Kung Fu Private Lessons in Swanage, UK

If you’re interested in Kung Fu lessons, to learn how to defend yourself in common scenarios without needing to carry weapons, come to Swanage in Dorset where I teach Chinese Kung Fu private lessons to individuals and small groups from my home.
My lessons are focused on equipping you to defend yourself quickly and effectively. The fundamentals I teach are quick to learn and easy to practise.
Who is it for?
My tuition is suitable for anyone from complete beginners who need efficient & understanding help getting started, to other teachers who may be looking to refine or enhance an existing skillset. I welcome all levels of Kung Fu student to give my classes a try – first lesson is free, so why not give it a go and see how much difference it makes.
I’ve been training in martial arts for over 30 years. Kung Fu for over 20 years. But it’s not just about the number of years passed, it’s about how well you spend that time too. And it’s not just about how hard you train – sometimes you need to train smarter not harder. Hour for hour, nothing beats private tuition with the best teachers you can find.
What can beginners expect from my classes?
Anyone who’s new to kung fu can expect to learn quickly what practical kung fu feels like, while gaining significant tangible skills for defending oneself against all levels of violence & provocation.
What can experienced practitioners expect?
Everyone is at a different stage on their journey, and comes from a different background, so there’s no “one cure suits all”. But there are still basic requirements to look for. I’ll check what your capability is at defending from various forms of attack, and we’ll work on plugging any gaps, and refining anything else. I’ll also acknowledge anything you’re particularly good at, and we’ll look at how to capitalise on this to ensure it fits in with your strategy for handling different types of self defence scenarios.
Why train with me?
The main differences between the Kung Fu that I offer, and the Kung Fu that you’ll most likely find elsewhere, are:
- Faith in – and commitment to – what feels Balanced & Natural. If it feels awkward, there’s probably a better way. This is the priority. It trumps tradition, without being disrespectful to the founders, pioneers and sacred texts of our preferred systems – they had the same priority themselves. In this way, it can be treated as a fine art.
- Practicality for self defence. Focusing on the most important things first. Neglecting neither end of the spectrum of threats, from petty bullying to clinical assassination and unconventional warfare. I’ll aim to equip you with several ways of dealing with every type of attack you can imagine, while emphasising the most efficient defences to the most common and the most dangerous forms of attack you may encounter, or any specific threats you’re especially interested in.
What style of Kung Fu do I teach?
Well, I have my own style, as most people do once they get to a certain level. My style is mainly based on Wing Chun (for highly practical defensive purposes) integrated with Tai Chi (for a more dynamic yet gentle approach) so you will have all the options to adapt to different levels of violence as required.
I also incorporate elements of other systems, including techniques & concepts from JKD, Xing Yi, Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Ninjutsu, Fencing, Capoeira and more.
My focus is on Balance and Practicality, with attention to technical detail. I won’t ask you to try anything that I can’t physically prove the value of first. I try to focus on what matters most, for you to develop as quickly as possible in your Self Defence ability, and for you to be confident in the progress of your training from the very beginning, but in case it’s not for you, no worries, as your first lesson is free.
So if you’re particularly interested in learning a technical yet graceful yet practical system of Chinese Kung Fu rooted in timeless philosophy, mainly for the purpose of Self Defence, then you’ve surely come to the right place here.
What training methods do I focus on?
I do not teach longwinded solo routines unless you specifically request this, because they are not the most efficient way to learn, plus they encourage bad habits in their practitioners, demanding never-ending corrections by someone experienced in better training methods.
Instead, my lessons are focused on pairwork exercises, including fixed drills and more flexible exercises like Push Hands and Sticky Hands which are the real heart & soul of top level Chinese Kung Fu, ensuring this family of martial arts can stay highly practical & accurate throughout the generations due to their built-in foolproof self-correctional features.
Locations
I teach Kung Fu mainly from my home in Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, in the middle of the South Coast of England, within the UK.
So if you’re interested in learning Kung Fu for Self Defence purposes and live within easy travel distance of Swanage, such as in Bournemouth, Poole or Wareham, you’ve come to the right place.
But if you live up north, or in another country, that’s a long way to travel for premium tuition in Kung Fu for Self Defence. So you may be better off finding a local teacher near you.
Still, if it’s not an impossible journey, don’t rule it out too fast. I never got to where I am today by only training within my local area. Even when I was kind of poor, in my early 20s, I still found ways to travel the country once a month for private lessons with the best teachers I could find, while also attending weekly classes near me. I highly recommend you do the same, if you’re serious about becoming the best martial artist you can be.
When I was kind of wealthy, in my early 30s, I paid some of the best teachers in the country to come to me, teaching me at my home. This is what you do, when you’re serious about learning from the best, and have the resources to make it happen.
Top professional boxers are always moving from city to city, or going to America, to spend time with the best trainers they can find. Kung Fu students often visit Hong Kong or China – they sometimes even learn to speak Cantonese or Mandarin. Japanese martial arts students often visit Japan, sometimes even learning to speak Japanese. Muay Thai kickboxers often visit Thailand, sometimes learning to speak Thai. Capoeiristas often visit Brazil or Angola, sometimes learning Portuguese. So it’s not unusual for serious students to travel the country, or even the world, in search of top level tuition. Of course it’s not always necessary, and it’s not always wise, but sometimes it feels like it is, and I generally recommend it so long as you’re determined to improve and can comfortably afford to do it.
Although based mainly in Dorset, I sometimes visit other parts of the country, so do still get in touch if you can’t come to me but are interested in the odd session near you and we’ll see what we can arrange.
Lesson Structure
In our first session (irrespective whether you plan for it to be a one-off, or the first of many), I will attempt to assess your strengths and weaknesses, as best I can.
We’ll do a bit of everything, to see where we’re at. I’ll conduct a mental SWOT analysis of your state as a martial artist (irrespective whether you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or expert). Even if you’re better than me, I will still attempt to assess your full range of relevant strengths & weaknesses.
This is also an opportunity for you to experience the main training exercises I do with my students, including: Wing Chun sticky hands, Tai Chi push hands, one-step partner drills, bag work, dummy work, shadow boxing, Dao Yin warmup exercises, etc. By the end of your completely FREE first lesson, we should both have a good idea what the other is about, and what any further classes would likely entail.
Also feel free to fill your boots with information from my Free Online Course. But when training with me in person, things will be much more focused and bespoke, tailor-made towards the most productive exercises, considering your unique set of attributes and preferences. In this way, what we decide to do in lesson 2, if there should be a lesson 2, very much depends on you.