Op 06 Maart 2010 behaalde Gunther Paemeleire als allereerste in de geschiedenis van onze organisatie het WTIN-certificaat 'Instructeur voor kinderen'.

Na een jaar privaatles te hebben gevolgd bij de nationaal hoofdinstructeur behaalde Gunther P. in februari zijn achtste leerling-graad. Tijdens dat jaar moest er ook stage worden gelopen, welke hij deed in de kwoons te Vlissingen en Sas Van Gent.

De opleiding omvat ook een dikke theoretische cursus, welke tegen zaterdag diende gekend te zijn. De cursus bestaat uit onder andere pedagogische onderwerpen zoals pesten, agressie en ADHD.

Het praktisch examen stond op 160 punten: het zelf leiden van een les met kinderen. Er werden gequoteerd op:

- Aandacht voor nieuwe leden

- Uitleg geven aan de ouders van nieuwe leden

- Groet en line-up

- Indeling van de kinderen op graad

- Persoonlijk voorkomen

- Technische uitvoering van de technieken

- Time - management

- Ruimte - management

- Correcties uitvoeren

- Aanspreken op gedrag

- Les-structuur

- Eigen inbreng

- Zelfzekerheid

- Probleemoplossend vermogen

- Programmakennis

- Theoretische kennis

Het blijven assisteren, zelfs wanneer het niet echt nodig was, en de ijzeren wil van WTIN  ;) zorgden ervoor dat de puntenscore op het praktisch gedeelte  144/160 werd. In Akademische termen: de hoogste onderscheiding!

Voor het theoretische gedeelte kreeg Gunther tien vragen voorgeschoteld, zijnde:

- Wat is het verschil tussen zelfverdediging en Vechtsport?

- Leg de opvoedende taak van de Instructeur voor kinderen uit, en op welke manier tracht hij dit te bereiken?

- Op welke manieren kan het zelfvertrouwen van het kind versterkt worden?

- Bespreek de uiterlijke, sociale en psychische gevolgen van pesten

- Wat doe je als leraar in de Vechtkunst m.b.t pestgedrag?

- Wat is parentale agressie?

- Benoem de fasen van een gevecht

- Waarom is een vermeden gevecht een gewonnen gevecht,

- Wat is de betekenis van de gele gordel?

- Bespreek de 'freeze -reaction'

Op het theoretische gedeelte waren 40 punten te verdienen. Gunther behaalde er 36, dus opnieuw 'grootste onderscheiding'. In WTIN worden GEEN graden verstrekt zonder dat ze verdiend zijn, Gunther heeft ze meer dan dubbel verdiend. Het behalen van het certificaat heeft als gevolg dat Gunther vanaf heden met 'Sihing' wordt aangesproken, en hij de felbeheerde zwarte t-shirt mag dragen.

Wing Tsjun Master & Grandmaster Nominations for two Martial Arts Professionals from Germany

On Saturday 05.12.2009, Sifu David Martin Pascual, assistant at the WTI-headquarters, will receive the title of Master of Wing Tsjun Kung-Fu. According to the tradition, his teacher, Dai-Sifu Thommy Luke Boehlig, will receive the Grandmaster title, that few Germans can claim to possess.

They have been training together for 18 years, and their friendship has been even longer?The martial arts master Thommy Luke Boehlig and David Martin Pascual met each other in kindergarten. They were 3 years old. There and then a friendship was born that was to last a lifetime.

Their friendship was not the only thing that kept them together: they also had something in common, a special interest for oriental martial arts, which lead them to take up Kung Fu training in 1991. ?I still remember the strange circumstances in which we started our training ?, says Boehlig in an interview.? The instructor at that time told us to meet him at his house to drive together to Dusseldorf for the training that was meant to take place at a physiotherapy clinic. We were 15 years old. The situation seemed dubious to me, so I stole my father?s gas pistol, just in case?.

Luckily that was the beginning of a success story. After two years of training it became clear to Thommy Luke Boehlig that he wanted to become a full time Wing Tsjun teacher. On 15.06.1995 he wrote in his diary: ?I want to become a Wing Tsjun professional, no matter the cost.? He will end up reaching his goal and how!

?For us, everything we did, talked about or read was about Wing Tsjun.? says Martin Pascual. ?We would go to school, come back, do our homework and we would meet and train together and join the actual classes afterwards.?

Sifu Martin Pascual chose a more down-to-earth road. He graduated from high school and became a salesman for the company Bayer in Leverkusen.? Wing Tsjun has always played a very important part in my life, but I wanted to earn my living from something else.? states Martin Pascual.

There was no stopping for Boehlig. Together with his friend, he became assistant instructor, instructor, even examiner for the Chinese martial art. Twice a week he would drive to the city of Heidelberg (298km away from his house) to train at the international Academy, and he would follow the best fighters of the style all the way to Los Angeles, Sydney and everywhere in Europe.

In 1995 he was able to fulfill his dream of independence and self-sufficiency by opening two own schools. At this point, the relationship between the two friend changed in the way that the young Spanish accepted Boehlig as his teacher and decided to assist him with teaching in his schools.

1997 Boehlig completed his bodyguard training at the IPSO-Security academy in Heidelberg.

1998 he was in charge of developing the Wing Tsjun schools in Perth and Fremantle in Australia, under the guidance of the Australian National Head Instructor Sifu Stefan Fischer, for a period of three years. During this time he went back and forth between the two continents, while David Martin Pascual took care of the schools in Leichlingen, Monchengladbach and Rosrath.? David was always there when I needed him. Without him I would have never achieved what I have achieved in the martial arts scene.? says Boehlig.

2001 he came back to Germany and opened new schools in Schwerte, Hamm and Haltern and Sifu David opened one in Monheim. Soon, Thommy Luke Boehlig will take off again, as he was named in

2002 National Director for Scotland by the leader of the international WT Organization Keith Ronald Kernspecht. This year he would also receive the title of ?Sifu of Wing Tsjun?, similar in a way to a Chinese Doctor title.

2005 both friends left the old organization EWTO and created a new association ?Wing Tsjun International ? in cooperation with the Chinese Grandmaster Allan Fong from New York. That?s when Boehlig received the Master title and David Martin Pascual the title of ?Sifu of Wing Tsjun?

In 2006 Boehlig became an Arrest and Restrain Instructor for the City Police in his home town Langenfeld (and in 2007 also the town of Hilden).

He wrote his first book on the subject (The Art of Fighting- available through the Martial Arts International Publishing), he shot a DVD in Hollywood and taught for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Cologne, and during all his trips, his friend taught in his schools.

On Saturday, December 5th, Sifu David Martin Pascual was awarded the title of ?Master of Wing Tsjun?, after 18 years of training. According to the Chinese tradition, his teacher receives the Grandmaster title.

Over 200 guests took part in the event, during which the Ratingen Head of |School Tobias Kleinhans and the National Director for Holland, Filip De Schepper also received the 2nd Technician level. The event included presentations and demos, entertaining for the kids by the Kung Fu Panda and a huge buffet and a cake decorated with the Wing Tsjun International logo.

We would like to thank the organizers of this big event, Simo Clarissa Boehlig, Thilo Vahling and Chevalier Hadley for their wonderful efforts.

For photos and videos of the event please check the Wing Tsjun International group.