Young Dragons

Wing Chun classes are held at The Han Lon Centre, Tyldesley

New Class – Starting January 2025:

Children’s class 8 – 11 year old – Tuesdays at 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Please note: To avoid disappointment and a wasted journey, please do not just turn up for a class. Always contact us first for class availability.

Young Dragons Wing Chun Class Message to parents by Sifu Derek O’Hanlon

Dear Parents,
Our children’s classes are a little different from some Martial Arts Classes because we adopt a more holistic approach to our teaching. By that, I mean a Yin & Yang methodology which involves a soft and hard way of teaching. Traditionally, all martial arts usually teach this way.

They say traditional Martial Art is more of a lifestyle choice rather than just a way of being able to defend yourself. It affects your life in all kinds of ways. Every good Kung Fu school would have a blend of Yin & Yang.

What do I mean by Yin & Yang?

Yin

We train our students in:

• Chinese health exercise
• Breathing
• Meditation.

This helps with:

• Mental health
• Relaxation
• Focus
• Concentration
• Self awareness
• Chi energy promotion
• Boosting your body’s immune system
• Inner health
• How to stay calm and relaxed in stressful and pressured situations

Yang

We train our students in:

• Open Hand Self Defence Techniques
• Drill work
• Pad work

This helps with:

• Timing
• Speed
• Coordination
• Conditioning
• Confidence

With the Yin side of our training, we have inner health exercises that are good for promoting chi energy and our immune system.

The exercises also help promote a powerful mind and help with concentration. The techniques learned will help children stay calm and relaxed in stressful situations. This part of our teaching is what you might call an internal workout rather than an external workout.

The Yang side of our teaching is the more physical part of our training; it helps develop skills on how to defend in various situations with lots of traditional training methods to develop speed, timing, coordination and motor skills. These skills give the student great confidence and self-belief.

So many pressures are building for younger children in this age group, with the transition to “Big School” getting ever closer or just beginning. That is why I think that this age group is so important.

For a child to start secondary school with a positive mind and inner confidence can only be a good thing, bringing some peace of mind for parents too. Our children have the intelligence to listen and understand what is being taught. Learning these positive skills early in life can only be a good thing.

Finding the right path

When asked which is the best Martial Art, I wouldn’t immediately say, “it’s mine”. Purely because every child is different, a gentler approach is good for some and a harder approach for others. Whatever Martial Art it is, most instructors are all trying to help people in different ways, drawing upon our individual expertise..

The good thing now is that there is plenty of choice in Martial Arts for everyone. It’s a question of finding what’s best for your child.

Introduction to our school

Why not join us on one of our introductory nights to give you an understanding of what we do. For new students who are interested in joining a class, I would like to meet you, the parent(s) and your child individually first. This allows me to explain our approach in more detail and chat with you and your child regarding what your child wants to get out of the classes and the costs involved. We can then decide if our school is a good fit or not. It also allows you to ask any questions too.

After many years of teaching, I feel that this is a good starting point and it will give you a good idea of what to expect once your child starts training with us. Hopefully your child will stay for quite a while.

Our school has a hard-working ethos and is a fun environment where everyone helps and shows respect to each other. We promote ideas and philosophies to help the children grow and recognise that they can go on to achieve anything. Wing Chun is a positive force that will help them grow into amazing people.

Class details:

Primary school (8-11 years)
Cost is £20 per month for one class per week or £30 per month for 2 classes per week.
Each class is 45 minutes

Secondary school (11-14 years)
Cost is £24 per month for one class per week or £36 per month for 2 classes per week.
Each class is 60 minutes

PRIVATE TUITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL GROUPS.

Our classes our provided by fully insured, qualified and DBS certified instructors.