Today we are excited to interview Sifu Constantine Spange – creator of the most advanced Wing Chun footwork and structure training mats ever made. These tough mats are specially designed for your height and scientifically place your feet where you will have the best structure. Let’s dig in and see what Sifu Spange has to say about them.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your Wing Chun experience?
• I was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1980. I have practiced various martial arts styles in the past but I have to say that wing chun was the one that really got into my heart. I am teaching wing chun for some years now and I’m always trying to evolve the art with innovative new methods and tools that will help the trainees to become excellent fighters and martial artists. My goal is to uplift the ways of teaching and practicing wing chun at the highest level possible, to date. Currently I am teaching wing chun at the ULTRA FIGHTERS GYM one of the best martial arts gyms in the country.
What got you interested in kinesiology and especially in footwork/structure?
• I believe kinesiology footwork and structure are the most important factors for a fighter to engage, control and prevail in a close range combat regardless the martial art he does. That is why I’m paying lot of attention for all of the above because without them a fighter in my opinion will always be incomplete.
“…it was difficult especially for the new trainees to understand the kinesiology, the proper stances, or the correct footwork of the art”.
Where did the idea for your combat mats come from?
• The inception of my idea was born in 2011. By that time I noticed that it was difficult especially for the new trainees to understand the kinesiology, the proper stances, or the correct footwork of the art. Most of them where working unconsciously trying to mimic all of the above. The result was for them to need months for their body and mind to work together consciously and really understand what is right and what is wrong. So my idea was to create a map for them to work on and perfect their moves faster but most important consciously.
What did you choose the name Prototype for the mats?
• Prototype is a Greek word referring for something innovative, something that opens new horizons. So considering I’m Greek I thought it would be nice to use a Greek word with a universal meaning.
Tell us a little about the science behind these mats and why they are different that typical footwork mats.
• The Prototype™ is based and related with the science of biomechanics. Every aspect of the mat is thoroughly analyzed and given with the slightest detail that can help the trainee to perfect his footwork, kinesiology, posture, geometry of the body, central lines and techniques with the mathematical precision in millimeters.
Can you tell us about the quality of the mats?
• The Prototype™ is manufactured according to the highest specifications of quality in the worldwide market with 100% elasticity. It is waterproof and of incomparable durability.
What are the main benefits for someone that purchases and uses your mat to train their footwork?
• The PROTOTYPE™ gives you the opportunity to touch perfection in the development of combat and experience the maximum dynamics your body can generate by using it.
For the first time in the history of martial arts we created an interactive training tool that transcends the divisions of any martial art or combat sport, opening new horizons focusing on man and his potential. It is an achievement that redefines the way of training, highlighting in detail all the elements that will help you to consciously evolve to an excellent fighter.
Can you use shoes on the mats?
• Of course you can use shoes on the mats and practice realistically every technique the art has to offer.
How have people liked using the mats so far?
• Every day I hear the most positive comments and that is what gives me the motive to work even harder to evolve. I wish to thank each one of them for their support. Without them nothing would be possible. Soon my new project will come out. It is called : AXIS-8™ And will be presented worldwide on www.everythingwingchun.com
Is there anything else you would like people to know about you, the mats, or wing chun in general?
• I believe wing chun is more than an art. Wing chun is like a living organism that never stops evolving. Within wing chun are hidden parameters concerning the art of combat holistically and beyond the traditional ways of thinking or practicing it. If someone knows how to read the code, he can expand and evolve himself in ways that where unthinkable in the past. Wing chun as I see it will always be ahead of its time. The Prototype™ Is a living proof of evolution based on how limitless this art is for more than 500 years now.
It is within my mentality as a person and as a Sifu always to seek new ways of evolving the art of wing chun and pass my knowledge wherever and or whenever it is needed. Currently I have created a new method of training which I call C.T.C. (Conscious Training Concepts)
C.T.C. is an evolutionary training method focused on broadening the trainees perception through a series of specialized techniques. With a clear approach to the concept of reality in situations of violence, the trainee is trained in a sequence of psychosomatic exercises designed for the conscious understanding of each technique and by extension of himself in relation to the unpredictability of a battle. These exercises include original, technical and practical details, which are developing exponentially the practitioner to address all forms of violence, psychological or physical.
My belief is that:
A WELL TRAINED FIGHTER IS LIKE AN ARTIST AT THE TIME OF CREATION. HE SETS THE RULES, HE SETS THE LIMITS AND HE CHOOSES WHEN TO BEND THEM.
– Sifu Constantine Spange
Thank you, Sifu Spange! It was a pleasure talking to you today.
To purchase a Combat Mat, or just to get more information on them, please visit:
http://www.everythingwingchun.com/Combat-Evolution-Wing-Chun-Footwork-Training-Mats-s/391.htm