Established 1989

The History & Establishment of
Shaolin Freestyle Chinese Boxing

The origins of Shaolin Freestyle Kung Fu can be traced back to Sifu Robert “Bob” Johnson’s a martial artist who was influenced by several different styles and brought it to the UK where it has continued to develop and evolve into the style we practice today.

Sifu Bob’s father worked in the Military Police in Northern India in the 1930s until sometime during the Second World War where he introduced Bob to an Ustad (teacher) Nihung warrior from whom he spent several years learning Sikh fighting arts. After returning to the UK Bob studied Karate before the age of 18 when he joined the Royal Military Police.

In 1949 Bob was posted in Hong Kong and it was during this time that the Communist party took over China and outlawed martial arts forcing many Kung Fu masters to escape China to avoid persecution and settled in Hong Kong. Sifu Bob took up Kung Fu following a street fight which involved Master Wong Cheung.

Sifu Bob introduced himself to Master Wong and persuaded him to teach him Black Tiger Kung Fu. Due to Bob’s skill, he was invited to a special community of Kung Fu masters who would meet and exchange ideas from their styles for practical fighting purposes.

These styles included Black Tiger, White Tiger, Ripping Tiger, Bagua, Wing Chun and Hsing I. Between 1951 and 1960s Sifu Bob travelled learning more about martial arts in India and in New Zealand, where he further studied Karate under Master P Mizutane. Returning to the UK in 1964 Sifu Bob then exclusively focused on teaching Kung Fu to all his students, and it was during the 1960’s that he built a core group of instructors which included Tom Carey.

Sifu Tom Carey and Sifu Bob Johnson trained Sifu Ted Harris under the Chinese Boxing Association. Sifu Ted Harris then continued to teach Shaolin Tiger Ripping style. Sifu Dave Porter joined the club in June 1976 and was taught by Sifu Ted Harris together with Sifus Bob Holden and Sifu Bob Jones who taught who is the current Club’s Chief Instructor.

The Shaolin Tiger Ripping Club then split into two different clubs – Shaolin Fist and Shaolin Tiger, with Sifu John Holden and Sifu Dave Porter teaching under the Shaolin Fist style and Sifu Bob Jones continuing the Shaolin Tiger Style. Sifu Dave Porter continued to train under Sifu Bob Jones whilst running the Shaolin Fist style with Sifu John Holden and obtained his Black Sash on 25th October 1983 and his 1st degree on 4th June 1985 with Sifu John Holden. Sifu Dave Porter opened his first club around 1982.

The Club’s Current Assistant Chief Instructor Sifu Asa became a blackbelt under the Shaolin Fist Style but also trained under Shaolin Tiger.

The Shaolin Fist style was a very traditional training style focusing on conditional strength training which limited the number of people wishing to train. Sifu Dave Porter wanting to focus more on the sparring aspects and influenced by Bruce Lee’s philosophy of “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own” then broke away to focus on these aspects and later formed the Shaolin Freestyle Chinese Boxing Association together with Sifu Asa Darlison 1988.

Sifu Darren Checkley, the third member of the panel as it is today, trained under the Shaolin Fist Style.
The “Freestyle” was added to the club’s name for two main reasons, firstly to reflect the influences from other martial arts as well as the sports / competition fighting influences bought in by individuals such as Alfie Lewis.

Secondly so the club did not have to change the club suits and the logo remained SFCBA with the “F” in the logo now representing the Shaolin Freestyle Chinese Boxing Association and differentiating it from the more traditional Shaolin Fist style that continued to be taught by Sifu John Holden.

The forms in the Shaolin Freestyle Kung Fu Syllabus are a combination of Shaolin Fist, Shaolin Freestyle and new forms developed / adopted by the Senior Sifus of the Club. It should be noted that both Shaolin Fist and Shaolin Tiger had a different grading system which included differing numbers of sashes and forms to get to blackbelt as outlined in the table below.

We believe in an inclusive approach and the club continues to develop and evolve as the world changes around us and incorporates the specialist interests of our black belts.

We believe in an inclusive approach and the club continues to develop and evolve as the world changes around us and incorporates the specialist interests of our black belts.

