The Jade Dragon School teaches authentic tai chi chuan and yu lung chuan (Jade Dragon Kung Fu) from beginner to advanced levels alongside qigong and other advanced internal practices.
The school is run by Paul Chapman – tai chi and kung fu lineage master who specialises in working with people’s posture, movement and breathing to restore healthy balance and help them move in an effortlessly powerful way.
Paul Chapman started his training in 1986 and was awarded teacher status in 1998 after the traditional twelve years study (one full cycle of the Chinese zodiac). His own masters Li Jianguo and David Irvine were great believers in continuous experimentation. They did not believe in teaching rote what had been passed down over generations as much of the higher knowledge gets lost that way. Instead they pushed their students to constantly experiment and adapt everything they learned towards the ultimate goal of maximum power with minimum effort.
This experimentation, adaptation and changing of what has been learned is far rarer than you can imagine. Very few schools are prepared to change, in even the slightest way, the skills that have been passed down. So over time they get watered down and much of the higher knowledge is lost.
Paul Chapman took over the running of the school completely in 2003 and has kept up the traditions of experimentation and adaptation over the last twenty years.
There are very few teachers in Britain who know more about how to change your posture and breathing to help you let go of your tensions, calm your mind and move with a fluid, effortless power.
The Jade Dragon School teaches tai chi and eight animal kung fu styles from beginner to advanced levels. We teach deeper, more advanced skills than most other schools. Over the years our training has helped around two thousand people become less stressed, more mobile and reduce a wide range of chronic health conditions.
The origins of our school lie in a temple on the slopes of the Jade Dragon snow mountain in South West China. The temple isn’t there any more but we keep the traditions and training alive.
“When I first joined the school I saw my master, this little old man performing apparent miracles. I couldn’t believe such a small, elderly man could have so much power and could move so quickly without ever getting tired or out of breath. He could effortlessly throw guys around who were 2-3 times his size. I wanted to know how that was possible.
I realised that all I had learned about health and fitness was only a small part of the story and I wanted to know more.
In essence I teach people how to use their body. How to hold it and move it with that same effortless power. We work on breathing, posture, visualisations, energy, rooting, mindfulness, philosophy, meditation and so on.
Teaching my first class was challenging. I tried to give too much and ended up confusing the students who didn’t last long. I quickly learned how to take just one small element and break it down so they could understand it.
I experimented constantly to see what worked and what worked better. The smallest changes in how you hold and move your body can make a massive difference. My students love my demonstrations and I now feel I’m approaching the skill levels of my own Master though its taken me over 20 years of experimentation to get there.
I now teach tai chi and kung fu classes throughout Central and East Berkshire. I also offer personal training, online courses and this year for the first time I am also running two retreats.
So many schools and teachers these days combine practices from China, India, Tibet, Japan etc. There is a mishmash of philosophies and practices that don’t necessarily work together. We teach pure Chinese internal arts with a deep understanding of how they work both from a martial and healing perspective. This is very rare in the modern age.”
Master Paul Chapman
- Tai Chi and Kung Fu Lineage Master
- Stress Expert
- Author
- 40 years experience
“I can teach anyone to gain power, balance and stability through relaxation.
Lots of people tell you to relax but they can’t tell you how to relax. That’s what I do.”
Paul is also a qualified Sports Therapist and Hypnotherapist. He has been a college lecturer, worked in corporate fitness and been a Stress Coach. Everything he’s done has increase his knowledge of how to use the mind and body together to turbocharge your potential.
Paul realised these skills could benefit pretty much anyone. So many people use their body in a disjointed and clumsy way. They waste energy and hold onto tension and this leads to a range of chronic health conditions. It just doesn’t have to be that way.
He has published two books to date. His first was “Stress Proof Your Body” which is a ground-breaking book about how physical tension is the cause of many ills not stress. His second book “The Effortless Power of Kung Fu” contains the background, training and tactics of real kung fu which is nothing like it is so often depicted in the movies.
Over many years Paul has become an expert on stress and how to reduce its effects by working with your posture, movements and breathing. His demonstrations are amazing and his knowledge is encyclopaedic.
Paul is well known among his legion of loyal students for making the more advanced concepts of kung fu and tai chi, which are rarely taught, accessible to everyone.
This year he will be running two retreats in Oxfordshire which has been a long held dream of his.
One to One Training
One to one training is the fastest way to learn the skills you want. Every session is all about you – your needs and your goals.
You choose what you want to learn rather than being restricted to the pace and syllabus of a class.
Online training from £40 per hour
Face to face training from £60 per hour
Contact Us
For more information contact Paul Chapman on 07788 588815
or email info@jadedragonschool.com
