EMIN BOZTEPE
A Delicate Balance
By Jose Fraguas

Emin Boztepe is seated in the corner of his L.A. kwoon, relaxing after a full-day’s seminar. Clad in faded, black sweatpants and a red tee-shirt, the genial and unpretentious martial artist is aware that anyone who strives for perfection tends to have a very narrow focus. He also knows that when a person reaches their peak, it’s not acceptable to go back and just be acceptable. He speaks with a soft, German-accented words and displays a robust laugh.

A perpetual student of Chinese philosophy and its deep relationship with kung-fu, Boztepe prefers his students keep in contact with the “real world,” instead of pursuing the glamour and glittering trophies of modern sport competitions. He's been called every name in the book, both good and bad. He has stood face-to-face with some of the most feared fighters in the world and hasn't blinked an eye.

A restless, solitary traveler equally at home in L.A. as he is in New York, Germany, Spain, or Italy Boztepe knows how to adapt to the temper of a place but yet, at the same time, retain his unique identity.

Q: What got you interested in WT and when you decided to begin to train (please elaborate on the experience)?

A: I was interested in martial art since I was age 14 (1976), but later about 16 I start to look for things which could be more effective in a street fight situation. On those days I was reading the legendary “ Real Kung Fu Magazine” the Chief editor was my Si-gung Mr. Leung Ting. Most I was looking at the pictures since I couldn’t speak English. Then in a German martial art magazine I saw some translated articles of real kung fu specially about Wing Tsun or Wing Chun. And about two years later February 1980 I joint a WingTsun School in Kassel Germany under my si-hing Frank Krueger which became my personal friend and still today I’m happy to consider him as my best friend.

Q: Why do you think your teachers took such an interest in you training?

A: Well, it is not easy to talk of about yourself, but I guess I was not only the fact I have always been gifted for sport but I did worked very hard on everything I got involved into. And why I was training so hard most of my WT classmates really didn’t know? It was because I was always the most of the time a target of racial conflict in Germany as a Turkish person. Interestingly enough that racial feeling has not changed even to day for a Turkish or any foreigner with different cultural background in Christian Europe.

To go back to your question, I try to help and encourage a young hard working student to becoming a better fighter or one day an instructor. I believe in the Taoist way of “ learning by doing” so he didn’t gave much instruction just showed you and you have to figured it out for your self, in other words if you don’t get it by yourself then…too bad for you! This gave me an extra will power to try to succeed, and I’m still that way under pressure and a challenge I’m at my best.

Q: Some people think going to Hong Kong or China to train is highly necessary to fully develop yourself in the arts, do you share this point of view?

A:I think that the origin or nationality of an instructor doesn’t matter! It matters that if the instructor has a good education in that particular art and did he over come his personal physical and mental weaknesses like ego, jealousy, greed etc, only with an open mind and his gola is to develop good student that one day become masters in the art. When the right time comes the you, as a grandmaster should ask yourself if you are ready to accept the fact that your students are on their won now and they have the knowledge and ability to go ahead by themselves. Many top-masters in the martial arts world are not ready to accept this fact due to other hidden reason such as monetary interest or personal ego.

I definitely encourage my students to travel to Hong Kong or any other country. I truly believe this is the only way they can keep their mind open to others and help themselves to overcome their limitation of any kind of judgment you may have to make over another style or person.

Q: What do you consider to be the major changes in the art since you began your training in kung fu?

A: That’s a good question but I ask myself if the arts have changed or it is me who has changed? Definitely there is an evolution in the technical part of any art but also this change in increased by the practitioner maturity process and personal experience. You perception and understanding of a basic punch or technique changes with your level of education and expertise in the art. You may find new ways of doing some techniques but it doesn’t necessary you change the art.

Q: What can you tell us about your beginnings in the arts and how you have evolved as a martial artist?