Instructor Profiles

Sifu Dave Porter

Current Grade: 6th Degree Blackbelt
Started training: June 1976
Blackbelt obtained: October 1983
Other martial arts studied: Judo (Green belt), Taekwondo (brown belt), Aikido and Jiu Jitsu.
Specialist martial arts interest: Self-defence and sparring.
Trained In: Karate, kung fu, aikido, Ju jitsu and Taekwondo.
Influenced by: Bruce lee
Future Goals:
My two main goals for the club are to:
1. See our students get better and become stronger, confident, who respect themselves and others
2. The continuous development of SFCBA.

Sifu Darren Checkley

Current Grade: 4th Dan Blackbelt
Started training: November 1988
I tried Shotokan Karate around 1983 and Kickboxing around 1985. I joined Shaolin Fist in November 1988 and stayed with Sifu Dave and Asa when it changed to Shaolin Freestyle.
Blackbelt obtained: 1992. Alfie “the Animal” Lewis awarded me my black belt.
When did you first open your first club?
I mainly covered classes when Asa and Dave were away until I started a class with Sifu Graham Nailor in Wood End, Coventry around 1992. I went away to university in 1994 and ran an informal sparring club for a couple of years.
I opened my first “real” club in 1997 when I finished my degree and came back to Coventry, I haven’t stopped since.
Other martial arts studied:
I’ve dabbled in pretty much everything. At uni, I trained at a Tang Soo Do club for extra sparring, I also tried Muay Thai.
Part of the old black belt grading used to be training in other styles; for that I trained in kickboxing and Aikido.
I trained with Mick Tully and Al Peasland in Complete Self Protection under Geoff Thompson’s Real Combat System and achieved a Black Belt. This included Jeet Kune Do, Thai, Kali / Filipino Martial Arts, boxing and grappling ranges.
I currently train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and have a Blue Belt.
Specialist Martial Arts Interests:
I love the movement patterns created in all martial arts, I particularly like the drilling of movements in the Filipino Martial Arts and try to get some practice in with sticks when I can.
I love the physicality and puzzle solving of BJJ.
Although, my favourite element is still to go through forms and weapons forms. The 32 Step Tai Chi Sword form is pushing my brain and body. I’m trying to add more chi gung in to my weekly routine but haven’t made it a regular habit yet.
Favourite Martial Arts Film:
The Snake in Eagles Shadow was the first Kung Fu film I watched and I still watch it at least once per year.
Bloodsport, John Wick, Ip Man and the Raid films are all on my regular viewing list. Scott Adkins and Jason Statham are always fun to watch.
Next steps in your martial training / Future Goals:
I’ll continue to train and study BJJ and Kali.
I’m adding in some Qi Gung and breath work to give back to my body, the years of hard training are starting to show in my joints.
What do you think is the future direction of the club?
We have some amazing junior black belts / instructors in the club, helping them gain the confidence to start their own clubs and help them develop their own students.
For us older participants, incorporating more of the Chi Gung side of kung fu will keep us going for longer.
Fun Fact:
I designed the original Shaolin Freestyle logo for 'A' Level Art & Design. Can you guess which side is me and which side is Sifu Asa?

Martial Arts for Life

Martial arts training is not just repetition of a few movements – it is more about becoming a person who you are proud to be through physical and mental exertion.

WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT

Us & You

Shaolin Freestyle instructors strive to pass on the true meaning of martial arts and its traditional values while drawing on individual experience to incorporate modern concepts.

Shaolin Freestyle instructors and students will share their knowledge and experience to enhance the development of mind, body and spirit across the association.

Self Confidence

As part of our instructor’s roles we are all passionate about supporting our students to become the best versions of themselves.
Our classes provide a friendly learning environment in which students are encouraged to try new skills and help them move outside of their comfort zones and gain confidence.

Discipline

Standing still, listening intently and following instructions during class encourage students to transfer these skills to other parts of their lives.
It takes time, focus and consistent effort through regular attendance and paying attention to learn the skills required for students to be put forward and progress through our grading system.
Each grade requires a higher level of determination and discipline to reach and in doing so the student grows as an individual and gains confidence in themselves.

Mindset

Respect is a fundamental rule within our club not only for others but for the student to have respect for themselves.
We believe and endorse a “can do / blackbelt attitude” mentality in our students.
The learning journey and the way we run our grading days push our students to their limits; that helps them to learn that with the right attitude and effort, they can do or get through anything when they put their minds to it.