Scholar Warrior - July 2005

On the 11th and 12th of June 2005 I was fortunate enough to attend the latest Warrior Project, this time held in the beautiful City of Edinburgh.

The aim of the Warrior Project is to improve the combat skills and techniques of Shaolin Wahnam students (Level 2 and above students only) who may (or may not) be interested in entering sparring competitions. It is also a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow Wahnam students from around the world and eat excellent food with wonderful company. Sifu Kai Uwe Jettkandt of Germany, a Grandmaster of Jiu Jutsu, Master number of several other martial arts systems and recent recipient of the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame award, teaches the courses. There are many short videos taken from past Warrior Projects available for viewing and then searching through the page (there are also many other short videos available on this page that will be of interest to you).

It was a great honour for me as Sifu Kai kindly agreed to a brief interview that I could share with you via the newsletter. Before that I would like to say that I have never really considered myself to be interested in competing in martial art tournaments. As a result this is only the second Warrior Project I have attended even though they have been running regularly for a number of years. This has been my loss. Over the 2 days I learnt so much about myself that I would go so far as to say that this is a self-growth course without equal. I for one will be moving future Warrior Project courses to the top of my priorities list. Yes the focus is on combat skills and techniques but it also offers so much more.

1) At what age did you start your martial arts practice?
I started at the age of 17. The first martial art I practiced was Jiu Jutsu.

2) What attracted you to martial arts?
I had a bad experience and wanted to learn how to defend myself. I very quickly felt competent and saw deeper aspects of the art after 2 years training. I was very impressed that using martial arts a weaker guy can beat or control a stronger guy.

3) Can you tell me the story of how you became a student of Sifu's? (Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit)
It's a funny story. I'd read a lot of books on martial arts and I went to Asia looking for a great Master who is also developed the Internal aspects. In Germany I only could find Masters with "External" style I wanted to see if the things I had read were true. I spent 5 years travelling and searching but I could not find anybody. When I came back to Frankfurt my first Chi Kung teacher, Reimer Buerkner, asked if he could use my Kwoon (the name for the training hall in Kungfu) for a chi kung Sifu to teach in. That Sifu was Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit. I travelled 5 years for nothing and then find Sifu in my hometown of Frankfurt; it still makes me laugh today. Sometimes you only have to wait for the right thing to cross your path!

4) What advice would you give to someone starting out in martial arts?
I would say start immediately with the internal martial arts. Genuine, traditional internal arts will help you to enjoy your life more, to appreciate the beauty in daily life. You will get more than just having a good physique, your will have more health and vitality. You may never have to defend yourself but you will still benefit everyday. With external arts you have to wait for an attack to benefit from what you learn. So: Don't Waste Time!

5) In your opinion, what makes a good student?
A good student will follow the advice of their Sifu. Doing this will shorten your path. It doesn't mean that you have no questions, be individual but be clever and follow your Sifu's advice. This is important.

6) You are a Grandmaster of other martial arts, why have you decided to leave instruction of these arts to your Master students and concentrate on Shaolin Wahnam?
My own practice came to a level where I wasn't gaining anymore. There was no development for me or my mind. As I got older I became aware of external limits. I saw elderly people around me slow and stiff I didn't want to be like that. I dreamt of the Tai Chi Chuan and Kung Fu masters: old but fluid. I opened Budokan 23 years ago and now I only train my Master students so as to maintain the essence of my teaching. I'm really satisfied with my choice to focus on Shaolin Wahnam. It wasn't easy to change after 25 years. Sometimes you have to let go of good things in order to receive something even better. Though it may be hard in the beginning.

7) Could you tell me a little more about the Martial Arts Hall of Fame award you recently received?
Yes, I was conducting a martial arts seminar in USA on the beautiful island Hawaii and there were other well known Grandmasters attending and also given courses. They were very impressed with my internal martial arts knowledge and its use for defence and they nominated me for the award.

8) Is there a link between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Shaolin Kung Fu?
Always! One of the Shaolin Arts is healing; it is part of the education/ specialisation. Shaolin is not just the martial arts for me the highest Level in the education as a Shaolin is to become a scholar warrior.

9) How do you see the Shaolin Wahnam Institute developing in the future?
To spread out more around the world and become a main organisation with a unique depth of knowledge. This is already starting.

The next Warrior Project will be held in Switzerland on November 5th & 6th. I hope to see you there and I look forward to learning with you.

Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit has recently informed me that he will be staying on an extra day at the Summer Camp UK to teach and supervise those students invited to the special intensives in Malaysia and those who want to work on their Shaolin Kung Fu or Wahnam Taijiquan. The venue will be in the Sports Centre at the University of Kent in Canterbury and the class will be held between 10:00 and 14:00 hours on the 18th July 2005. The best news is that this class is FREE!

Numbers are restricted due to the size of the hall and everyone wishing to attend must register with me (marcus.santer@shaolinwahnam.co.uk). A "first come, first serve" system is in operation and once all the places have gone, they've gone.

Update 1: Due to poor numbers the Advanced Taijiquan course has been cancelled and replaced with another Introduction to Kung Fu Internal Force and Combat Application. The content of this course will be exactly the same as the afternoon/evening course. With 2 courses running numbers for each will be lower and students will benefit more. It also means that there are spaces on the morning course, whereas the afternoon/evening class is full. Students who are booked on the afternoon/evening course and who wish to change to the morning course should contact us as soon as possible (marcus.santer@shaolinwahnam.co.uk)

Update 2: The afternoon Shaolin Kung Fu course and all the Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung courses are now fully booked. Places are still available for the morning Shaolin Kung Fu course.

Update 3: Due to staffing problems at the Sports Centre the 20:00-22:00 hours classes on the 16th and 17th of July 2005 will be moved to 19:00-21:00 hours.

Also remember to book your accommodation as soon as possible to avoid any problems the University's booking number is: 01227 828000.