Epi started his martial art training in 1973, when he was 21 years old, with judo and then karate, jujitsu, kendo, iaido, aikido, kenjitsu and western fencing. Epi stopped after six years with these arts to continue doing only internal martial arts. In 1975 he began to train in tai chi chuan and has been teaching tai chi since 1979. For more details see “Interview the European Internal Arts Journal”
In 1982 his first tai chi chuan teacher Kwee Swan Hoo who was a student of dr Chi Chiang Tao (student of Cheng Man Ching) started the STN (Association
Taijiquan Netherlands) to developing the level of tai chi chuan in Holland. Epi was a member of the board from the start and Chairman since 1984 till 2014. In this function Epi met many tai chi chuan masters and teachers in Yang- Wu- and Chen style. Epi was the president of the TCFE (Taijiquan and Qigong Federation for Europe)
from 1997-2000.In 2015 Epi was knighted in “de Orde van Oranje Nassau” for his national and international achievements in tai chi chuan.In 2002 after his divorce, Epi spent a sabbatical period of five years to spend totally on training tai chi chuan with Wee Kee Jin and Peter Ralston in New Zealand, USA and Europe, paid by renting out his house.The main influences in his tai chi are Kwee Swan Hoo, William Chen, Wang
Yen Nien, Serge Dreyer, Chu King Hung, Peter Ralston, Patrick Kelly and Wee
Kee Jin. All yang style and especially Cheng Man Ching’s short form. Beside the main influences he trained and interviewed a long list of Cheng Man Ching’s direct students like William Chen, Benjamin Lo, Liu Hsi Heng, Chu Hong Bing, Hsu Yee Chung, Katy and Ellen Cheng, Ken Vansickle, Natasha Gorki, Maggy Newman and some 20 more.Thanks to Rencontres Jasnieres and other international tai chi chuan meetings, Epi has been invited to teach in France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Scotland, Spain, Czech Republic, New Zealand and Israel.Epi has written numerous in-depth articles for Dutch, British, German and South African tai chi chuan
magazines. The last project is to publish a book on the interviews with direct students of Cheng Man Ching.
His main interests in tai chi are the internal principles, swordplay and pushing hands.
Epi is also a naturopath and teacher in homoeopathy and TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine).