Tai Chi teachers, clubs & classes in Brighton

Brighton is blessed with a wide range of Tai Chi teachers running a diverse variety of classes throughout the city and surrounding areas. As of 2025, we’ve identified 9 active local tai chi schools, many of which offer multiple classes at different local venues.

1 Ian Kendall – Practical Tai Chi Chuan Brighton, BN3 1NF

Brighton Tai Chi teacher Ian Kendall Ian Kendall is a student of Dan Docherty who himself founded Practical Tai Chi Chuan International – an organisation which focuses on the Wudang style of Tai Chi Chuan. It’s practical because it’s taught as an effective martial art whereby all moves are qualified with their relevance to a combative scenario.

Ian teaches at various locations throughout the Brighton including on Saturday mornings 8am-9.30am in the outdoor park area of Brighton’s seafront esplanade, next to Hove Lagoon Skatepark, Wish Road South, Hove, BN3 4LX, United Kingdom.

There’s also a large number of additional classes dedicated to over-60s, including beginner & refresher classes at: Cornerstone Community Centre, Church Road, Hove, BN3 2FL, United Kingdom.

For more information please check out Ian’s website: www.taichibrighton.com

Ian also runs combative classes which he calls 5 Snake CQT (Close Quarter Training). These classes are based at: Miah Bros MMA Gym, PT Hub, 1 Ellen Street, Brighton, BN41 1DW, United Kingdom.

Ian’s 5 Snake training method seems like a cross between Tai Chi moving step push hands with its pushing & pulling and tripping, and Wing Chun sticky hands with its striking gestures although there’s not much of that going on here but there is clearly some of it.

Website: 5snake.co.uk

Phone: 07900 193230

2 Kevin Bryant – Brighton Tai Chi Club, Alive Gym, BN1 2HD

Brighton Tai Chi teacher Kevin Bryant Kevin teaches a combat oriented version of Yang family tai chi in Brighton at the Alive Gym.

Kevin has a very relaxed posture at all times, seemingly not so accentuated in his structure compared to most experienced tai chi teachers, and this emphasises his focus on practicality rather than performing for show. Relaxation is important.

Indoor Venue (Tuesdays afternoons, 4pm-5pm): Cornerstone Community Centre, Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2FL, United Kingdom.

Outdoor venue (Sunday mornings, 9:30am): Adelaide Crescent, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2JD, United Kingdom.

Website: www.brightontaichi.club

Meetup group for all his classes: www.meetup.com/Brighton-Tai-Chi-Club/

View Kevin’s YouTube channel where he has plenty of videos to show you what his style of tai chi is all about here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCHKqXwqzYXmKIZ2XqkFqv6w/videos

3 David Saxton – Energy Arts – Wu Style Short Form

David Saxton runs a range of weekly classes at various locations throughout Brighton, Hove and surrounding areas which focus on the Wu style short form and incorporate a lot of qigong exercises.

Full list of classes, listed on David’s official website, Tai Chi Effect: www.taichieffect.com/tai-chi-classes/

David’s profile on his association’s website (Energy Arts): www.energyarts.com/instructors/united-kingdom-1/west-sussex/shoreham-by-sea/david-saxton/

4 Caspar Ingham – Dao Yogi, St Michaels Church Hall, Brighton, BN1 3HJ

Caspar teaches Tai Chi and Qi Gong in Brighton and Croydon and online. He has a strong background in Yoga and Meditation, and has also trained in the combative side of Kung Fu, but he focuses on the therapeutic side of Tai Chi.

Venue: St Michaels Church Hall, 8A Powis Road, Brighton, BN1 3HJ, United Kingdom.

Website: www.daoyogi.co.uk

5 Tom Braithwaite – Dragon Martial Arts Association

Tom Braithwaite is a teacher of Yang Tai Chi as well as Dragon Style Kung Fu and Liu He Ba Fa (Water Boxing). Tom has also trained in Wado-Ryu Karate and Hung Kuen Kung Fu among other martial arts. He currently teaches in the Brighton & Hove area.

Website: www.dmaa.co.uk

6 Toni Amato – Shen Long Tai Chi Association UK, Brighton Wellness Centre, BN41 2WF

Brighton Tai Chi teacher Toni Amato Toni runs various levels of tai chi classes out of Brighton Wellness Centre.

Toni was a student of Wu Kuo Chung who himself was a student of Cheng Man Ching, teaching a variant of Yang family tai chi.

Venue: Brighton Wellness Centre, Chalky Road, Mile Oak, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2WF, United Kingdom.

Timetable of weekly classes: shenlongtaichi.co.uk/classes/timetable/

 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shenlonguk

7 Simon & Cher Robins – The School of Tai Chi Chuan and Internal Arts

Brighton tai chi teachers Simon & Cher Robins Simon & Cher run a range of Yang style tai chi classes around the Brighton area with the help of many additional instructors that train under them.

For more information about Simon, Cher and their other instructors, read through the homepage of their official website here: www.taichiandinternalarts.com

Browse their full list of classes here: www.taichiandinternalarts.com/classes

Check out this school’s official YouTube channel where they have a ton of videos so you can see exactly what their art is like: www.youtube.com/user/taichiwisdom/videos

8 Dharmakara – Brighton Buddhist Centre, BN1 1UR

Brighton Tai Chi teacher Dharmakara ‘Dharmakara’ is a white guy with an Indian name who teaches ‘Mindful Tai Chi’ classes at Brighton Buddhist Centre, which include a version of Cheng Man Ching’s version of the Yang family form, as well as qigong exercises.

Dharmakara is a student of Wee Kee Jin, who himself founded the Taijiquan School of Central Equilibrium based in New Zealand and studied under Huang Sheng-Shyan who himself studied under Cheng Man Ching who himself studied under a member of the Yang family which inherited Tai Chi from the Chen family 3 generations earlier.

Dharmakara’s Mindful Tai Chi classes in Brighton are drop-in (pay as you go) sessions so you can attend whenever you like without having to get in touch or book your place in advance.

Venue: Brighton Buddhist Centre, 17 Tichborne Street, Brighton, BN1 1UR, United Kingdom.

Timetable of Dharmakara’s classes: brightonbuddhistcentre.co.uk/series/tai-chi-drop-in/

More information on Dharmakara and the Tai Chi that he teaches: mindfultaichi.com

9 Tom Stiff – Nam Yang Pugilistic Association, BN2 3LH

Brighton Tai Chi teacher Tom Stiff Nam Yang’s Tom Stiff runs various classes in martial arts from his full time centre in Brighton, as well as in Hove. He used to teach a decdicated Tai Chi class – currently he teaches Qi Gong as well as a soft form of White Crane resembling Tai Chi.

Brighton gym: 93B London Road (entrance via London Terrace), BN1 4JF

Hove venue: Hove Methodist Church, Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5DR

Browse their timetable to see all the martial arts they teach, including Muay Thai and BJJ.

Full timetable of classes: www.namyangbrighton.co.uk/timetables-brighton-hove/