Somerset Wing Chun Kung Fu Club

“The biggest gift this school has given me is the confidence it gave my daughter. What she gained here is truly priceless.”

 After boxing at school, I went on to train in Tang Soo Do, Aikido, Ju Jitsu, and later Bristol Shaolin Wu‑Shu.

When my daughter turned 14, she was painfully shy, struggling with confidence, school, and social situations. I brought her to classes with me hoping martial arts might help.

As my health made travelling to Bristol harder, my Wu‑Shu teacher recommended Somerset Wing Chun Kung Fu in Weston‑super‑Mare.

We joined Bill’s class over ten years ago. Although my daughter was reluctant at first, Bill’s relaxed manner, deep knowledge, and attention to detail made training enjoyable and kept us both coming back.

Over time, my daughter began to look forward to classes. She stopped staring at the floor and started lifting her head.

Bill gently encouraged her to demonstrate forms at the front of the class, explaining that, gradual controlled exposure to what she feared, would desensitise her anxiety — an old military technique that worked brilliantly.

She learned to hit hard, take a hit from her dad, and not be fazed by it. Her confidence grew alongside her skill, and Bill certified her to teach once she reached the required standard.

The confidence gained, took her to university — something I once thought impossible — and is now completing an engineering Masters degree.

She taught Wing Chun while at uni and continues training with Bill via video calls. When she’s home, she still kicks her dad around.

Bill has also helped me adapt my own training to work around my health issues, my lack of fitness, and my tendency to gas out quickly.

He’s supported me through the frustration of not being able to train the way I once did and continues to challenge me while I was confined at home, setting tasks to integrate new skills and knowledge.

Wing Chun is simple to learn and use, yet challenging to master and I still love training when I can, and I continue to benefit from Bill’s teaching.

But above all, nothing compares to what this class has given my daughter.

I have practised many martial arts down the years and for effective self-defence WC comes out on top, by far.

Not all of us are born with an aggressive gene. Forget press ups on your knuckles, deep bruises and constant injuries.

The club practice teaches you how to develop techniques that use relaxation, speed and acceleration to overcome a larger opponent.

Not only does Bill have a deep understanding of his art, his friendly, open approach, makes being a student, a real pleasure

I also attend the independent club at Taunton branch, which has a particularly warm, friendly and helpful atmosphere. We are also blessed with no less than two excellent instructors willing to share their knowledge of kung fu.

Not all are young either. I'm 62 this year and WC has allowed me to continue to develop my martial skills alongside my younger compatriots, without fear of injury.

I'm looking forward to many more years with the club developing self-defence skills.

Philippa A ....

'What I like about Sifu Bill's teaching style is that he genuinely enjoys taking questions from his students, be it during class or by e-mail afterwards.  He takes them seriously and his replies are always detailed and good-humoured'.

Colin W .... 

I started with Somerset Wing Chun just 9 weeks after a total hip replacement . The club was very welcoming with a relaxed atmosphere and everyone very open and helpful.

Within a short time the strength had returned to my hip, which the physio and doctors attributed to the club training.

WC is readily adaptable to someone with injuries and because it is designed for a weaker person to handle a larger opponent it is ideal for anyone that wants to learn a practical martial art.

I have been studying for a little over 3 years now and would highly recommend the club in Weston to anyone looking to get into martial arts.