Our Team

In any school, and in particular in martial arts schools, nothing makes more difference than the quality, experience and character of the teachers. They are the people who make the school great. We know that a great teacher not only needs to know their Kung Fu, they also have to know how to pass it on to others. They also need a genuine desire to get the best out of their students. We run ongoing teacher training 5 days a week to keep our teachers sharp and motivated because we know that if they are not constantly improving, they are not good enough for our school.

• All of our teachers are long term members of Nam Yang and all teach the same arts – no confusion, no contradictions.
• All lessons are taught in fluent english, meaning we do not use translators. For many of our teachers, english is their first language so they are comfortable with communicating complex concept efficiently.
• Our teachers do not go home on the weekends - they live here! They eat, train, and live together with the students, which is a testimony to the quality of our school and helps provide a good ethos. Meal times are therefore ideal for discussing Kung Fu and asking questions!
• They do not teach for money - they teach because they love Kung Fu and the lifestyle that goes with it.
• We do not have classes of 100 students with one teacher standing up front on a podium demonstrating. We have high teacher to student ratios and we use assistant instructors to make sure that there is usually at least 1 teacher per 10 students, usually more.

We have 5 levels of Instructors

Master Iain Armstrong

Master Iain is the driving force behind the Kung Fu Retreat. He and his wife founded the Retreat in 2007 and he lives and teaches here. He is a Kung Fu philosopher and author with 36 years of living Kung Fu. Trained personally by Grand Master Tan Soh Tin in Singapore, he’s a two-time world champion and veteran of real street battles. Famous for his high-quality Kung Fu teaching, his instructional films and magazine articles, and for his demonstrations of Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Master Iain is a mine of information but retains a very practical, down to earth, and realistic approach. Most people who meet him are struck by his air of calm, patience, and wisdom. Read his full biography here.

Craig (Senior Instructor)

Craig is a very easy going, popular teacher who can make complex movements seem easy. He is naturally very athletic and keeps up a high level of physical fitness. He has a flair for weapons training and teaches our weapons classes twice a week. He is also interested in San Da (Chinese boxing) and teaches this as well. Craig has had a varied and interesting life and worked in roles as diverse as skipper of a pleasure yacht and diver! He thrives on meeting different people and enjoys exploring the art of Chinese kung fu with all its varied techniques. He has a deep wish to focus properly on learning and understanding our arts and likes living in the mountains and forests of Northern Thailand with its mix of cultures and ethnicities. Craig remains permenantly at the Kung Fu Retreat.

Christian (Instructor)

Christian has been practicing Kung Fu and Chi kung since 2009 and has completed a 4-year teaching degree. After various experiences with other Kung Fu groups, Christian has found Nam Yang to be the best and the most appropriate for his future progression. As well as Kung Fu, he is very interested in Chi Kung and its health benefits. He is a certified Qigong Instructor with both Nam Yang and the German Chi Kung Association. Christian remains permenantly at the Kung Fu Retreat. Aside from English, Christian speaks German, Spanish, and Thai.

Buddhason

Buddhason comes for a Chi Kung background with 20 years experience and has passed a 1 year medical Chi Kung course. He knows a number of different Chi Kung systems and is a qualified teacher of both yoga and meditation, having studied Vajrayana Buddhism under several master lineage holders. He came here to build up his Chi in preparation for performing Chi healing and because he wanted to be part of a community focused on self-development. He chose Nam Yang because we offer chi kung teacher training and have an English speaking master with real/serious credentials: lineage holder, world championships etc. During his time here he has become more and more interested in Kung Fu and is looking forward to gaining a solid, well recognised instructor qualification.

Akshi

Akshi always wanted to learn about Kung Fu and Chi. She came here for 2 months as a student and decided to continue with the instructorship. Since then, she has enjoyed discovering herself the most. She fell in love with the place and community. Akshi is very approachable and likes to keep things simple.  Akshi speaks Hindi and English.