A: Germany was not the healthiest of places for a young Turk in those days of growing racism and neo-Nazi movements. It was very frustrating for me and there were times when I really felt I was ready to kill! I was always tense, never relaxed and constantly prepared to protect myself. I had problems communicating with people and very often I was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Today I understand that I'm lucky to be alive. Wing tsun was, really, love at first sight and it fit me. For whatever reason, I was a natural at it. I was always looking to prove myself on the streets and I was very aggressive because of the way I lived back then. But the thing that really got me hooked on the art was the technical aspects of the style. It doesn't really matter how good you are; it always boils down to the techniques. It's important to point out that I have never started a fight and I have never boasted about my victories. I'm convinced that I would never have become such a versatile fighter and successful martial artist without the painful experiences of my past. Later on, I became interested in the philosophical side of the martial arts and I began reading books on the topic, thus allowing me to search for and bring forward the sensitive side of my personality. Most people get started in the martial arts because they're insecure, they're afraid of things that you have to deal with in life in general as well. If you go into the martial arts, you deal with your fears and your complexes right away. There's no escape. It's hands on. You're forced to use your brain differently, you're forced to open up yourself and you're forced to learn how to deal with your own problems. Too many are afraid of such an insight and instead they fall into the trap of drugs and crime. Aspects such as these are the essence of the martial arts.

Q: What is it that keeps you motivated after all these years?

A: Well, first it was the need to survive under very strenuous circumstances. Of course, as you grow up and you go deeper in the martial art way, the reason for training is not fighting anymore. The art becomes part of your life and is a way of expressing yourself and do something that you love in this world. For me martial art are a way of life, they are my life.

Q; Do you think it is necessary to engage in free-fighting to achieve good fighting skills in the street?

A: I don’t really think you need to go to free-fight tournament in order to be a good fighter. Of course if you do this will benefit your skill and experience but we need to differenciate between a free-fight championship and a real fight. They are two separate things that even of the participants use martial arts, the environment is not the same. In a championship – regardless of how tough it can be, there are always a certain restriction for the fighter’s safety. These are necessary. In a real fight you are ‘out there’, no rules, no restrictions, everything is a tool to be used and there is no referee or training partner who can throw the towel or protect you from major injuries. Championship fights are ok, if you like them but the feeling your get in these competition has nothing to do with what you feel in a real fight. And I can talk about what real fights are. I believe in going through extreme situation but in a save environment for students until they are skilled enough and understand the risk of getting injured badly. This will increase their level of understanding without going to free-fight tournaments. No everybody wants to be champion. There are many people out there that only want to defend themselves and do not care about tournaments or championships.

 Q: Are you proud of being a fighter?
A: Let me put it this way; I don’t like to fight. I don’t look for people and start fights. It’s not my personality. I’m a martial art teacher than can fight. I don’t talk bad about anyone but if someone talks bad about me then I’ll confront him. I don’t look for trouble but sometimes people give you this kind of trouble. So in order to answer your question, yes, I’m proud to be a fighter because you have to be a fighter in life to defeat the odds. Fighting is not only done with the fist but also with other qualities such as dedication, perseverance, focus, et cetera. And as you probably guessed, I’m not talking about a physical confrontation.

Q: What’s your opinion about mixing martial arts styles? Does the practice of one nullify the effectiveness of the other or on the contrary, it can be beneficial for the student?A: You have to be extremely careful or you may end up with a “chop suey”. We all have two hand and two legs so the key and secret lies in using those in the most efficient way regardless of style prejudices. You have to find a way or style you like and learn how to use it in many different situations. There are certain principles or methods that can be interchanged but you have to be careful since you may end up ‘confusing’ your own body.

Q: Do you have a particularly memorable training experience that has remained with you as an inspiration during all these years?

A: I have a fair amount of these! I had studied Tae Kwon Do before I started WingTsun and Escrima, there was this instructor who was very self-centered and quite arrogant. I remember that he was teaching a group of beginners and was talking about the real street fight situation. I knew this instructor that he has actually never had a real fight out side the Dojo. However he was pushing quite hard on one of the beginners and basically challenged that beginner who did not accepted the answer to the question he had presented to the teacher. The instructor got really mad and lost the control challenging the student in front of everybody. The beginner just walked up to him and punched him in the face and knocked him flat out! I thought that’s funny! This is where arrogance brings you if you underestimate anyone in life even if he is just a beginner.

Q: Is there anything lacking in the way martial artist are taught today compared with those who were being taught in your day?

A: I don’t think we lack of anything in particular, maybe we have too many ‘great masters’ who are only interested in money and feeding their won ego. The scientific approach to training and fighting is better than ever, there are more practitioners around the world than never before but this growth also brings other negative aspects. The old relationship teacher-student is being lost, money is the reason to teach, not love for the art. I guess like in everything else in life…expansion brings good and bad things at the same time.

