Sifu Joern Tiedge

WHKD Rank:  6^th Degree

Serial #:  6-1979-025-A-Z

School Locations:  Hamburg, Germany

Website:  www.kungfu-fitness-center.de 

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Biography:

Sifu Jörn Tiedge was born on June 1, 1954 in Hamburg. In school, he was already an active athlete. He had a predilection then on the work as an oarsman, and he participated at various regattas, until, in 1973, he came across the kind of sports that has ever since interested him: the Karate. In November 1973, he joined the Budo Club Nippon and trained in the art of Shotokan Karate. Sifu Jörn Tiedge's participation at traditional Karate tournaments, laid the foundation for his active competition period (from 1974 onwards). It was also in the Budo Club Nippon that Sifu Jörn Tiedge made a first contact with Si-Gung Al Dacascos. The latter was invited by the Budo Club Nippon in Hamburg, in order to present his style of martial arts, namely the Wun Hop Kuen Do (a combined fist-fight style). Fascinated by the skills and cleverness of this man, Sifu Jörn Tiedge, began, from this moment on, to study the style of Wun Hop Kuen Do Kung Fu

In the following twelve years (from 1975 until 1987), Sifu Jörn Tiedge continued his active career and participated at lots of competitions in Germany as well as in other countries (first and foremost in the USA). He gained numerous first and second places in the categories of fighting in 'light-contact' and 'Forms', amongst others at the German and European Championships.
In 1979, Sifu Jörn Tiedge successfully took the exam for the first Master Grade; his board of examiners consisted of Si-Gung Al Dacascos, Sifu Malia Bernal and Sifu Bill Owens. In July 1984, he was awarded with the second Master Grade - along with this success, he was honoured with the "Sifu" title.

In the course of the various trips abroad (especially the U.S and Southeast Asia), Sifu Jörn Tiedge made contact with well-known personalities of the martial arts 'scene'; the most famous fighters that are counted to this group are, amongst others, Professor Adriano Emperado (KaJuKenBo), Sifu Eric Lee (also known as "King of Kata"), Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis (two legends in full-contact), Chen Xiao Wang (Taiji-quan Chen style), Cacoy Ciriaco Canete (master in the Eskrima style, and known under the title "doce pares"), Sifu Wu Meiling (WuShu) as well as Sifu Bill Owens (Wun Hop Kuen Do, Tum Pai Talking Sticks). They all helped Sifu Joern to enlarge his knowledge in martial arts and to bring him a bit closer to the goal (the 'synthesis', so to speak), which goes to make up a martial arts fighter.

In the United States, Sifu Jörn Tiedge also began his studies in the stick fight (Eskrima); Sifu Bill Owens was his teacher (VGT- Arnis Escrima Stickfighting); and even today, Bill Owens is his teacher in the Eskrima style. The stick fight has become an important part in Sifu Jörn Tiedge's teaching-repertoire. In 1979, Sifu Jörn Tiedge established his own Wun Hop Kuen Do- team in Harburg, which grew to a considerable number of pupils. In July 1984, he finally opened his first Kung Fu school in Hamburg-Harburg. This school has a name because of the numerous teachers who have acquired the Master Grades, and because of the various national and international titles that they have won throughout the years. Between 1986 and 1992, Sifu Jörn Tiedge began, amongst other things, to occupy himself intensely with European Boxing, in order to get to know in more detail the different styles of 'Western Fighting'.

In 1986, he traveled to Hong Kong for the first time. There, he visited a couple of Kung Fu schools and made acquaintance with their teachers. As one of the first Europeans, he was honoured to present his style - the Wun Hop Kuen Do - on Chinese television (Asia TV). Also, Sifu Jörn Tiedge was appointed as honorary member of the "Hong Kong Martial Arts Association" by its president - Mr. So Lai Lung - and his vice president - Mr. Sunny Man Tsze Siu.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Wun Hop Kuen Do in July 1997 (the jubilee was celebrated on Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii), great honors were bestowed upon Sifu Jörn Tiedge. He was awarded with a "Certificate of Honor" by the Northern "Tai Chi Tum Pai Kung Fu Association" - represented by Si-Gung Jorn Loren - for his contributions to martial arts in the styles of KaJuKenBo and Wun Hop Kuen Do. This certificate is granted only once a year to not more than two of the presently members of the KaJuKenBo family.

After his career as an active martial arts fighter, Sifu Jörn Tiedge devoted himself more to the practical and theoretical teaching of his numerous pupils as well as to the establishing of his second Kung Fu school in Wentorf near Hamburg, which opened in 1994. Apart from managing the two WHKD schools, Sifu Jörn Tiedge is president of the German Wun Hop Kuen Do Association (since 1982).

Sifu Jörn Tiedge's career stands out due to his experiences about the different styles in martial arts such as Karate, European Boxing, Philippine stick fight (Eskrima), KaJuKenBo and the Wun Hop Kuen Do (the combined fist-fight style), which he has gained in over 35ys.
According to Sifu Jörn Tiedge, his most important task today consists of passing on to his pupils the idea of the Wun Hop Kuen Do and of bringing them closer to the philosophy of martial arts.