Christmas and New Year Class Information

Well, another training year is coming to an end and Id like to thank all the students that have continued to put in the hard work and regular attendance in the Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds Wing Chun sessions in 2017as well as the private students who put that extra time into their learning.

We have had some regular longer term students cease training this year and also some new faces eager to learn start to join us with also some that had left, return again to the fold in both locations.

With my extra work commitments that I have taken on since September the pressure is off to chase people constantly to attend on a regular enough basis to enable me to get some true momentum and progression in the classes.
Although this has in turn allowed me to focus on the dedicated students who turn up week in week out and put the time in to make the club stronger and provide solid training partners for others coming in to learn and develop their own Wing Chun.

This year we have also taken our first real tentative steps into sparring and will continue to explore this in the new year in a variety of ways from empty hand Chi Sau based drills to pad fed and partner live sparring work using small and large gloves with also the option of additional protective gear to pressure test and explore the concepts in training as this develops past the basics.

The Sudbury training shed also now has a wall mounted Wooden Dummy that has been utilised in many of the midweek sessions and I will also be offering "Small group or Individual Intensive Training" opportunities on this area of Wing Chun (as well as others) in the spring of 2018. 

These will be 2 or 4 hour sessions depending on the subject matter and a great way to get a comprehensive insight into some of the key training areas that dont always get the time allocation required in class.

In April there will be a small monthly Tuition Fee increase as this hasn't happened for over a decade and in fact prices have gone down in that time period which doesn't provide me with financial security to pay hall fees/travel expenses should people not bother to turn up or pay on time/set the compulsory standing order payment up etc. I admit I have been laid back about this in the past and will also change come April. More details to come next year but I teach more out of passion for the art than financial gain as you all know so the increase wont break the bank and we will still be well under what many other Wing Chun club charges to learn the system .

On a final note our last Bury St Edmunds session is this afternoon (December 17th) and Sudbury still has Monday 18th and Wednesday 20th as their final sessions.

Private tuition will be available up until and including Saturday 23rd December in Sudbury by contacting me directly to arrange.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and lets try and hit the ground with the right training mindset from the start of the new year to improve our standard and practice in our personal Wing Chun journey. January will be a big focus on old school type drilling of the core basics, forms, footwork, functionality and coordination exercises alongside the usual Chi Sau and Sparring that have been present in the last few months.

Merry Christmas to all!!! 

Sifu Paul 

What to expect when joining our Wing Chun classes

When a new student or prospective student comes along to try a martial arts class, often getting them through the door is the hardest step for them to take.
Our classes are adults sessions but on occasions we do accept members as young as 13 if they have the right training mindset and behaviour and the self discipline to concentrate and improve but everyone works with each other to some degree and helps each other to learn and improve regardless of ability or experience.
We currently take new members in our main classes in Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds all year round.
First 4 sessions can be on a taster basis Pay as you Go £10 per class, after this the monthly fee applies to everyone, ideally via standing order.
(*Private one to one tuition is also available on request in Sudbury*)

So with this in mind here is a brief rundown of how we structure our classes and what to expect when you join us to learn Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Wing Chun Fundamentals:

It is important at first to develop a basic understanding of how Wing Chun works and what its key principles and concepts are, so the early weeks of training will comprise of setting up stance for optimum balance, the way we use our guarding hands and punching method and footwork methods.
At this stage you will also be introduced to some partner drills that begin to develop coordination and control and a respect for your training partners in class (many of the wing chun drills help you build an optimum training partner)
Striking to pads and tag type sparring development drills will also be introduced alongside the first Wing Chun practice form Siu Nim Tau (little/young idea) and its sticking hands counterpart Dan Chi Sau (single sticky hands) as well as a double sticking hands drill called Poon Sau (rolling/folding hands) which develops the correct use of the elbow and force exchange, both of which act as punch development tools and linking the upper half to the stance via the elbow and waist.
In our club we also get the beginning level students to learn the key Wing Chun actions in combination drills with a partner and learn basic Wing Chun self defence scenario training, how to deal with common street level type attacks and situations in a fixed and more random, but controlled format.

