Having trained in Martial Arts for over 30 years. Under his guidance,  you will work on information and training methods that cannot be disputed,  have true function and work in the real world of combat. Having questioned his understanding and the understanding of others for many years, Sifu Kokkorakis offers a method of teaching and progression that is second to none. The methods Sifu Kokkorakis teaches are based on sound application of technique for self preservation, what he teaches, works for real. He has taught Professional Soldiers, Body Guards and Police Officers and is endorsed by all for his approach to training. He is no longer under the guidance of teachers, he is a master of his craft, capable of teaching novice students and highly accomplished fighters alike.

What’s more what you will study improves your flexibility, balance, strength, co-ordination and and over all mental and physical health and is something you can practice at any age. Give it a trial, you have nothing to lose.

‘The Ultimate Way’ diagram encompasses the Jin Kuen system as taught at the UMAA and is designed, owned and copyright protected by Sifu Kokkorakis

Common Q&A:

Who was your first teacher?

My first teacher was a filipino Master named Guru Lup Sing Ho (Mr Ho),that owned a Martial Arts supply store where I lived. He was a great man to me and took me under his wing, let me hang around his shop (which I did as often as I could) and help him out. During quiet periods he would teach me Escrima and Balisong, some Nunchuku and techniques, the rest of the time I would read the books available there. I also attended his classes in Wu Shu Kwan.

When did you get into Wing Chun?

Well It really came about due to a hip injury. I’d been cross training with my good friends, one an ABA boxer and the other, who later tried out for the Olympic Tae Kwon Do team  for about 2 years and had also taken up Aikido while living in Lincoln. I then moved to Oxford and joined Sensei Kanetsuka Aikido Dojo there. Around that time I had a training accident and badly injured my hip. Until my recovery which took well over a year, kicking of any kind was off the menu, So I looked for something else to do.

For a year I took up Kendo, Yang and Wudang Tai Chi. My hip injury had improved and then prompted by my best friend,  (now certified Instructor in Ip Chuns Wing Chun), I also investigated Wing Chun at his school in Leeds. After my first lesson there I was hooked. It was the first time in my training history that I had ever felt completely out of my comfort zone in training. I had been paired up with a young lad and was told “try what you like on him”. Being overly confident in my sparring skills, I’d had ALOT of practice, I set myself up to kick ass, and was completely dominated at every turn. I had nothing to give this guy, couldn’t get away from him and was shown in no uncertain terms that he was in charge of my position. Every time I attempted a kick or punch, he would easily counter me and dominate my balance while hanging a fist at my face. The buzz of excitement I felt from that first session has kept me hooked ever since, I was determined to Master this skill.

When did you decide to teach?

After many years of training across several Lineages, When new friends found out what I was into, some would ask for a lesson here and there. By the time I’d moved to Oxford, my reputation got around Uni pretty fast as a martial artist, and I was introduced to an instructor there that had set up a club, (it still runs today). He asked me to teach classes with him which I did for around a year. To be honest, as it progressed I became a little concerned with the training methods there and distanced myself from it,  focusing more on my continued personal development. At that time, I began teaching privately, one of my students being a serving police officer and so reality based applications became the focus of my attention. This further challenged me to look at the approach of the mainstream methods for Wing Chun practice and change the way I practiced it.

Do you consider Wing Chun to be the best style?

Wing Chun is not a style, it is a system, a formula. If you adhere to the formula, you cannot find a better method for combat. Of course there is a lot of bad practice out there, but the system of Wing Chun is solid gold, and if applied as it should be, is unbeatable as a fighting/battlefield/life on the line, life or death system. There is nothing better out there, and believe me I’ve looked for it. It’s no nonsense approach to its subject matter cannot be disputed, but as I say, there are some bad examples of it out there and I’m afraid to say, its critics, latch onto those bad examples, because to recognise the good ones, would force them to change their attitude.

Of course, as with anything, if you want to really make it work you have to train it hard the first few years, once a week with no further thought of it is not going to get you to a place where you can use it for real. It must become part of your everyday thought process with at least 100 strikes to the wall bag a day. At least

What do you think of MMA?

We’re doing it at my school. Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Ka-li, Qin Na are all part of the mixed Martial Arts Skills. They all have, ‘Ti, Da, Shui, Na” ,or “Kicking, Punching, Wrestling and Joint manipulation, but they also specialise in weapons skills, body mechanics, multiple striking tools and targets, energy projection, inch power, torque rotation. The systems cover deeper aspects of the fighting skills so when you need them, you can apply them in any arena, against any opponent armed or unarmed. They are “complete fighting systems”. These skills come from the battlefields and have been honed over centuries, with many generations of people perfecting them. The basics can be learned quickly, but the depth of knowledge can keep the more dedicated challenged for years, as the advanced skills take time to discover and unravel, time to learn and physically apply and internalise.

