- 07352 460738
- team@schoolsofkungfubrighton.co.uk
James Briggs is the Head Instructor of Schools of Kung Fu Brighton, bringing more than a decade of Wing Chun experience together with a genuine passion for helping children and adults discover the benefits of martial arts.
His own martial arts journey extends beyond Wing Chun, with previous experience in karate and boxing, giving him an appreciation of different approaches to training, movement and personal development. However, it was Wing Chun that became the focus of his long-term study.
James has trained extensively within the Schools of Kung Fu organisation under Sifu Keith Monk at Schools of Kung Fu Sutton and continues to develop both his technical knowledge and his ability as a professional martial arts instructor.
Importantly for prospective students and parents, martial arts isn’t simply something James teaches for a few hours each week — it is his profession.
James currently works full-time at Schools of Kung Fu Sutton, one of the largest and busiest Schools of Kung Fu locations in the UK. Working within a successful full-time martial arts school gives James valuable day-to-day experience teaching and supporting students at different stages of their journey, from complete beginners attending their first lesson through to established students progressing through the Schools of Kung Fu syllabus.
It also means he is continually surrounded by experienced instructors, established teaching systems and the professional standards expected throughout the Schools of Kung Fu organisation. That experience is now being brought directly to Schools of Kung Fu Brighton.
James understands that walking into a martial arts school for the first time can feel daunting. You may have never trained before. Your child may be nervous or naturally shy. You may wonder whether you’ll be fit enough, coordinated enough or whether martial arts is really for you.
James’s approach is to make that first experience as welcoming and positive as possible. Students aren’t expected to arrive knowing anything — they’re there to learn. Lessons are taught progressively, allowing students to build strong foundations, understand what they’re doing and develop at a pace appropriate to their experience.
For children, that means creating an environment where learning is structured but enjoyable, with encouragement, clear expectations and opportunities to celebrate progress. For adults, it means professional Wing Chun tuition without ego or intimidation, where complete beginners can feel comfortable asking questions and learning alongside more experienced students.
One of the core principles within Schools of Kung Fu is that instructors should never stop being students themselves. James continues his own Wing Chun training and instructor development through the wider Schools of Kung Fu organisation, benefiting from the experience of senior instructors, UK Headquarters and the national instructor development structure.
This ongoing development allows him to continually refine not only his Wing Chun knowledge, but also the way he communicates and teaches that knowledge to others.
As Head Instructor, James’s goal is to establish Schools of Kung Fu Brighton as much more than somewhere people simply attend a martial arts class. His ambition is to build a genuine local community where children can grow through martial arts, adults can challenge themselves and students can enjoy progressing together for many years.
Whether you’re a parent looking for the right environment for your child or an adult who has been thinking about trying martial arts for years, James and the Schools of Kung Fu Brighton team will be there to guide you from your very first lesson.
James' Approach to Teaching
James looks forward to welcoming you to Schools of Kung Fu Brighton.
That might be a young child becoming confident enough to participate independently, an older child developing greater focus and discipline, or an adult walking into their first martial arts class and discovering something they want to continue learning for years.
James believes martial arts should be accessible to people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds. His aim is to build a friendly Brighton martial arts community where students enjoy their training, support one another and continually work towards improving themselves.
Reading about a martial arts school can only tell you so much. The best way to understand Schools of Kung Fu Brighton is to experience a class, meet James and see how we train.
Whether you’re considering classes for your child or thinking about beginning Wing Chun yourself, complete beginners are always welcome.
Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola has dedicated more than four decades to the study, teaching and continued development of traditional Chinese martial arts.
His journey began as a child and has taken him across Europe, Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand and other parts of Asia in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the history, principles and internal methods behind traditional martial arts.
While internationally recognised for his extensive work in Wing Chun, Sifu Sergio’s studies have never been limited to a single system. Over decades of dedicated training with respected teachers, his work has expanded to encompass the wider family of Chinese internal martial arts.
Sifu Sergio began formal Wing Chun training in the 1980s and went on to study numerous branches and historical lineages of the art. His search for deeper understanding led him to live and train extensively in Hong Kong and China, studying directly with masters and researching older systems and methods connected to the development of Wing Chun.
Based in Madeira, Portugal, the Eternal Spring Institute represents the culmination of much of Sifu Sergio’s lifetime of study. The Institute is dedicated to the teaching, preservation and continued development of Chinese internal martial arts and brings together practitioners and instructors from around the world.
Its programmes encompass Internal Wing Chun and related traditional systems, with opportunities for students to learn through seminars, intensive training, international events and online education. This allows knowledge that once required travelling across the world to find individual teachers to become accessible to a much broader international community.
