors had differing views of WingTsun. These were not so easy for an advanced student to go along with, and this led to frustration in some cases.
For the last 3 years our association has worked together with Sifu Bernd Wagner and Sifu Thomas Schrön, who visit our schools 3 – 4 times each year and grade our students. I would like to take this opportunity to thank these two Sifus for their outstanding work.
In order to learn at the “source“, I attend numerous seminars held by my Sifu K. Kernspecht, and also take part in classes at the Castle quite frequently. This was also one of the reasons for starting the WT course of study.
As a WT teacher I know that the WingTsun system only works on a “formless“ basis. I try to explain to my students that everything should eventually work freely, i.e. without techniques or technical thinking. This must be preceded by intensive formal work, however. While a WT beginner is able to understand this on a theoretical level, it is very hard to put into practice. Students prefer precise instructions where techniques are concerned.
The WT principle of not countering strength with strength is a good mental approach. All students have their own ideas about the martial arts and self-defence, and it is best not to destroy these impressions at once because it often leads to disillusionment on their part. I want our students to carry out their training with enthusiasm and enjoyment. Most of them experience hours of daily frustration at work, within the family or at school. Training in our school is part of their free time, and they do not want problems there too. They want to feel good and switch off for a while.
The aim of my classes is very clear: I want my students to leave the training room satisfied and with increased skill and self-assurance. To achieve this, my instructors and I have considered a number of approaches which have been summarised in my written 3rd TG dissertation, a joint effort with my students Wolfgang Seemann and Thomas Goldhahn (my son). These could provide a discussion basis for future instructor meetings or the WT course of study.
Considering that every class should include forms, BD, self-defence applications, basic techniques and Chi-Sao, as well as theory, it would make sense to compile a programme of exercises for each student grade. The most important of these could be standardised for every instructor to teach and every examiner to check.
On the basis of the EWTO student grade programmes, my instructors and I are currently putting together a training schedule for each student grade. When he begins his training the student should already know how he can reach the relevant standard for his grade, and why all this training is necessary. The individual grades are then achievable intermediate goals.
Our strength should therefore lie in constant individual attention. With a training schedule like this – corresponding to the training schedule of a fitness studio - it is already possible to show new students that we offer a very high standard of instruction during their introductory session or initial conversation. He can immediately see that we work according to a system with a logical progression. A schedule like this is also a welcome aid to young instructors, as they do not possess much teaching experience yet.

What are your WT goals for the future?

- Achieving my 3rd TG grade (and eventually becoming a WT Master of course)
- To become even more of a role model to my students and take them on the right path as martial artists
- To successfully complete the WT course of study with the necessary written work and final examination, helping to ensure that our WT becomes scientifically recognised and can therefore benefit from even more modern training aspects.
- In business terms I would of course like to see more students in my own schools. But I would also like to make it possible for my instructors to make a living from WingTsun in the future.