Sifu Klaus Brand
Grandmaster of WingChun
Vita
1969 Start of training Martial Arts (Judo) in Germany.
1985 Start of training as a soldier in the German Federal Armed Forces in Rheinland-Pfalz (Zweibruecken), Germany
1986 Military training in a helicopter operation group.
1986 Military-related relocation to Bavaria (Sonthofen), Germany.
1986 Military training to carry out evacuation measures in the event of a nuclear or biological threat.
1988 Start of the training of WingChun.
1989 Start of the training of the Weapon Martial Arts Escrima.
1990 Appointment as a professional soldier in the German Federal Armed Forces.
1990 Received specialised education as a German (military) Lone Fighter; Comando Leader (EK 2) at the Army Combat Troops School.
1986-1991 Lecturer and Instructor at the Army School for the following areas: Self-Protection, Fire-Fighting Procedures, Rescue and Recovery under special circumstances, Evacuation Procedures, Radiation Protection, Object Protection, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence.
1991 Military-related relocation to Baden-Württemberg (Karlsruhe), Germany.
1994 Opening of the first WingChun Centre in the district of Karlsruhe, Germany.
1994-1997 Full-time study of WingChun and Escrima at a Martial Art Academy, in Langenzell Castle, near Heidelberg, Germany (1994-1996 exemption from military service)
1996 Official termination of the service as a professional soldier.
1996 Development of Combat Training in addition to WingChun.
1997 After completing the studies in Germany, further studies and master training followed with Grandmaster Leung Ting and Escrima Grandmaster Rene Latosa in California, USA, which had a profound influence on the further development of WingChun and Escrima.
1997 Opening of several Training Centres in the ‘Bay Area of San Francisco'. It began in Corte Madera, Berkeley and Santa Cruz in California, from where new locations were gradually added. During this time, commuting between Germany and the USA began.
1997 Beginning of the most significant and groundbreaking research into original art in California, combined with meetings with experienced, former students of GGM Ip Man.
1997 Creation of a new weapon fighting style, in which the original styles on which Escrima is based, namely 'Serrada', 'Dos Manos' and 'Espada y Daga', were at the forefront.
1998 Development of a new style of ‘WingChun’ with the merging of the former weapon forms into four newly designed forms and twenty newly created sections of the system. Reforming footwork and increasing the speed and power of arm techniques.
2001 Appointment as 'Sifu' in Germany.
2001 Definition and publication of the 8 Combat Principles.
2002 Definition and publication of the 12 Mottos.
2002 Foundation of the Escrima Squad.
2003 Foundation of the International Academy of WingChun.
2003-2019 The time of travel and dissemination. WingChun has spread in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
2005 Development and introduction of new training programs and grading levels for WingChun Instructors. Launch of Professional Training within the IAW.
2014 Completion of the development of a new, contemporary Self-Defence System without traditional elements, the S.A.T (Special Applications Training Program), which was created only for the development of highly functional skills.
2015 Start of the S.A.T as the secondary offered Self-Defence System by the IAW respectively all affiliated Training Centres.
2018 Moving to Berlin, Germany.
2019 Development of a training program for targeted, effective strength building and for gaining explosive power with a focus on muscular flexibility.
2020 Structural change of the IAW through government-imposed sports bans worldwide (in the name of health care) and the resulting change in consciousness of numerous, obedient victims of the campaign.
2021 Moving to Montevideo, Uruguay.
2021 Complete restructuring of the IAW with the S.A.T as the primary Self-Defence System offered.
2022 Moving to Southeast Asia.
2022 Significant improvements in technical components of S.A.T in terms of penetration and stability.
2023 Publication of the book 'WingChun - The Way of the Warrior' / Fundamentals and Beyond of a Superior Martial Art (published in German and English). Publication of the German book 'Feindbild Mensch'.
2024 Development of a new, innovative training concept that can qualify interested martial artists as S.A.T Instructors in just two days (10 hours of training).
2025 Launch of the "Alliance Program" for Certification and Authorization, separating the arts of S.A.T and WingChun. A program for WingChun Instructors who wish to continue teaching traditional WingChun and work independently in this field.
VIVERE MILITARE EST
Sifu Klaus Brand
冠佈郎師傅
What might interest you.
Why I personally no longer teach WingChun and have handed this over to the members of the 'Alliance Program' whom I have certified.
The Martial Art of WingChun, which I have been developing for nearly 30 years, is not something that can be conveyed in a few hours or seminars. Since 2020, there have been no aspiring instructors willing to invest a reasonable amount of time in personal WingChun training with me. I saw it as a sign that I was right with my S.A.T. It makes no sense for me to teach a few WingChun techniques for fun, knowing that I will never progress beyond 10-15% of the system with any of my students. I would be wasting time that I could be dedicating to effective S.A.T training. For this reason, I ceased teaching the art of WingChun and focused entirely on the dissemination of S.A.T. With the art of S.A.T, it is totally different. Here, 10 hours of training with me is sufficient to achieve clear results, as I have specifically developed S.A.T with an emphasis on time management and results orientation.
If you do not immediately understand this step from WingChun to S.A.T, you must not overlook the following. The perfection with which I have enriched WingChun over decades, combined with the realisation of the shifts regarding the goals that people set for themselves and the time they allocate to achieve them, has led me, by an invisible hand, to the far more contemporary art, namely S.A.T. A nostalgic view of WingChun is of no benefit to you if you cannot follow the path as the masters of the old school did, simply because you lack the time and resources. S.A.T is the Martial Art of our time. And rest assured: "As a long-standing S.A.T student of the IAW, you will become a far better WingChun fighter than those who, without professional guidance, are merely chasing a spirit."
'S.A.T' is the contemporary and modern outcome of professional development. S.A.T is WingChun without gradings or time-consuming formal training, but with 100% focus on functionality, rapid recognition of situations and distances, decision-making and execution speed, as well as combat strength.
For traditional WingChun training, I kindly ask you to contact the certified instructors who hold at least the certificate of a 1st Technician Grade of the International Academy of WingChun.
Sifu Klaus Brand