Regardless of style, flexibility and adaptability is the most important aspect to survive in both combat and life.

Q: What advice would you give to students on the question of supplementary training (weight training, cardio vascular, et cetera?

A: Well, I don’t do much weight training. But I recommend have a good cardiovascular program and any kind of isometric power training with your own body since this is great for your tendons and ligaments. You have to do the extra training in order to have the ‘edge’. Just don’t get caught up with the supplementary training and believe that because you have big biceps or you look good on swimming trunks, you can fight. Supplementary training is an addition to your martial arts training not a substitute for it.

Q: What do you see as the most important attributes of a student?

A: His loyalty. The teacher has to earn that loyalty and respect from the student. Loyalty is a two way street but unfortunately many instructors demand it from there students but they do not give it back. They only ‘take’ and ‘demand’ but never ‘give’ and ‘earn’. Interestingly, they preach all the traditional values in the martial arts but in the end these “philosophical speeches” are simply a bunch of word used to brain wash the student’s brain and take his/her money for classes and affiliations. Don’t misunderstand me, there is nothing wrong with paying for something you want, be a car or martial art training. In the old days it was not accepted the fact that a martial arts teacher could ask for money. And I don’t know why because a great number of the old master were asking either money or other kind of services from the students. Historical facts of great masters having their private students cleaning, cooking, and buying food or other kind of expensive gifts for them are documented. The important point here is the student gives things to the teacher and the teacher is responsible for the student. There is a mutual obligation between them. As I said before is a two way street.

Q: Why is it, in your opinion, that a lot of students start falling away after two-three years of training?

A: There are many reasons for that and they apply to every student who leaves a martial arts training center in a very different way. It can be the quality of the instruction that the teacher gives that makes a student to quit. There are cases when the politics involving the art and the people teaching the art make the student ‘sick’ and he decides to move on or practice other system where he finds joy and pleasure instead of friction and hard feeling everywhere he goes. Politics may seem to be fun at first sight and in the beginning of a situation but after a while only bring the art and the teachers of the art together with the students down the drain. The student only wants to train and enjoy the practice of the chosen art. And that’s what the teacher should give; high quality instruction. In order to do that the teacher need to keep training and improving. An instructor should never train less of that what he expects from his students. Training is training regardless of your level of skill.

Q: Have been times when you felt fear in your martial arts training?

A: All the time, when I hit the wall bag or the punching ball or I do free chi sao training or lat-sao training. I believe fear is the key that help the individual to find a lot of answers about himself – and I’m not strictly speaking about martial arts.  But fear is also a dangerous ally is you don’t know how to have a ‘relationship’ with it. Fear is your ‘blood brother”, it’s always there, no matter where you go and the tricky part of there are many reason why the fear appear in our lives. You can’t get rid of it so better embrace it and find the right way to use it.

Q: You have added anti- grappling and groundwork training in your classes, why is this?

A: I did Turkish wrestling before even I decided to start learning Wing Tsun and Escrima. I  never underestimated a wrestler because I always knew what a good grappler can do to you once he passes the striking distance and takes you to the ground. The current deserved respect in the martial arts world that we see these days for the grapplers is not a revelation for me. A grappler may not know how to strike – although today the grappler are excellent strikers - but once you are in a close range and wrestling with him, then you’d better be in a good shape because these guys are extremely tough. I have lots of friends in the international wrestling circuit, great guys and amazing grapplers whom helped me not to underestimate anyone. My anti-grappling is based on the WT concepts and works fantastic for the average person and even for someone who is a wrestler or grappler. This approach would greatly help him to improve what he already has. Some people may say I’m way too modern of a martial artist because adding this aspect in the arts. I see myself as both traditionalist and modernist. I adhere to the traditional values and the ‘traditional’ principle of using what it works. In order to do that a constant modification and experimentation is required to catch up with the times.

Q: How would you like to be remembered?

A: As a good martial artist and a loyal person to his teachers and students. As someone who followed his dreams and work hard to make them true regardless how many times people tried to stop him. As a man who left a legacy of knowledge behind and, treasured his students’ dedication and friendship as much as they treasured his passion and instruction.