During the evening before the actual instructor meeting, the master grades and national instructors of the EWTO were specifically invited for a preparatory discussion on the future communication culture within the association. It immediately became clear that there is a great willingness to exchange information with colleagues, pass on personal know-know and take new things on board. The opportunity to develop possible solutions for shared or common problems during a constructive discussion provided a strong motivation for all to take up the invitation by the head of the association. After this preliminary round it became certain that these expectations would be met, and that the day-long instructor meeting on the following day would be a complete success.

On Whit Monday Grandmaster Kernspecht was able to welcome approx. school proprietors and group instructors representing more than 400 EWTO schools in the gymnasium in Wiesenbach – a venue well known to those attending major seminars in the past. In this case, however, the Castle team headed by Sifu Andreas Groß has successfully converted the gymnasium into a seminar room by means of explanatory photographic charts and projection equipment.

"Why can a fly walk around on the ceiling? And why are we humans unable to do the same?" It was with this question that the Grandmaster started the proceedings, and he would certainly have caused complete confusion among the assembled instructors if they had not already had complete confidence in the educational and rhetorical skills of their teacher. Accordingly everybody rested assured that the image conjured up would be a fitting introduction to the topic for discussion.

So why is a human unable to walk around on the ceiling like a fly?

Because the weight of a body increases by a factor of three (2 x 2 x 2) when the surface area (size) increases by a factor of two (2 x 2).

Using this example, Grandmaster Kernspecht was impressively able to outline the situation of the EWTO as the largest professional martial arts association. As size increases – and the EWTO is continuously growing – structural parameters change and organisational procedures which have ensured smooth operation for many years become uneconomical and ponderous, and sometimes even counter-productive.

The internal communication channels within an association/organisation are particularly subject to major change as growth continues. Whereas GM Kernspecht was formerly able to reach all the members personally and enter into a direct dialogue, new communication structures are now required if the flow of information is to be maintained.

The founder and head of the association already recognised these requirements years ago, and has continuously worked on flexible adaptation to the prevailing situation. With the support of a committed, professional team, strategies and concepts were developed with which to meet the needs of the EWTO.

Under the motto "United we are strong", this first instructor meeting laid the foundations for a new communication structure within the EWTO.

For the participants the first specific step in this direction was to define the common objectives. Sifu Oliver König gave an introduction to the procedure which would lead to a usable result in the shortest time. Every participant then had the opportunity to formulate his/her own personal ideas. With reference to the stated objectives, individual working groups were then formed to define common motives and thereby identify the strengths and weaknesses of the association, as well as the requirements of the organisation and the expectations made of it.

In order to underline the importance of flexibly adapting structures to changing situations, Mirko Maibach gave an introduction to the Internet portal WingTsun-Welt online for which he has technical responsibility, and which has been operated by the EWTO since December 2002 as the largest web-based martial arts magazine. In a very short time it has been possible to make optimal use of the Internet as the most future-oriented medium, and thus to take an enormous step in the field of external communication.

The sheer size of the EWTO not only has the disadvantage of creating certain organisational difficulties which need resolving, it also brings with it advantages in the form of opportunities that are only available by virtue of this size. Sifu Andreas Groß and Sascha Hohl presented an Internet-based communication platform which will become the centrepiece of the new communication structure from autumn this year. As a medium which is only internally accessible to EWTO instructors, this will allow a direct and rapid exchange of information which meets the needs of an association of this size. Since an association only represents a manifestation of common interests, this creates a tool which enables a far-flung membership to exchange information about shared objectives. Clearly the association itself is also considerably strengthened as a result.

All the participants agreed that the proposed approach should be pursued further in the interests of the EWTO, and therefore of all its individual school instructors and student members. The instructor meeting on Whit Monday 2004 is to be only the first in a series of similar in-depth events. United we are strong!

Text: Markus Senft