Instructors

Colin David Stevens
Founder and Senior Instructor (Sifu)

Like most people of my generation, my introduction to martial arts came through the television series Kung Fu,starring David Carradine. I was always interested in martial arts, but it wasn't until I suffered a rather severe back injury that I started my first lesson. A Chinese friend, who I met through my building business, suggested I take up Tai Chi Chuan as it would improve my lower back injury.

I met my first Tai Chi teacher, John Fowler. Like all students of martial arts, I owe a debt of gratitude to my teacher for pointing me in the right direction. That was in the days before Wuji was born. Through John we met and started to train with Nigel Sutton, Chief Instructor and founder of Zhong Ding. I trained under him and John for a number of years, eventually being graded as a Junior Instructor. Through Nigel's wife, Feng,we were introduced to Master Tan Ching Ngee, everybody flourished under his guidance,as most of us had never trained with a Chinese Master before.

When Nigel and Feng moved to Batu Pahat in Malaysia, other Masters became known to us, notably Master Lau Kim Hong and Master Koh-Ah-Tee - true exponents of the Cheng Man Ching 37 Posture Form.

During my training with these Masters, I found a different kind of strength was required to perform and execute the moves correctly. This required a different way of training and study. The Cheng Man Ching form comes from the inside. This was something I had to research and find out for myself by actually feeling the form rather than doing it mechanically. This is now my study. After all, Cheng Man Ching said, after a lifetime of training he only understood everything up to first cross hands.

Eventually, after further study and training, I achieved full Instructor level, starting my own classes three times a week. In 1998 I was part of the 10th Anniversary Team that toured Malaysia under the leadership of Chief Instructor, Nigel Sutton. There were times when we had to perform and demonstrate Cheng Man Ching, Dao, Sanshou and Tui Shou in front of our Masters and their students. I hope we didn't let anyone down!

Tai Chi comes from the inside to the out. Total relaxation is required, energy / chi moves the body. The mind is the messenger, where the mind goes the chi will follow. This I believe is mind and body in harmony.

My goal is to see my students perform this way. Even our Masters are human. If they have obtained the knowledge, so can we. Train hard, study hard, above all else be open to others, they may know more than you.

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Shane Robinson
Instructor

I started training in Karate in 1986 and trained in Derbyshire and Yorkshire and even on the Isle of Wight in a number of styles, where I managed to gain a Black Belt, but not without a few injuries along the way!

In 1992 I moved down to live in Brixham and started training at Paignton where in one session we where doing free style sparring and I recieved a round house kick to the ribs which put me out of action for a number of weeks. The funniest thing was the person who kicked me told me about Tai Chi and introduced me to Colin Steven's class at the Y.M.C.A in Paignton. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and I could see how effective Tai Chi could be.

After training for a couple of months in Tai Chi I went back to Karate and I could see that it had improved my reaction time far more than Karate ever had, I was more relaxed therefore faster in blocking and striking. But my Karate Instructor pointed out that my arms and legs were not correctly locked. I realised I was becoming more influenced by the way of Tai Chi than my Karate training, so I knew it was time to choose between the Martial Arts, and I knew after a few months of training in Tai Chi that it was the one for me. So from that day on I stopped Karate and concentrated on Tai Chi, and now I have gained a knowledge of Cheng Man-Ching 37 posture form. My training program consists of San-shou, Da-lu, Broad sword, Staff and Spear forms, and along the way I have trained with many people such as Master Lau Kim Hong, Master Lee and Master Tan Ching Ngee.

In 1996 I took my Black Belt Grading under Master Nigel Sutton, his wife Feng and John Fowler, in which I passed and then became an Instructor and from that day I have instructed under the Guidance of my Senior Instructor Colin Stevens.

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Michael Gregory
Junior Instructor

My interest in T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) first began when I saw the ying yang symbol on the front of a book in the library, the symbol was so striking and simple it compelled me read some of the book. I read that the principles of T’ai Chi are based on the Yin and Yang circle. The book said that T’ai Chi springs from Wu Chi, the primordial state of the universe, also described as the void, the limitless, nothingness. Wu Chi, represented by an empty circle, gives birth to T’ai Chi, the mother of the Yin/Yang polarity, the source of motion and tranquility.

