Farewell to MartialArts Grandmaster Prof. Dr. Keith R. Kernspecht

It is with incomprehensible sadness that we announce that our SiFu, Grandmaster Prof. Dr. Keith R. Kernspecht, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on November 25, 2024.

Prof. Dr. Kernspecht was much more than the founder of the European WingTsun Organization (EWTO). With his visionary power and extraordinary dedication, he brought the martial art of WingTsun, made famous by Bruce Lee, to Europe, developed it further and created a methodology that combines biomechanics, strategy and psychological understanding. His scientific approach to martial arts - which he called "Combatology" - set standards worldwide and inspired generations of students. He created a unique methodology for researching fighting through rational analysis. He always focused on the question: What really works in close combat?

With this question in mind, he has studied and researched all the known and unknown martial arts and combat sports in the world for over 50 years and recorded them in his own books.

For Prof. Dr. Kernspecht, WingTsun was not just a martial art, but a school of life. He taught that efficiency, strategy and clarity are the foundations for success - in training and in life. His philosophy of the "three levels in WingTsun" - physical, tactical and intellectual - reflects his belief that true mastery can only be achieved through a holistic understanding. For SiFu, martial arts has always been a mirror of life: a school for clarity, adaptability and strength.

His love of precision and his scientific approach revolutionized the martial arts. SiFu, which incidentally means fatherly teacher, knew how to take WingTsun to a whole new level - an art that combines biomechanics, strategy and psychological understanding. He demanded not only physical perfection from his students, but also mental clarity and analytical thinking. He was convinced that every fight was a puzzle that could be solved with knowledge and logic.

It is thanks to him that WingTsun is even taught at the University of Plovdiv/Bulgaria and that international students were able to complete their Bachelor's and Master's degrees there. He himself became a doctor of science, professor, honorary doctor and professor emeritus of the National Sports Academy.

"Magic Hands" - His greatest vision

His "Magic Hands" project embodies the essence of his work: a holistic, intuitive and biomechanically based method that redefines martial arts as an art of movement and understanding. Even the greats of the martial arts scene have undergone further training here.

Prof. Dr. Kernspecht's tireless efforts shaped the EWTO and made WingTsun a symbol of effectiveness and adaptability worldwide. His loss is a profound turning point for the community of WingTsun practitioners and the world of martial arts.

An unforgettable legacy that lives on

Prof. Dr. Keith R. Kernspecht showed us that martial arts goes far beyond fixed movement patterns. It is the consistent application of universal principles based on efficiency and function. His legacy will guide us in pursuing the highest level of effectiveness in WingTsun in the future.

A large international memorial service will be held at the beginning of next year.

An official condolence page has been set up for memories and words of farewell:

https://www.ewto.com/gedenkbuch-grossmeister-kernspecht/

As of today, an authorized audiography is available to listen to free of charge: https://open.spotify.com/show/0rl25Qg2wP27m97vGIlhrf?si=vbnwXdkiSQy7P7EZtATXxA

About Grandmaster Kernspecht:

He was the highest graduated German and European Martial Arts Grandmaster. Founder of the European WingTsun organization and active for 54 years. With more than 50,000 active students and more than 1,000 schools in Germany, Austria and Switzerland alone, the EWTO is the most important WingChun association in the world.

- 10.° WingTsun (Leung Ting) - "Father of WingTsun in Europe"

- 9th Dan Kyokushin Karate (Jon Bluming)

- 9th Mo Gik Yi Lik Kuen (Heow Yuen Choon)

- 6th ° Escrima (Bill Newman)

- 2nd Dan Judo

- Former Catch Wrestler

Press contact:
Your contact person in our company is Martin Dencker.

For questions, appointments or suggestions, you can contact us by e-mail at

presse@ewto.com or by telephone at +491777478067.

Martin Dencker
presse@ewto.com
+491777478067

About EWTO:
The European WingTsun Organization, based in Kiel and Heidelberg, unites more than 1,000 schools worldwide and ensures the same high standard of training and certification everywhere.
In addition to WingTsun, the EWTO's range of services also includes WTplus, KIDS WingTs-un, MagicHands, ChiSao Kuen, Escrima, Violence Prevention, BlitzDefence and ChiKung.

About WingTsun:
The history
WingTsun was developed over 250 years ago by the nun Ng Mui from the Shaolin monastery in China in order to be able to defend oneself successfully against male attackers. The new fighting system was named after her first female student Yim WingTsun, which translates as "Ode to Spring".

The technique
WingTsun is not a competitive sport, but specializes in self-defence. Invented by a woman, it does not require strength or acrobatics to defeat the opponent, but rather uses the attacker's strength and directs it against him.

The application
The number of special units that have discovered WingTsun for themselves testifies to the reliability of the system. WingTsun is not only part of the training program of the German police special task forces, the French and Italian elite units (RAID, N.O.C.S.) and the American FBI hostage rescue team have also discovered this martial art for themselves

Press contact:
Your contact at our company is Martin Dencker.
For questions, appointments or suggestions, you can contact us by email at
presse@ewto.com or by telephone at +491777478067.

You can find more information at https://www.wingtsunwelt.com/pressemitteilungen
You can find all addresses here: https://www.wingtsunwelt.com/kontakt

This release was published on openPR.