CLASS STRUCTURE

Our Art encompasses a wide array of disciplines typical of the most traditional Chinese Martial Arts styles such as blocking, punching, kicking, and evasive footwork, seizing and joint locking, nerve point attacks, classical form sequences, use of weapons and Chi Gung breathing exercises.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Classes are typically around 2 hours long, and are usually of mixed ability and ages. There is as much chance of you training with a senior grade, including Black Belts, as with a beginner. The senior grade, having a better understanding and control, is there to help the student and not to show off what they can do. There is also generally a good ratio of female to male students. We believe this is because our style does not depend on explicit muscle strength.

Classes will include:

• Chi Gung Breathing exercises and/or a vigorous aerobic Warm-up, which builds fitness, conditions, and stretching. These prepare the body for the more technical material to follow (warm stretched muscles are less likely to get injured than cold ones).

• Pad-work, we practice the basic strikes and kicks of the style. This will include striking focus mitts. We believe it is important to actually become accustomed to feeling what it is like to make contact.

• Paired Combination work, which you would recognise as being quite "self-defence"-like. We teach specific attacks and counter defences, building them in complexity, before offering you and your training partner more freedom in the way you move, the timing, etc.

• Forms (these are known as kata’s in other martial Arts), are pre-arranged sequences of movements, and form the basis of most traditional martial Arts. These forms form the "dictionary" of our style, and encode all the techniques we use, in flowing sequences performed alone (or even in pairs at more advanced levels). These sequences allow students to develop the "Art" in Martial Art.

• Sparring at beginner level this will simply involve reacting to being attacked. This will be done under very safe and controlled circumstances. As you acquire more techniques and demonstrate you can use them safely, you will progress to light free sparring then onto a more advance level.

• Weapons- these are taught to more senior students only. We teach 18 traditional weapons which include: staff, broadsword, 3-sectional staff.

We trust this gives you a flavour of what takes place in our classes. In summary, we are a traditional Kung Fu style from which self-defence and sparring ability evolve. This approach means there's always something more to learn, to perfect, or to internalise in some other way. We believe this gives a very absorbing and deep Art that one can spend decades appreciating, even though there are quick self-defence gains to be had in the first few months!

We would encourage you to go along to one or two of our centres, to try a class for yourself, or simply to watch. The “feel” of a class, the friendliness of the instructors and fellow students, the teaching style, and many other critical factors can only really be assessed by a visit, and we are confident that you’ll like what you see. You are welcome to try a couple of our Centres as each instructor is different in their own personal way.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DO I NEED TO BE FIT BEFORE I CAN JOIN?

Continuing Master Lai’s original determination in how Nam Pai Chuan would be taught, our classes are open to everyone, no matter their sex or fitness level. Naturally certain medical conditions may mean you cannot train either partially or fully.

HOW LONG WILL I NEED TO TRAIN TO GET FIT?

The types of fitness used in Nam-Pai-Chuan range from core strength and flexibility, through to stamina and aerobic fitness and quick-twitch reaction speed. Few people on starting Nam-Pai-Chuan will possess all these attributes to the required level, and so there are quick gains to be made. Most students report feeling the benefits of training in the first few weeks, and after a few months of training most students definitely feel better.

WHAT IF I HAVE INJURIES / MEDICAL CONDITION(S)?

Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns about practicing our Martial Art. Our instructors and students take health and safety considerations very seriously. You will be required to state any pre-existing conditions that may impact your ability to train, and instructors may wish to ask you further information, before deciding if you can take part in a class. or become a member. This is standard practice in all forms of physical training, whether in Martial Arts or even joining your local gym. We don’t believe that the requirements we make of your physical condition are any more restrictive than joining your local gym or fitness centre. This is for your safety as well as the other students.

HOW LONG BEFORE I’LL BE ABLE TO DEFEND MYSELF?

No Martial Art, will make you invincible. Whilst you will start to accumulate a useful catalogue of self-defence techniques from your very first lesson, the real issue is how long it takes for these techniques to become instinctive. Only hard work and constant practice will you succeed in this. The heightened instincts and self-confidence our students gain through Nam-Pai-Chuan practice means they become more aware of potential aggressive situations and recognise the wisdom in avoiding a situation without feeling the need to prove themselves in any macho way.

HOW DOES YOUR GRADING SYSTEM WORK?

One of the major differences between Nam-Pai-Chuan and the monastic style of practice followed by previous generations, is the existence of a standardised syllabus and system of coloured belts. We hold grading examinations every three months, though entrance to the grading is not automatic, it is based on whether or not the student has reached the necessary standard to pass. Students are required to demonstrate the basic movements, postures, forms, and paired combination techniques of our style for each grading.

New students are white belts from the day they start training, and there are eight coloured belt grades passing though upper and lower: yellow, green, blue and brown belt.

Consistent hard work, and demonstration of an appropriate level-headedness and maturity, may lead to students being put forward for their first degree black belt examination. They must also have held their second brown grade for a suitable period of time.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE ME TO GET A BLACK BELT?

It is possible to gain a black belt in as little as three or four years of extremely dedicated training, though we are against pursuing a black belt grade purely for its own sake. After training in Nam-Pai-Chuan for a year or two, most students have the maturity to understand that holding a black belt is just the start of learning the Art at a higher level. We have grading examinations to higher degrees of black belt (known as “dan” grades in the Japanese and Korean martial Arts, “duin” grades in Nam-Pai-Chuan), and our black belt degrees correspond directly to these other Martial Arts in the level of rigour and understanding demanded of the black belt holder.

WILL I GET HURT?

Safety comes first at all times. All our black belts hold current First Aid Certificates. Whilst we cannot guarantee you will never get hurt we are proud of our history that we have suffered only a handful of injuries since Nam Pai Chuan started in Europe in the 1970’s.

WHAT IS THE BEST MARTIAL ART?

There can be no objective measure of what is meant by “best”; one may as well ask what is the best religion or piece of music. The best Martial Art for you is the one you enjoy practicing the most, with fellow students and instructors you can identify with and learn from, and which equips you with the skills and insights you most want to gain. While Nam-Pai-Chuan appeals to a wide range of people, and we encourage you to try our classes, we cannot claim it will be the one that works best for you. If in doubt keep an open mind and try a few different styles. Why not start by coming to one of our classes.