36 Years of Martial Arts Experience: What Makes an Experienced Instructor

Anyone looking for martial arts or self-defence in Villach will find many offers and many titles. The title martial arts instructor alone, however, says little about how extensive a person's practical experience, length of training or teaching experience really is. This article is meant as orientation: how can you recognise an experienced instructor – and what do you gain from one as a student?

As a concrete example we use the path of Sifu Erich Ferlesch, founder and head of CFC Die Kampfkunstschule. Not as an advertisement, but because a traceable biography shows well which building blocks actually make up experience.

How do I recognise an experienced martial arts instructor?

Especially in self-defence it is worth looking closely at the practical and professional background an instructor brings. These questions help:

• How long has the instructor trained himself – and how long has he been teaching?
• Does he have experience outside a controlled training room?
• Does he have full-contact or competition experience?
• Is there practical experience in the security field?
• Does he continue to educate himself?
• Can he explain why a method works – and under which conditions it does not?

None of these questions is an attack on other schools. They are simply the questions you would also ask a doctor, a mountain guide or a flight instructor.

Early interest and starting with Muay Thai

Interest in martial arts, movement and self-defence has accompanied Erich Ferlesch since childhood. At around 13, in 1990, he began Thai boxing (Muay Thai). Early full-contact training leaves its mark: it trains sense of distance, timing and resilience – and it shows very directly that a technique behaves differently under resistance than in the air.

Wing Chun as a long-term foundation

At around 18, from 1995, he turned intensively to Wing Chun, which over the following decades became a core foundation of his martial arts path. Wing Chun is not “the best system” – different systems provide different tools. Wing Chun stands for close range, structure, the centreline and economy of movement. Later the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) with stick and blade were added. Learn more about the system on the page Wing Chun in Villach.

Practical experience in the security field

From around the age of 20, something was added that can hardly be simulated in a training room: operational work in the security field – from access control and security services to high-level close protection. In total this amounts to around 25 years of operational security experience.

The difference from controlled training is considerable. In a real situation, stress, surprise, lack of space, multiple people and unclear intentions all play a role. Much of it is solved not with technique but with awareness, communication, positioning and timely de-escalation.

Full contact on the Lei Tai

As an active full-contact Lei Tai kickboxer, Erich Ferlesch also experienced what works under real resistance. Full contact is honest feedback: it quickly shows which strategies hold up and which look good in training but have limits under pressure.

Why experience matters especially in self-defence

Self-defence is not a field where only beautiful movement patterns matter. Under stress, perception, fine motor skills, decision-making and timing change. That is why instruction is particularly valuable when the teacher knows both: many years of training and practical experience with real conflict situations.

Such an instructor understands how conflicts arise, how distance, timing and surprise really work, and how to convey complex content safely. There are no guarantees – no technique always works. This very honesty is part of good self-defence training in Villach.

From practitioner to teacher

Erich Ferlesch has been teaching since 1997, with his own school in Villach since 2002. A good practitioner, however, is not automatically a good teacher. Teaching additionally requires observation, methodology and didactics, adaptation to different physical abilities, clear language and safe training design. The aim is for students not just to copy techniques but to understand and apply principles.

Still learning after decades

Experience does not mean never having to learn anything again. On the contrary: the longer you teach, the more precisely you recognise which details can be improved. Even after 36 years, Erich Ferlesch does not see martial arts as a closed system – methods, tactics, training formats and teaching concepts are continually reviewed, adapted and developed.

What students gain

• A realistic assessment of what a technique can – and cannot – do
• Understandable explanations instead of rote memorisation
• Fewer unnecessary movements, more principles
• Adaptation to age, experience and physical abilities
• A clear approach to stress, distance, timing and escalation
• A link between traditional martial arts and modern self-defence

This benefit becomes especially clear in one-to-one lessons, where content is tailored entirely to the individual. Read more about his background in the instructor profile of Erich Ferlesch and on the About us page.

Conclusion

Anyone in Villach looking for a martial arts school who values long experience, continuous learning and practical applicability will find at CFC an instructor with an unusually broad background – not just trained for a long time, but learned, applied, taught and refined over decades. An overview of all areas is on the page Martial arts in Villach.