Learning from a Kung Fu Master – Lessons for Everyday Life

Kung-Fu is much more than spectacular jumps, secret techniques, and Hollywood clichés. It’s a science of preci­sion, an art of con­trol – and the pursuit to mas­ter your­self before de­feating your op­ponent.

Göksel Erdogan is a master among masters. Experienced Kung-Fu teachers from around the world travel to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to learn from him. Using Göksel’s unique style, G.E. VingTsun is among the world’s fastest-growing Kung-Fu schools. Besides that, he also founded VingTsun University. From Hong Kong to Mexico, and from Tunisia to the UK, you’ll find him teaching in a different country nearly every week. Why? Because he re­interprets old prin­ciples, putting bio­mechanical ef­ficiency above all else, while being able to ex­plain and apply every tech­nique with pre­cise physics. Ex­perts see the dif­ference, but any­one can feel it – im­mediately. That’s what puts him far ahead of many tradi­tional masters who preach a lot but can rarely bridge the gap between theory and practice.

We met Göksel in his dojo and followed him all the way to Hong Kong – the cradle of Kung-Fu. Our mission? To separate myth from reality, find out how Kung-Fu can change our lives, learn which Kung-Fu principles can help us stay calm in everyday life, and why efficiency matters more than brute force.

It’s a conversation about ex­plo­sive power, con­trol, and the art of stay­ing grounded – no matter what comes your way.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Göksel, most people only know Kung Fu from the movies. What makes it relevant in real life?

Göksel: At a certain level, it’s all about emotional control. You can’t move with precision if you’re full of fear or aggression. Advanced Kung Fu requires mastering movements as precisely as a computer runs its processes. Of course, this ideal is a lifetime pursuit, but it only works with a certain level of inner calmness.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: So, is it mostly about responding to situations the right way?

Göksel: Exactly. We often react impulsively – whether out of anger or fear. You might feel the need to strike back, or you worry that things will spiral out of control. In Kung Fu, you learn to balance on that fine line – staying in control without being overwhelmed by aggression or fear.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: We’d like to take this opportunity to clear up some of the Hollywood clichés about Kung Fu. Are you ready?

Göksel: Of course.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Let’s start with the iconic old master – like Mr. Miyagi – who teaches secret techniques through seemingly pointless exercises. Is there any truth to that?

Göksel: Kung Fu is far less mystical than movies make it seem. There were legendary masters, but many of the stories surrounding them are just myths. In reality, it’s a rational process – you learn step by step, train for years, and constantly refine the details. This image of the enlightened, almost magical master is more cinematic romance than truth. In the real world, it’s all about solid, structured methods that build on each other over time.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Another cliché: the clumsy guy with a good heart who can’t seem to get anything right. He’s taken in by a master and eventually becomes a hero. Can Kung Fu really change people?

Göksel: Absolutely, I’ve seen it happen dozens of times. Many start out shy but gradually gain confidence, become more balanced, and even move differently over time. Others come in with huge egos and learn to control themselves. The environment is key – if you train with an aggressive, arrogant teacher, you unconsciously pick up those traits. The same goes for calmness – if your teacher radiates it, you’ll absorb it too.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: So maybe there’s a grain of truth to those movies after all. What about those spectacular super moves? Jumping from the rooftop, breaking concrete slabs, and the like?

Göksel: You can train your body in ways that seem extreme to outsiders, but it all comes down to physics and biomechanics. When you use your body efficiently, you can even throw a larger opponent off balance while you stay standing. It looks like magic, but it’s just technique and alignment. A small adjustment in the position of your elbow can have a huge impact.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Let’s talk about “real” Kung Fu. It has cultural and spiritual roots that go back centuries, even millennia. Do these traditions still have a place in the modern world?

Göksel: Absolutely. At its core, it’s about precision and control – and that’s universal. Whether you’re training or facing a challenge in day to day life, the principles are the same. For example, if you consciously stand upright, keep your shoulders relaxed, and breathe into your diaphragm, it doesn’t just gradually change your posture but also your mindset. Often, the real obstacle isn’t the problem itself but how we deal with it.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: So it’s more about you than your opponent?

Göksel: Exactly. First, you strengthen your own position. Where do you stand? What keeps you stable? That way, you avoid reacting impulsively. Sometimes, you realize the attack wasn’t that threatening after all. And once you feel stable, the next step follows. The better you get, the more pressure you might feel – but that just means staying even calmer and more precise. That process never stops.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: What does your method look like in practice? You mainly teach experts – do you also offer private lessons?

Göksel: It really depends on experience. Many of my students have been practicing Kung Fu for 15, 20, or even 40 years – some are over 60. Someone with just a few months of training wouldn’t fit into that setting. In my lessons, I give everyone a small exercise to feel how even a tiny adjustment in their posture or position of a joint changes the way force is transmitted. That aha! moment only happens when you experience it yourself.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: How did you learn to teach this way?

