15 years of Siu Lam Wing Chun Berlin – A journey with depth, discipline and community
What began in spring 2010 with an empty room and a little idea is now one of the largest free Siu Lam Wing Chun schools in the world – with over 360 m² of training space, an international network and a lively community.
We look back on 15 years of movement, development and dedication.
The roots – a vision becomes tangible (2010-2011)
The first rooms we visited at Conrad-Blenkle-Strasse 3 initially remained a dream – too big, too expensive, too soon. But just a few steps away, at Conrad-Blenkle-Straße 2 we found from April 2010 a home. The rooms were empty, but filled with energy, drive and the desire to live Siu Lam Wing Chun authentically.
Form training and sparring – essential components of our line – were just as much a focus as wooden dummy training. The first training pictures were taken in 2010, in which Maximilian Kraft who is now responsible for our children’s, youth, and competition training. In addition to the sessions in the dojo, we trained in the park, exchanged experiences and grew together. The first demonstrations, for example at the Kiezfest in the Parkaue and in the youth club “Linse”, made our Wing Chun visible to the public.
The first steps outwards (2012-2013)
The first summer camp followed in 2012 – in Kyritz – with challenging training, community and an outdoor atmosphere. We performed at the Kiezfest with forms, partner exercises and a mobile wooden dummy, a first for our school.
2013 was a turning point. Sifu Peter Scholz traveled to Hong Kong for three months to study intensively with Sifu Michael Tang (Siu Lam Wing Chun) and to take additional lessons with Sifu Sam Lau (Yip Man Wing Chun lineage). This direct study enabled the transfer of central principles and forms into our school – especially the long pole of the Tang family (Luk Dim Bun Gwan), Wing Chun Kyun hand form, applications from the hand form and the basics of Ci Sau. Back in Berlin, we began to integrate the knowledge we learned there into our regular training.
International growth, exchange & intensification (2014-2016)
In 2014, we expanded our spectrum with long pole training at the Berlin Velodrom and a powerful summer camp near Poznań in Poland. There we focused particularly on kick training and hand form Saam Baai Fat.
The school continued to grow in 2015: a second training room with a long pole dummy, punching bags and an iron-palm table was built at Conrad-Blenkle-Straße 2. In addition to daily training in the park and on the velodrome, we trained intensively in Ci Sau and the use of Siu Lam Wing Chun in an emergency.
In the same year we were visited by Sifu Michael Tang in Berlin – followed by joint long pole training in Volkspark Prenzlauer Berg and the production of our movie “The Interview”. This year was also marked by a new trip to Hong Kong: In addition to visiting Michael Tang’s birthplace and the former home of his great-uncle Grand Master Tang Yik in Sham Shui Po, we delved deep into the history of the lineage. The encounters at the vegetable market and the former poultry store Dai Dak Lan, where Siu Lam Wing Chun masters from various lineages once met and exchanged ideas, and the training on Tang Yik’s wooden dummy were also very moving.
Special highlight: a joint dinner with international masters of Siu Lam and Yip Man Wing Chun, including Sifu Peter Wong Wing Keung one of the oldest and most experienced students of GM Tang Yik – and later an important teacher and companion of our school.
In 2016, we traveled to Hong Kong again – this time with a twelve-person training group from Berlin. In addition to training in Victoria Park with Sifu Michael Tang, a visit to the 10,000 Buddhas Temple and theory lessons with original manuscripts by GM Tang Yik in the inner circle, there was a public demonstration by Maximilian Kraft who showed the long pole form Luk Dim Bun Gwan on a stage in Victoria Park. Also this time Sifu Wong Wing Keung part of the dinner. Back in Berlin, we celebrated the cinema premiere of our film “The Interview” with a premiere party, held training camps in the Uckermark and deepened our daily practice.
Stability and depth (2017-2019)
In 2017, we strengthened our Ci Sau work, welcomed a visit from Yuri Morelli, a teacher from Italy who also learned from Sifu Michael Tang and deepened our practice together with Sifu Tang during his return to Berlin.
2018 was a special year: our training group traveled to Guangdong / China visited the Fei Loi Temple, trained with a local Shaolin monk and then traveled to the Tang family’s home village of Naam Hoi. We then began four weeks of intensive daily training in Hong Kong under Sifu Peter Wong Wing Keung – a formative time from which much of our current content has emerged.
In 2019, he competed again – for example at the Dragon Cup (Sanshou Boxing and long pole form by Maximilian Kraft) and the Xin Nian Cup in Berlin. In the same year, Sifu Peter Scholz took first place in the wooden dummy category at the International Huo Yuanjia Memorial Martial Arts Championship. The summer camp in Sweden and a children’s examination rounded off the year.
Resilience & digitalization (2020-2021)
The pandemic demanded new approaches. In 2020, we developed our own recording studio, redesigned the school and founded the Vade Mecum online platform for digitized teaching and video streaming. 2 weeks after the start of the pandemic, we were ready to stream and the first content (Wing Chun Kyun form, individual exercises and home exercises) was available on demand, whenever boredom and helplessness tried to strike, our content could guide the student body through the crisis. There was even a summer camp on the Elbe in a time window between lockdowns.
In 2021, we continued the online training, developed the md3system – mobile, robust Wing Chun dummies weighing less than 3.5 kg, based on the measurements of the wooden dummy from the Dai Dak Lan – the legendary dummy from which Grandmaster Yip Man also took the measurements for the development of the wooden dummy from the Yip Man line.
New spaces, new energy (2022-2024)
In 2022, we strengthened our offering with open training sessions, the Whitsun camp at the Hoelzerner See (later documented on film) and an intensive youth fall camp in Brandenburg. At the same time, the front of our school was renovated and we founded the SLWCP Fight Academyto promote intensive martial arts training and exchange.
A big step followed in 2023: the school was relocated to the originally planned Conrad-Blenkle-Straße 3 was extended. With now 360 m² of space we are now one of the largest and most qualified independent Wing Chun schools in the world. The Whitsun camp followed by a demonstration and the ceremonial opening of berlin siu lam wing chun pai & SLWCP Fight Academy marked a milestone.
In 2024, competitions were once again scheduled – including with the form Saam Baai Fat (performed by Romina Kraft), point fighting and Sanshou Boxing at the Xin Nian Cup and Dragoncup. At the same time, new training videos were created for social media – knowledge that we want to share and pass on.
Thank you for 15 years – and for the future that lies ahead of us
These 15 years stand not only for technique and discipline, but also for community, dedication and cultural depth. We would like to thank all the students, coaches, partners, families and friendswho have walked this path with us.
Special thanks to Sifu Michael Tang and Sifu Peter Wong Wing Keung whose trust and transmission of Siu Lam Wing Chun have had a fundamental influence on our school.
The journey continues. Be a part of it.
➡️ Our anniversary film with rare footage, historical insights and vivid moments can now be seen here. Immerse yourself with us in 15 years of Siu Lam Wing Chun Berlin.