Many things in the book interested me but in particular the heath benefits for asthmatics stood out as I had been asthma suffer from a yearly age. With this new found knowledge I decided to look for a teacher in the local area. Luckily for me Colin was teaching in Ivybridge at the time. I attended my first tai chi class in August 1999 and it felt anything but natural at first, but I persevered. One of the first adjustments made to my posture by Colin was to sink my chest to raise the back, he then told me to breath from the dantien located just below the navel. With much practice my asthma improved, will still more practice my as asthma disappeared.

Although my initially interest in T’ai Chi was for its heath benefits I soon realised, through lessons and research that to truly understand it I must study it as a martial art as it was indented. T’ai Chi Ch’uan martial work furthers our understanding of the principles of the system, giving us the opportunity for practical application of the principles of yielding, softness and rooted-ness. We learn to develop a greater sense of awareness of our self, energy, body, as well as an experience of conflict. We also learn how to develop a greater awareness of others, by learning this sensitivity and combining softness, yielding and rooted-ness.

Gradually I have become addicted to tai chi, and now I feel I can no longer get rid of it, is in my body and mind. I know I must keep on practicing for my whole life as it is the only way to further improve and better myself. The more I practice, the more I want to learn from teachers and books. The more I learn, the less I feel I know. The theory and philosophy of Taijiquan is so profound and abstruse!

I became a Junior Instructor in December 2004. My focus now is to develop my skill to the best of my ability through hard training and study of the classics, while passing my knowledge on with minimal dilution.

One of the most important lessons passed on to me by Sifu, Colin Stevens is to have beginners mind, to have no preconceptions always open to new experiences and teachings.

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Stephen Kingwell
Junior Instructor

I've always been interested in Martial Arts, even from an early age. I suspect the old kung fu videos my grandparents used to rent for me and my brother when we visited had something to do with it. In my mid teens I experimented with both Karate (Shotokan) and Western Fencing. I enjoyed them both, however training was interrupted when I studied for my school exams, afterwards I'd noticed a new Kung fu school had opened in my home town so I was interested to investigate.

I studied Feng Shou Kung Fu regularly for the next year or two, it seemed to me more relaxed than Karate, and I was interested in some of the weapon styles that weren't present in fencing. My training here ended with a combination of the class folding and my sojourn away to university. While at university I searched for suitable Kung fu classes but didn't find any style that appealed to me as much as my previous one had. I dabbled again a little with fencing and joined the university club, gaining a couple of grades in the foil, but due to lack of time and suitable classes my martial arts tuition didn't start again properly until after I graduated.

Several months after I had returned to Devon, I'd been reading various books on Martial Arts and Chinese Philosophy and I discovered T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) was more than just an exercise system, but a valid form of Martial Art with a strong philosophical content. After some further research online and in the library I decided to contact one of the local instructors, and in the late summer of 1998 I started classes. The instructor I spoke with was of course Sifu Colin Stevens.

Since then I have studied solely Taijiquan and through Colin I've been privileged enough to meet a number of instructors from around the world and to study further both around the UK and in Europe. I've also been privileged enough to meet the variety of other students I call my friends and peers.

The past few years haven't always been easy, with Taijiquan sometimes what can seem like huge steps are really only small ones, but these small steps accumulate and what can seem insignificant at first can hold great clues to further progress. It's an ongoing journey, but if I try and envision my future without the internal martial arts in it in some form I now have difficulty. When Colin asked me to help teach in class, it was a further challenge, but it also helps me to deepen my own understanding of the art by viewing what I do through the questions of others.

Historically these arts have been taught to soldiers and sages, commoners and royalty. Where once a person with skills could wander with a sword on their back and always find work, what relevance do these arts now have today? Now classes and the art seem to still attract a large variety of people from all walks of life. Taijiquan offers a way to promote health and reduce stress, along with a viable form of self-defence. At a time when stress induced illness can strike us all, and violent crime is amongst the highest growing crime statistic, I think the art is still very relevant.

My aim now is to further my own skills and knowledge in Taijiquan and the internal arts, through both tuition and self-study, while promoting such arts where I can for others.

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