The argument I see amongst the “modern MMA” enthusiasts are that traditional martial arts “takes to long to learn”, are”unrealistically applied” etc. I agree, most traditional schools are entrenched in formality,  forms and wishful thinking, but not all schools approach complete systems that way. So, it depends on where you go for tuition, what style or system you look at and how it is being applied by the instructors. I’m teaching skills I know are better than 90% of the schools teaching out there, because I know my $^!T. If you took any MMA coach of any level and pit them against one of the Gracie brothers for instance, they will have their balls served to them on a plate, because the Gracies brothers have trained all their lives, they are masters of the ground game. There is no shortcut to Mastery, and when you’re there, it doesn’t matter what name you give your fighting art, but some fighting systems make competent fighters faster than others, and some have more levels of subtlety to acquire.

MMA in its current form is heavily based in Brazilian/Japanese Ju Jitsu with kickboxing. That’s why a lot of clubs are still running “specialized” classes alongside what’s called MMA. Systems like Krav Maga for instance. But if you look at that in itself, it’s MMA again, but now a mix of Qin Na, Tae Kwon Do and Wing Chun. I can obtain a qualification to teach Krav Maga in a week, but if you were to try and obtain a qualification or explain with physical skill, the system of Wing Chun in that period of time, it would be impossible.

So I myself am a mixed Martial Artist but I’ve spent many years on each set of fighting tools. 10 years on leg skills, 20 years on hand skills, 15 years on anti grappling skills, 30 years on weapons skills etc and I know what I would use in a real life dangerous situation. I’d still feel all the instinctive natural responses to threats of violence,  fear,       flight response, heightened awareness, emotional anguish, adrenaline, but the training would take over, and the greatest instinct of all, survival, powers the fight responses. With no chance of flight, you have to fight. When you do, absolutely anything goes!

Could Wing Chun be considered for Competition?

Wing Chun is a set of skills and tools, angles of attack that defend the user while simultaneously attacking the aggressor. It hits every area that would be illegal in any combat sport. You are taught to grab and break fingers, gauge eyes, punch and palm ears, pull hair if available, hack elbows and stomp knees, stamp toes, crush throats, literally break anything you can within seconds of the conflict starting. It’s not for competition. It’s trained to perhaps one day save your life. So if someone brings conflict to you, and no matter how hard you try to avoid it, remain polite and calm, talk them down etc, if they insist on attempting to harm, cripple or kill you, you will take them out with ruthless efficiency. Of course you can ramp up training to have the sparring/realism edge, but only when your level of skill control is sufficient to hit the sensitive areas without inflicting damage. It takes years of dedicated training to reach that level.

Are there a lot of injuries in training at the LMAA?

No. Never, at least not at my school.

At my club, we train with the utmost control, because the skill is in the movement, the perfect execution of position, married to explosive energy, lighting reactions, and sublime technical excellence and control, I demand quite a lot of my students, I maybe nag too much. If you ever need to use what you learn with me because your life is on the line, it will take care of you all by itself, your fear, anger, adrenaline and your skill will be enough to destroy whoever is bringing the fight to you.

In training, the skill is in your ability to stop the power short of damaging your training partner while being able to deliver many accurately placed striking actions within a split second, that would drop anyone no matter what their size, strength or condition. We don’t train to take shots to the head because it’s unhealthy and creates bad form. A saying in Wing Chun is “Your head is made of glass, your body made of straw, your arms are made of iron, they will defend you”. Most of the guys at my school have become friends, they trust each other and work with each other to improve their understanding. It’s a great atmosphere there.

Have you ever used your training for real?

Yes, and my training got me out of some very nasty situations. Unfortunately, stepping in to protect people has mean’t I’ve used my skills, and in  certain situations, people have been hurt. It’s nothing to be proud of, but sometimes violent confrontation cannot be avoided. I’ve also had my skills challenged by other “trained” high level martial artists, and my training has never let me down. When you’re younger it’s ok to test your skills, especially when you’re not the one forcing the situation of conflict. Acting in “self defence” makes you fight that little bit harder and gives you the moral high ground when your staring down your fists at a broken opponent on the floor.

What do you still practice?

Well I still practice my Stick, Knife and sword skills, my Balisong, the Katana and Jian. Of course I also practice the Wing Chun weapons but the benefit derived from them is more to do with body conditioning and accuracy. I’m still perfecting my Wing Chun, my Tai Chi Chuan and my Qin Na, and at my age, its enough. I don’t do the kicking thing anymore but encourage my students to learn the more complex kicking and boxing techniques, its all great and just needs to be applied at the right time to be totally efficient and effective. But Wing Chun Jin Kuen is the priority in my daily practice.

What do you think of the legends of Wing Chun?

The story of it being created by a woman is one that I believe is more to do with the thinking behind the system than actual fact. The concept is one that I see of being like the story of David and Goliath as the skills it imparts allow the weak to overcome the strong. It is a very special fighting system that teaches the user how to stand up for themselves amongst overwhelming odds. It requires thought and reflection to understand it, it is challenging mentally as it is physically and is so deep in content that it can take a lifetime to master, but with each year of practice you still feel you have learned so much. I like that about the system, practising it is a very satisfying way to spend your free time.