Instructors
Nima King
Nima started practising Wing Chun in Sydney, Australia, in Sifu Jim Fung’s Wing Chun Academy in 1998. He came to Hong Kong in 2005 to continue his practice with Jim Fung’s master, Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin, and continued to train under him full-time for nine years before he passed away in 2014. Of all the non-Chinese disciples of Grandmaster Chu in the past 60 years, Nima has spent the most time training under him. Even after Grandmaster Chu passed away, Nima continued to practise at Chu Shong Tin’s school, and is now one of the senior instructors there. Nima is also on the board of directors of the ‘Chu Shong Tin Alumni’, which was set up by Grandmaster Chu himself to ensure that his teachings would be preserved and passed on after he passed away.
Nima has over 14 years of Wing Chun teaching experience and is a certified Sifu in Wing Chun by the Ving Tsun Athletic Association (Ip Man’s official association). Since he began his Wing Chun practice, Nima has been training and teaching for over 50 hours a week.
Seb Soza
Seb studied martial arts for seven years before starting Wing Chun in 2000. He has one year’s experience in Karate and six years’ experience in boxing. Like Nima, Seb also started practising at Jim Fung’s Wing Chun Academy in Sydney, and he too moved to Hong Kong in 2006 to train directly under Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin (full-time, for up to six hours a day). In the last few years before he passed away, Grandmaster Chu voiced his opinion in many public gatherings that Nima King and Seb had already attained a high standard in his method of Wing Chun. Nima and Seb were the only non-Chinese students who were invited to write an article in Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin’s book, The Book of Wing Chun volume 2.
Tom Alison
Tom has been practising Wing Chun in Hong Kong full-time since 2007 in the Mindful Wing Chun system. His journey started in 2004 in the UK under a different lineage. He also has extensive experience in fitness and other martial arts systems. Before starting Wing Chun, he studied Judo for three years and Muay Thai for two years. Since 2005, Tom has been participating regularly in marathons and duathlons – that’s probably why Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin commented that he had a very strong build, which is a great vessel for Wing Chun applications. Tom shows his dedication to this beautiful art by practising and teaching for over 50 hours a week.
Lawrence Monsalud
Lawrence has been practising Wing Chun since 2007. He was actually Nima’s first student in Hong Kong. Within just one year of starting to practise Wing Chun, Lawrence had his first challenge fight against a Karate practitioner, whom he defeated within a few seconds (without hurting him!). Since he started practising, Lawrence hasn’t taken even a one-week break from his practice. He is a very dedicated student and teacher of this lineage’s method of Wing Chun, and at a young age he has already made a name for himself in the Chu Shong Tin Wing Chun community in Hong Kong.
Chris Tannous
Chris has been practicing Wing Chun since 2012. His passion and dedication to the practice is equal to those who have been doing it a lifetime! The proof lies in the fact that he gave up all his other pursuits, and even his career as a psychotherapist, to dedicate his time to teaching others the system that gave him the skills he has today. Amongst all the practitioners of Wing Chun, his skill level has developed almost the fastest, and he credits this to the system of learning that is taught at Mindful Wing Chun. As with all teachers of the Mindful Wing Chun system, Chris is a living example of how the development of relaxation and mind force can bring students to the level of a “martial arts instructor” in a country with many great and strong teachers.
Angela Tsang
Angela first encountered Wing Chun in 2012 when she wanted to learn some basic self-defense. She was introduced to a private Wing Chun practitioner, who became her Sifu and trained her intensively at his home for 2 years. After struggling with how aggressive and damaging her sparring had become, she decided to pause her training, while she continued to apply the traditional philosophical teachings in her every day life.
Now, 10 years later, she has the opportunity to train and teach Wing Chun under the Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin lineage. The unique perspective of the Mindful Wing Chun system has been helpful for her to grasp a higher understanding of Wing Chun concepts and principles. She now realizes that she had difficulty with relaxation and control, and will use this journey to unlearn and relearn Wing Chun from a new perspective, to overcome her previous struggles.
Before joining the Mindful Wing Chun team, she specialized in supporting children and their families through socio-emotional and academic growth and development issues by combining her skills in education and psychological counselling.