Walk tall, feel powerful, and inspire others to do likewise
Master Yourself, Master Your Life
Unleash the hero within you
Meticulously developed over 15-years, the Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat stands as the epitome of Kung fu and Qigong excellence. Immerse yourself in these ancient arts within a Feng Shui inspired sanctuary, embraced by mountains, and the breathtaking vistas of the Pai River Valley.
Kung Fu Teacher Training
Do you have the heart of a warrior?
We offer 5 different teacher training programs:
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200 Hour Intensive Teacher Certification Course - 4 Weeks
It’s called intensive for a reason! This is a kick start to Kung Fu teaching. A 200 hour certification is typically the minimum standard required internationally. We cram in a huge amount of learning, practising and refining. Many days involve 8 hours of learning. It is our mission, though, to teach you the real, undiluted arts and how to pass them on to your future students. This course is for you if you can spare only 4 weeks. It enables you to get started now and advance your skills with further training in the future.
The cost is $4,620 in a Private Room or $3,300 in a Shared Room.
Internships
Our flagship teacher training option. If you have the time available, an internship with us will be a truly life-changing experience after which you will become a very different person.
After completing 200 hours of intensive teacher training, join our teaching team and teach here as a real junior instructor under the supervision and guidance of our very experienced teachers. Study is all very well, but there is no substitute for genuine experience. Our internships are about competence and confidence. By the time you finish, you will be an experienced teacher, ready to take on students of your own anywhere in the world.
Fast track Internship - 12 Weeks
This is a trimmed-down internship for those who can not commit to a stay longer than 3 months. It begins with an intensive 200 hours teacher training course. This is followed by 8 weeks of ‘on the job’ training as a member of our celebrated teaching team. This training is provided by our most experienced teachers. Also, you will receive an extra 3-5 hours a week of advanced training for instructors only - usually delivered personally by Master Iain.
If you genuinely aspire to be a great teacher but have only limited time available then this is the right choice for you.
The cost is $7,752 in a Private Room or $5,538 in a Shared Room.
Internal Kung Fu and Qigong Internship - 18 Weeks
After completing 200 hours of intensive teacher training, join our teaching team and teach here for real under the supervision and guidance of a genuine Master. Study is all very well but there is no substitute for genuine experience. Our internships are about competence and confidence. By the time you finish, you will already be an experienced teacher, ready to take on students of your own.
We chose 18 weeks because, in our opinion, you can learn to be a really good teacher, with direct teaching experience, of our Frost - Sun White Crane Soft and Gentle Art, our Sum Chien internal power building art, as well as Tong Ling Qigong and Vein Tendon Qigong in this time frame. This really sets you up as a teacher.
The cost is $8,801 in a Private Room or $6,287 in a Shared Room.
Kung Fu Internship - 28 Weeks
This is no small commitment: it is the experience of a lifetime! It is an opportunity reserved for people who know in their heart that they are ready for it. It builds on the 18 week internship and readies you to teach the harder Tiger Crane Combination art and the Shaolin Weapons system. In our opinion, based on many years of experience, you can learn to be a real Kung Fu teacher, a force to be reckoned with, in this time.
The cost is $13,692 in a Private Room or $9,780 in a Shared Room.
Full Nam Yang Internship - 52 Weeks
Our ultimate offering! If you want to go all in, if you want to turn your back on your previous life and devote yourself to Kung Fu, this is the chance that you have been looking for! What sets this opportunity apart is that if you train hard and perform to the standard that we expect, we will take you on as a full-time teacher at our Retreat. You will stay, train and eat indefinitely, free of charge, in return for teaching. Your life will undergo the most radical transformation imaginable.
The cost is $25,428 in a Private Room or $18,163 in a Shared Room.
Start Dates
- October 31st, 2026
- January 30th, 2027
- May 29th, 2027
At a glance
- Where: Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat, in the mountains 10 minutes from Pai, northern Thailand.
- Who teaches you: Master Iain Armstrong, two-time world Kung Fu champion, and our senior instructors.
- Options: 200 hour certification course (4 weeks), or internships of 12, 18, 28 or 52 weeks.
- Price: from $3,300 in a shared room, including training and accommodation at the Retreat.
- Questions? Talk with Prisca - she replies within 24 hours, usually less.
Follow your intuition and claim the respect that you deserve by taking the path of Kung Fu!
By training to be a teacher you can build a life around something which you believe in and which satisfies you. Now is the time to follow your calling, find your life-purpose and inspire others to do likewise
At our permanent Kung Fu Retreat in Thailand’s remote North Western mountains, we specialise in training the best Kung Fu teachers and readying them to teach, lead and enact positive change in people.
- Join one of the most established international Kung Fu families.
- Learn to empower people with confidence, self esteem, strength, health, fitness, wisdom and inner peace.
- Defend your self and others.
- Learn how to speak with your body language, facial expression and eye contact.
- Embark on a continuing journey of learning and discovery.
- Extend your personal boundaries, conquer your limitations.
- Lead the way in shaping future generations.
Why Train with us?
Our courses include both hard and soft Kung Fu and Qigong, examine the history, traditions, ethos, culture and philosophy of real Kung Fu and include practical down to Earth training on how to teach, how to lead people and ‘people skills’. Experienced teachers know that these skills are the ones which will make or break you as a teacher!
Our Retreat is unlike anything else that you are likely to have experienced: why settle for anything less? This is going to be more than just a course, it is going to be an experience which will change your life-path and which you will remember for the rest of your life.
Our certificates are the best! We cut no corners and have spared no expense in creating what we genuinely believe are the best certificates that we could make. Because we believe that the graduates from our courses are the best and they deserve the best.
Why now?
Grandmaster Tan was famous for saying that to succeed in Kung Fu you need only do two things: start - and not give up! It is also said that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago - the second best time is today. If you don’t start now, when will you start?
This is dramatic stuff! The decision to become a Kung Fu teacher is a life-changing one, not to be taken lightly, and certainly not for everyone. If you think that you might have what it takes, that you might be the special type of person that we are looking for, please speak with one of our teachers and let us guide you.