Göksel: It all comes down to principles – power from the ground, a stable axis, gravity as a straight vector. If you apply these consistently, there aren’t many options. But often, ego gets in the way. Even during my training trips to Hong Kong, I noticed that some people don’t fully stick to their own principles. That made me ask myself: What’s really necessary for this to work biomechanically? From there, I developed my own system.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: How did you first get into Kung Fu?

Göksel: I grew up in a small town near Weil der Stadt in southern Germany. As a kid, I really wanted to box, but my brother did Taekwondo, and my sister said, “take the kid with you.” So, at six or seven, I ended up doing Taekwondo. Still, I didn’t like how little we used our hands, but there was no way I could get to boxing classes, so I thought I would wait until I could drive there myself. Then I met someone who practiced Ving Tsun. That was 30 years ago – and I was hooked from day one.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Was there a key moment when you realized this was more than just a sport for you?

Göksel: I grew up watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies, but the show aspect never really drew me in. During my training, I met a guy who had an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle but was insanely good at Ving Tsun. He completely took me apart in the locker room. That’s when I thought, “If he can do this, what’s possible for me if I fully commit?” That was a real aha moment.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: When did you decide to start teaching other masters?

Göksel: For a long time, I was just a “back alley teacher” without an official school. Later, people with large schools started coming to me. At some point, my students encouraged me to teach more, so I rented space and started offering kids’ classes and group training. But some people were just looking for a bit of exercise and didn’t want to go deeper. That’s why I founded my Masterclass in 2018, which requires at least ten years of prior experience. It was tough at first, but the people who truly wanted to push themselves had been looking for just that.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: What makes a great teacher?

Göksel: You must be able to put yourself in your students’ shoes. I’ve struggled through every exercise myself, so I know exactly where the typical mistakes happen. If I say, “turn slightly this way,” and someone suddenly feels, “oh wow, that’s so much easier!” – they might save years of trial and error. Understanding that process and explaining it clearly makes a huge difference in teaching.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Is there something beginners can learn from your methods right away?

Göksel: Definitely. I start with simple principles like distance and positioning. Once you’ve felt it, you realize, “if I stand too close, I don’t stand a chance.” Those aha moments happen early on – you don’t have to train for 15 years to experience them.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: How do you recognize a good Kung Fu school?

Göksel: That’s hard to say because everyone has different goals. I’ve trained at many schools myself, and today, a lot of school owners voluntarily follow my system. I don’t charge association fees or anything like that because I want to stay independent. I call it “Freedom of Action.” Otherwise, there would be pressure I don’t want, which is a Kung Fu principle: you should always be free to develop in your own way.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Many people struggle with stress and anxiety. Is there a simple Kung Fu exercise to help with that?

Göksel: We have what’s called the first form, which focuses heavily on inner calm and concentration, but it demands proper guidance. What anyone can do, though, is this: Whenever you feel uncomfortable, take a moment and ask yourself why. Often, we don’t know ourselves well enough and react impulsively without understanding the cause. Easier said than done, of course, but this kind of self-reflection is a key part of the Kung Fu mindset.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: How do you deal with mistakes?

Göksel: Mistakes are essential. Without them, you’ll never find your weaknesses. The key is analyzing them consciously. Sometimes, for example, a technique seems wrong when in reality, your stance is off. There’s a Chinese saying: “Correction begins at the root.” If the foundation is wrong, everything else will fail.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Is Kung Fu more defensive or offensive?

Göksel: The myth that “it was developed by a woman and is purely for self-defense” sounds more like a marketing strategy to me. At its core, Kung Fu is about efficiency and explosiveness. Especially if you’re physically smaller, you need to act with mechanical precision. That doesn’t mean blindly attacking – quite the opposite. But often, acting first gives you the advantage because you dictate the fight. You put pressure on your opponent and force them into a situation you’ve already prepared for. When done right, this can be very aggressive, but the goal is to overcome larger or stronger opponents through smart angles and biomechanical advantages.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Last question: You get a call from Hollywood asking for a more realistic Kung Fu movie. What would you change?

Göksel: Hollywood needs spectacular scenes to make an impact on the big screen. The reality, though, is far less flashy – real fights often last just a few seconds. If you showed that realistically, there’d be no “wow” factor. A few moves, a quick exchange – and it’s over. But audiences want drama. So, as a consultant, my one piece of advice would be: Go ahead and add some flair, but don’t make it look like magic. Even the fastest techniques aren’t supernatural, they’re just the result of hard work, timing, and biomechanics.

DOWNTOWN Magazine: Thank you, Göksel, for your time and these fascinating insights into the world of Kung Fu, and for giving us a glimpse behind the scenes of the movies!

Words: Jonny Grapentin Photos: Robin Schmitt