An important part of Sifu Sergio’s work is ensuring this knowledge doesn’t stop with him. He continues to develop senior students and instructors who can responsibly pass these arts to future generations. One of those senior students is Sifu Alan Paterson, UK Chief Instructor of Schools of Kung Fu. Through Sifu Alan, that continual development reaches the Schools of Kung Fu instructor network throughout the United Kingdom.
For someone walking into Schools of Kung Fu Brighton for the first time, all of this history might initially seem a long way removed from their weekly class. In reality, it is one of the strengths of being part of Schools of Kung Fu.
Head Instructor James Briggs continues his development within the Schools of Kung Fu organisation. UK Chief Instructor Sifu Alan Paterson continues his development under Sifu Sergio. And Sifu Sergio continues travelling, studying and developing his own understanding of the internal martial arts.
Knowledge therefore continues moving through the organisation rather than standing still.
For our Brighton students, this means their local school is connected to something much bigger: an international community committed to preserving traditional knowledge while continually developing how it is understood and taught.
Sifu Alan Paterson is the UK Chief Instructor of Schools of Kung Fu and one of the senior students of Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola, with more than 30 years dedicated to the study and development of Wing Chun Kung Fu. His martial arts journey, however, began much earlier.
Sifu Alan first stepped onto the martial arts path at just nine years old, beginning with Judo. He trained for more than seven years, represented Surrey in the schools squad and also studied Jiu-jitsu before eventually discovering the martial art that would become the focus of his life: Wing Chun Kung Fu.
His Wing Chun journey took him through different stages of learning and development, including extensive seminar training throughout the UK and Europe. His determination to deepen his understanding also took him to Hong Kong, where he trained at Grand Master Leung Ting’s school and undertook private tuition. Those experiences helped establish a philosophy that continues to influence the Schools of Kung Fu organisation today:
In 2007, Sifu Alan’s martial arts journey entered an important new chapter when he began studying directly under Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola. Their teacher-student relationship has continued ever since. Over the years, Sifu Alan has undertaken extensive private and advanced training with Sifu Sergio in the UK and internationally, including London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and through the Eternal Spring Institute.
Today, even after decades of martial arts experience, Sifu Alan continues his own development under Sifu Sergio. This continuing relationship is important to the Schools of Kung Fu philosophy — the person responsible for developing instructors throughout the UK still has a teacher himself. Knowledge continues to move from one generation to the next.
His Wing Chun journey took him through different stages of learning and development, including extensive seminar training throughout the UK and Europe. His determination to deepen his understanding also took him to Hong Kong, where he trained at Grand Master Leung Ting’s school and undertook private tuition. Those experiences helped establish a philosophy that continues to influence the Schools of Kung Fu organisation today:
Today, Sifu Alan heads Schools of Kung Fu throughout the United Kingdom. His role extends far beyond teaching his own students. He is responsible for helping develop the instructors who lead Schools of Kung Fu locations around the country, maintaining teaching standards and supporting the continued development of the organisation.
National and senior instructors regularly come together at Schools of Kung Fu UK Headquarters in Croydon to train, exchange knowledge and continue developing under his leadership. This helps create consistency throughout the organisation while allowing every local school to develop its own community and identity.
Despite his national responsibilities, Sifu Alan remains actively involved in martial arts at ground level. He continues to lead and teach at Schools of Kung Fu UK Headquarters in Croydon, one of the largest and most established schools within the organisation. The dedicated full-time Headquarters operates seven days a week and provides classes for children and adults alongside instructor development, advanced training, seminars and leadership development.
For Sifu Alan, remaining connected to everyday students is important. The responsibility of leading a national martial arts organisation should never create distance from the people the organisation exists to serve.
One of Sifu Alan’s greatest contributions to Schools of Kung Fu has been the development of instructors. Many of the people now leading Schools of Kung Fu locations around the UK originally developed through the instructor pathway under his guidance.
His focus isn’t simply on producing technically capable martial artists. It is about developing instructors who can communicate knowledge effectively, lead responsibly and create positive environments where children and adults can enjoy learning. Those instructors then develop others, and the knowledge continues forward.
Sifu Alan’s experience has also taken his martial arts teaching into the wider community. His work has included unarmed defence training within the close-protection sector, relationships with educational and cultural organisations and involvement with schools and community initiatives. He has also supported extensive charitable fundraising through Schools of Kung Fu HQ, with students and instructors raising money for organisations supporting children, cancer research and other important causes.
For Sifu Alan, Schools of Kung Fu has always been about more than what happens during a martial arts class. It is about using martial arts, education and community to make a positive contribution beyond the training hall.