Wing Chun Intermediate Level:

By this stage you may be a few months into your Wing Chun training and have a good basic grasp of the Fundamental level training...we never fully move on from these basics as advanced Wing Chun is simply the basics done to a high standard, but there are more forms, drills and a deeper understanding to be worked on from this stage.
The second form is introduced here Chum Kiu (seeking/sinking the bridge) which involves turning the stance, stepping, kicking and begins to focus on a moving target and training the body to work as one unit. Chum Kiu has its own complimentary drill in the form of Laap Sau (warding off hands) that primarily works on the Wing Chun core actions contained around Bong Sau (wing arm deflection) and how it may be used to open up a new attack line if our wrist is controlled in some way.
You will also learn how to deal with grabs and holds at this stage of training and be introduced to our Level 1 Free Sparring programme and begin to learn to apply your wing chun against more random pressure in a controlled environment .
Sticking hands training is a large focus in Wing Chun due its close quarter suitability so this will be bedded in within most sessions to some degree as Chi Sau practice works to stage of an encounter where hands and arms often get jammed up and entangled so the Chi sau helps us find a way back to being able to use our main Wing Chun punch or diffuse a situation enough to control or escape safely if possible.

After this maybe 2 to 3 years have passed depending on how often you train and how diligently you practice at home to improve.

The next stages to come involve the third practice form Biu Jee (thrusting/pointing fingers) as well as the famous Wing Chun Wooden Dummy training Muk Yan Jong as well as two weapons forms, the long pole Luk Dim Boon Gwun and double knives/short swords Baat Jaam Dao

Chi sau and sparring get more intense as your skill and control improves and the early drills become pivotal now as you find some of the mistakes you make under this pressure can be rectified using a return to the drills. In this way the Wing Chun system is constantly being refined as you become programmed to respond in a more efficient way for close quarter fighting always referring back to the foundation level as your root.

In over 20 years I am still amazed at how much Wing Chun teaches me about myself and as martial artists we constantly strive to learn, dvelop and improve ourselves and others through the training habit.

So what are you waiting for???? Join us soon in one of our classes and learn for yourself how much Wing Chun Kung Fu has to offer.

For more information call me on 07891699272 or request to join our Facebook page at

"Next Level Wing Chun Academy"

Sudbury Wing Chun change of training night (January 2017) and Tuition fee breakdown

As of the first week of January 2017 our usual Thursday night training session will switch back to a Wednesday evening 6.30pm to 8pm. 82 Cornard Road, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2XB (please arrive at least 5 mins early)

This session will focus mainly on one or two areas per session such as a practice form and a partner drill for example or may cover just one area for the entire class, this session will still be suitable for all levels of experience but I would encourage all beginning level students to attend the Monday night session in Sudbury and/or the Sunday main class in Bury St Edmunds and use this Wednesday training as an addition if you have less than 6 months Wing Chun training experience.

I have had a few new enquiries for both the Sudbury shed based sessions and Bury St Edmunds class over the Christmas break  so its possible that I could try again to hire a larger training hall in Sudbury if we get enough committed regular students paying monthly by standing order to warrant it (8 to 10 paying monthly)..although this will have been the fifth time in 12 years I have done so in Sudbury and been let down by lack of dedicated students to cover the hall fees every time so admittedly I am a bit reticent to dive straight in and lose money again...but with enough interest can happen.

Each class in both locations needs to have a minimum of 6 students to keep the sessions open so its more than achievable and my open, lenient approach to tuition fees over the past ten years or so hasn't helped at times.

Every student should have set up a monthly standing order payment within the first 6 weeks of training. Cash payments can be used for tuition as long as the student always pays the first session of each month..once this has been missed a standing order needs to be set up from this point forward to continue training. Standing order details can be sent to you via email or via paper to hand into the bank, please use your name as a reference...should you decide to cease training the first instance is to inform me, then the standing order payment may be cancelled at any time

£10 pay as you go fees are only applicable for the first month of training to enable the student to decide if they wish to continue training in Wing Chun..after this monthly fees apply immediately.

Tuition Fee Breakdown

15 to 18 year olds and unemployed adults: £5 per session/£20 per month

Adults: £10 per session initially for the first 4 sessions then £30 per month in either branch

Family Discount: £60 for upto 3 members of the same family all training

All classes in both locations per month: £40

Private Tuition: £30 per hour held in the training shed, Sudbury