Keith R. Kernspecht
| Keith Ronald Kernspecht | |
|---|---|
| Born |
28 June 1945 Grömitz, Germany |
| Residence | Wiesenbach, Germany |
| Style | Wing Tsun |
| Teacher(s) | Leung Ting |
| Notable students | Emin Boztepe, Salih Avci, Hans J. Remmel |
| Website | European WingTsun Organisation |
Keith Ronald Graf von Rothenburg Kernspecht, better known as Keith R. Kernspecht (born 28 June 1945 in Grömitz), is a German martial artist and entrepreneur. Kernspecht is the chairman of EWTO (European WingTsun Organisation), the organisational niche for the company WingTsun GmbH & Co. KG based in Kiel, Germany.[1]
Kernspecht started his combat sports training with wrestling and worked as a professional wrestler, also becoming a pioneer of powerlifting in Germany.[2] He developed an interest in East Asian martial arts and, in 1967, founded the group Budo-Zirkel in Kiel.
Kernspecht invited Leung Ting to Germany in 1975 and had years of private instruction,[3] opening the first office of EWTO in 1979.[4] Today, EWTO incorporates a range of martial arts, most notably Wing Tsun under the International WingTsun Association of Leung Ting and also Newman-Escrima, the Eskrima interpretation of Bill Newman.[5]