Do I need to get fit before I can start training?

Not at all. The exercises and drills are all designed so you can work at your own pace and start from the level you are at when you walk in the door. We'll work with you to advance from there.

This is the most common question we hear from people and the most common myth that prevents them from getting started. Don't let it stop you walking in the door and having a go!

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Do I need any experience in martial arts?

No. The biggest thing you need is the initial boost of confidence and determination to walk through the door, and then just an openness to learn. If you've trained in other martial arts before, you'll find plenty to complement and expand on your existing knowledge and if you've never done anything like this before, you're in great company.

The best thing to do is come and have a go and see what you think.

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What's a normal class like?

We run a respectful, but very informal class. Typically we 'bow in' together, begin with a quick warm-up to get things moving and then get into it.

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Our Wing Chun classes are a mix of padwork, street defence scenarios & drills, technical drills (chi sao, bong sao-lap sao) forms and wooden dummy and sparring concepts.

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Our eskrima classes are anchored in Sonny Umpad's VSCK eskrima - emphasising his unique footwork, sikaran and pendulum training alongside the more common sinawali, pakamut and hubud drills. We are incorporate Remy Presas' Modern Arnis and Bobby Taboada's Balintawak. If none of that means anything to you - you'll learn co-ordination, blocking, redirection, and disarming techniques for blades, sticks and empty hand scenarios.

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And our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes follow the common pattern of a short warm-up and stretch, followed by a range of technical mobility drills, then we usually teach a specific technique and then test our skills will 'rolling' together (the BJJ equivalent of sparring).

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But the best thing to do is just come on down and have a go and see if you like it! ​

We also train to music and have a shared playlist every student is invited to contribute to - and we have a wide variety of music tastes!

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I want to learn self-defence but I feel anxious about coming along?

So do most people. Walking in the door that first time is the hardest part. Honestly, once you manage to do that, you find a bunch of friends waiting to be met, the training is challenging but it isn't scary at all, and you'll see progress in your strength, fitness and co-ordination in a matter of weeks...it's very fulfilling and confidence building.

Walking in the door the first time is the hard bit - over come that and you'll be soaring!

So what are you waiting for?

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How many classes do I need to take before I can defend myself?

Although knowledge is always useful, the truth is you can't just do a self defence course and be able to protect yourself. If you ever do encounter a real-life situation, it's a shock and you're fight/flight reflexes take over.

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It takes repetitive training to establish other responses that become ingrained enough that they take over in a high-pressure moment and you react positively and confidently without having to think about it.

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If you have to think about what to do in a self-defence situation, it will be too slow.

We can help with that, but it takes regular training. You'll have some solid tools after a couple of months that will work for you, but retraining your mind's instincts takes  a bit more time. Another reason to get started right away! 

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Do you hold gradings?

We hold Wing Chun seminars and gradings each year, usually in Spring.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gradings are less frequent and move along a longer pathway - we are connected to several other BJJ schools locally and grade collectively with them. Depending on a range of factors, it can take 2-4 years to gain your first belt.

There are no gradings for eskrima - we train under the direct supervision of Guro Mario Fernandez Quiroz in the Phillipines, who provides direct feedback on our progression and technique.

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Gradings are not compulsory, and they're not the main focus of our training, but they are there for those who want to pursue more formal progression. The main focus is on gaining knowledge that actually works and ensuring each student can use what they're learning if it's ever required.

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How long will it take me to get a black belt?

My BJJ instructor once posted a story of a student who asked their instructor how long it takes the average person to gain a black belt. The instructor's answer: The average person never gains a black belt!

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Are your instructors qualified?

Our head instructor, Carl Billington, has black belts and advanced level ranks across several styles (Zen Do Kai/Zennin karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu, and ITF Tae Kwon Do). He's still a student himself and is training in BJJ as a purple-belt student.

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Carl has worked in the education sector and has years of experience as a coach, mentor and facilitator in his life outside martial arts. All of those skills and experience are brought into our approach as a self-defence school.

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IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS - DROP US A LINE FROM THE CONTACTS PAGE!

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