My passion for Martial arts was ignited in the 70’s through discovering the late great Bruce Lee. It was during this time aged 8, that my Dad and I went along to our first Kung Fu lesson and I have pretty much been hooked on martial arts ever since. I went on to train in Chinese boxing reaching 1 st degree black belt. Thereafter, I trained in Taekwondo, again achieving 1 st degree black belt and it was during this time I competed in many tournaments with a great deal off success. Over time I began to move away from competition based fighting and developed a keener interest in more self-defence based movement and awareness. As a result, I began training in Wing Chun Kung Fu in 2003.At the time Sifu Russ was the assistant instructor at the school and I have been training under Sifu Russ along with the inception of the WCK UK organisation ever since. The direct nature of Wing Chun, its effective application, simplicity of body mechanics and historical development fascinate me and my passion for Kung Fu is as strong today as it was at the beginning all those years ago! Steve Dare

Hi my name is Mike Coombs. My interest in martial arts started a long time ago in my teenage years, and like most of my contemporaries at the time, the only person worth watching was Bruce Lee. Many years later, I met Sifu Russell Benham when he was promoting Wing Chun while on tour in central London. I asked Sifu if I could join his class. I was delighted to be accepted and joined his popular weekly group training sessions. I have been a privileged member of the WCK UK since 2016. Over the years I have learnt that Wing Chun is not flashy choreography like a Bruce Lee film, but a direct and assertive self defence system. Anyone can train in Wing Chun and my Sifu not only teaches technique in a relaxed manner through ‘forms’, but shows his students how to take those forms and apply them in real world self-defence. My Sifu stresses simplicity, directness, practicality, economy of movement with the minimum use of force. Over the years, I have been lucky enough to make firm friends with my fellow students. They have stood by me when I faced personal difficulties. For me, Wing Chun is not only an effective self defence system, but a way of life. Serious Wing Chun practitioners apply Wing Chun principles with regular practice and commitment. Wing Chun helps practitioners to improve their fitness, awareness and confidence. Wing Chun cannot make you indestructible, but it does help you to use significant force in a flexible and relaxed way. I am happy to recommend Wing Chun as an effective self-defence system, and Sifu Russell Benham who is dedicated to imparting his extensive knowledge to students. As a student and Wing Chun practitioner, my duty is to be good student and train regularly. Mike Coombs Wing Chun Technician

The best thing is to not fight at all. But if you must then fight fearlessly and effectively. From my training so far, and research across different martial arts I can confidently say Wing Chun is all these things and more. I first began my training 10 years ago in Wing Chun and discovered a passion which I've carried ever since. I ceased my training after a couple of tumultuous years, but started again when I met Sifu Russell Benham. Formerly WCK Wimbledon and now Banstead, I began with Russell 3 years ago and I've never looked back. Banstead Wing Chun is a mix of wonderful abilities and incredible characters, a real community of like-minded martial artists, who at our core love and respect Wing Chun and one another. I'm proud to represent this school, and even prouder to help and support all members, old and new with their training. No one can show up for you, but we can show you the way once you arrive. James