Schools of Kung Fu Brighton is a local school led by Head Instructor James Briggs. But James isn’t developing the school alone — he is part of an established instructor network with decades of knowledge and experience behind it. James continues developing within Schools of Kung Fu. National Instructor Sifu Kul Rai supports instructors and schools across England. Sifu Alan leads and develops the organisation throughout the UK. And Sifu Alan continues his own development under Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola.
For students and parents in Brighton, this creates something very valuable: a local instructor you know personally, a national organisation supporting his development, a UK Chief Instructor with decades of experience, and international guidance ensuring learning never stops.
That’s why Schools of Kung Fu Brighton can be a new school while benefiting from an established teaching structure and generations of martial arts experience from the very beginning.
Sifu Kul Rai is the National Instructor for England for Schools of Kung Fu, with more than two decades dedicated to the study, teaching and development of Wing Chun Kung Fu.
His martial arts journey began much earlier, inspired by Bruce Lee and Hong Kong martial arts cinema and encouraged by his father’s own involvement in Karate. Over the years, Sifu Kul explored several martial arts before discovering Wing Chun while at university. What began as an interest quickly developed into a lifelong commitment.
Sifu Kul progressed from dedicated student to instructor and, in 2005, began establishing and leading Schools of Kung Fu classes in Essex. Since then, he has taught students at virtually every stage of the martial arts journey, from young children experiencing their first lesson through to adult beginners, advanced practitioners and future instructors.
His work has also extended beyond the training hall through schools, community groups, local events and initiatives promoting martial arts, personal safety and self-defence. For Sifu Kul, teaching has never simply been about passing on techniques — it’s about helping people develop through martial arts and developing instructors who understand the responsibility that comes with teaching others.
Today, Sifu Kul serves as National Instructor for England, working closely with Sifu Alan Paterson, UK Chief Instructor, to support the continued development of Schools of Kung Fu and its instructors. Their relationship stretches back more than twenty years, and today they work together to support instructor development, teaching standards and the continued growth of Schools of Kung Fu.
Alongside his national responsibilities, Sifu Kul remains Head Instructor for Schools of Kung Fu Essex, overseeing the Chelmsford, Loughton and Woodford schools. Remaining actively involved at school level is important to his approach — senior instructors shouldn’t simply oversee an organisation from a distance. They should remain connected to students, instructors and the realities of teaching martial arts week after week.
His work has also extended beyond the training hall through schools, community groups, local events and initiatives promoting martial arts, personal safety and self-defence. For Sifu Kul, teaching has never simply been about passing on techniques — it’s about helping people develop through martial arts and developing instructors who understand the responsibility that comes with teaching others.
Despite more than twenty years of teaching, Sifu Kul continues to regard himself as a student. His own development continues under Sifu Alan Paterson and Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola, alongside continued training and development through the Eternal Spring Institute in Madeira, Portugal. In February 2023, Sifu Kul was awarded his Fifth Master Grade by Sifu Sergio at the Eternal Spring Institute.
For Sifu Kul, achieving another grade isn’t the end of a journey — it simply represents another stage of learning.
An increasingly important part of Sifu Kul’s role is helping develop the instructors who will carry Schools of Kung Fu forward. That means sharing experience gained from more than two decades of professional teaching, supporting instructor development and helping Head Instructors build strong schools within their own communities. This includes supporting James Briggs as Head Instructor of Schools of Kung Fu Brighton.
James leads the Brighton school and is responsible for the day-to-day teaching and development of its students, but he does so with the support of a much wider instructor network. That structure provides James with experienced instructors he can continue learning from, while ensuring the Brighton school remains connected to the teaching standards and development pathways of the wider organisation.
For Sifu Kul, achieving another grade isn’t the end of a journey — it simply represents another stage of learning.
For students and families considering Schools of Kung Fu Brighton, the organisational structure is intentionally straightforward. James Briggs leads your local school. Sifu Kul Rai, as National Instructor for England, supports instructor development and the growth of schools across England. Sifu Alan Paterson, as UK Chief Instructor, heads Schools of Kung Fu throughout the United Kingdom. And Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola provides international guidance while continuing his teaching and mentorship through the Eternal Spring Institute. Knowledge and experience therefore continue moving through the organisation rather than stopping with any one instructor.
After more than two decades of teaching, Sifu Kul’s focus is increasingly about what can be passed forward.
Developing instructors
Maintaining teaching standards
Supporting new schools
Helping more children and adults discover traditional Chinese martial arts
For Brighton students, that means their local instructor isn’t working alone. James and the Brighton team are supported by an established network of senior instructors who remain committed to their own development as well as the development of those they teach.