Sifu Tom Braithwaite

Founder, Dragon Martial Arts Association
4th generation disciple under Grandmaster Lam Yiu Gwai
Foreign President, Dragon Sign Athletic Association
UK Ambassador, Cheung Kwok Tai Wushu Association
Certified instructor by the Dragon Sign Athletic Association
Certified instructor by Cheung Kwok Tai Wushu Association
Certified advanced level, Yang Style Tai Chi & Dragon Style, Hong Kong University
Gold & Silver, European Kung Fu Championships (free sparring and forms)
Gold, Hong Kong Kung Fu Championships (Dragon Style)
Gold, Hong Kong Internal Kung Fu Championships (Liu He Ba Fa)
Bronze, Hong Kong Internal Kung Fu Championships (Tai Chi sword)

Sifu Tom Braithwaite is a senior student of Grandmaster Cheung Kwok Tai in Hong Kong, from whom he has been learning since 1998. Master Cheung was a senior student of Lam Woon Gong, the son of Grandmaster Lam Yiu Gwai (the founder of Dragon style kung fu).

Tom has been authorised to teach Dragon Style Kung Fu by the Dragon Sign Athletic Association, the governing body for the style. He is a 4th generation disciple under Lam Yiu Gwai, a foreign president of the Dragon Sign Athletic Association, and is the first westerner to have been awarded a teaching certificate by the Cheung Kwok Tai Wushu Association, qualifying him to teach Dragon Style Kung Fu, Yang Style Tai Chi, Liu He Ba Fa, and Xuan Gong.

Tom has also been certified at advanced level with distinction at Yang Style Tai Chi and Dragon Style Kung Fu by the University of Hong Kong.

In this photo, Tom was greatly honoured to be the first and only non-Chinese person to be invited as a judge for the World Dragon Championships, held in Foshan, Guangdong province, in 2010.

Three DMAA students won 5 medals at this event, competing against 200 of the best Dragon style kung fu practitioners from across China, Hong Kong and the US.

Background

Following his passion for martial arts since childhood, Tom trained first in Karate, then in Viet Va Dao, and in Hung Kuen Kung Fu. During this time, Tom won various national tournaments and in 1997 won Gold for free sparring and Silver for forms in the European Kung Fu Championships.

Tom then emigrated to Hong Kong where he studied Dragon Style Kung Fu, Yang Style Tai Chi (including Dong’s fast form) and Liu He Ba Fa directly from one of China’s most highly regarded Grandmasters – Cheung Kwok Tai.

After showing his dedication to his training over the first four years, Tom was accepted by Grandmaster Cheung as a ‘closed door student’ through a traditional ceremony where he was also taught the signature Dragon Style form, Long Ying Mor Kiu. For several years, he trained privately with Grandmaster Cheung for at least 8 hours every day. This intensive, personal training gave Tom a unique insight into Chinese kung fu that and a rare depth of ability and understanding.

In 2002, Tom was the first westerner ever to enter the Hong Kong Kung Fu Championships where he won a Gold medal in the Traditional Styles section, performing Dragon Style.

In 2003, he entered the Hong Kong Internal Kung Fu Championships, again the first and only westerner ever to try, and won another Gold medal in the Non-Weapons section, performing Liu He Ba Fa. Tom also won a Bronze medal in the Weapons category, performing Yang Style Tai Chi sword.

Later in 2013, Tom was initiated into the higher ranks of the style through another traditional ceremony where he was taught the Seven Flowers Of The Plum Flower Fist – the most advanced form in the system. Later he was taught 9 Foot Heart Piercing Pole and Trident forms, completing his knowledge of the system.

Sifu Jon Younghusband

Sifu Jon Younghusband is a senior student of Sifu Tom Braithwaite and has studied Dragon Style Kung Fu, Yang Style Tai Chi, and Xuan Gong with him since 2009.

Jon started studying martial arts at a young age, initially training in Jiu Jitsu. He was first introduced to Chinese martial arts at the age of 20, where he studied Xing Yi, focussing on 5 element linking and body conditioning. After moving to Brighton in 2008 Jon decided to further his kung fu training, trying out various schools until he found the DMAA.

Jon was drawn to Dragon style primarily because of its authenticity; from the outset it was obvious that this was not your average “westernised” version of kung fu. The emphasis was not on flashy moves and unrealistic fighting but on precise method, correct feeling and development of internal power.

Jon has accompany Sifu Braithwaite on several trips to Hong Kong, where he has received close and personal attention from Grandmaster Cheung Kwok Tai. Having shown great talent and dedication, Jon was accepted into the Dragon family through a traditional ceremony in 2015, where he was taught the signature Dragon form Long Ying Mor Kiu.

Jon is the only person Sifu Braithwaite has authorised as an instructor and currently teaches all classes in Seaford and Hastings, including for meditation and fascia development. Visit his website for more information: energyalignment.co.uk

Dragon Martial Arts Association

Sifu Braithwaite founded the Dragon Martial Arts Association through which he teaches these unique arts to students of all ages and abilities.

The DMAA holds classes in Brighton & Hove, Seaford, and Hastings. Class sizes are limited so students always receive a high degree of personal attention.

The DMAA also organises annual trips to Hong Kong, where students can immerse themselves in Chinese culture and receive 1-on-1 tuition from some of the world’s most highly respected masters of kung fu alive today. These are not ‘coach tours’ with a few superficial training sessions thrown in – instead DMAA students get to live and breathe the kung fu lifestyle in its most traditional and authentic form.

Alongside a rigorous training routine, students regularly perform at prestigious events, such as the Dragon family annual party, kung fu masters’ birthday celebrations, new kung fu school openings, religious festivals, temple ceremonies and for Chinese government officials. Many of these performances are filmed for Chinese TV.

These trips to Hong Kong and China are truly unique experiences that not only give students an incomparable boost to their knowledge and ability in kung fu, but they are also an incredible opportunity to learn about Chinese culture, get to know and be known in the local kung fu community.

Grandmaster Cheung Kwok Tai

Tom’s Sifu, Cheung Kwok Tai. is the chairman of the Dragon Sign Athletic Association, chairman of the Cheung Kwok Tai Martial Arts Association, a seventh dan with the Chinese Wushu Association, and an inheritor of traditional martial arts recognised by the Hong Kong Wushu Union.

He has served as a judge for international-level martial arts competitions, and as a referee for Hong Kong and Chinese national sports meets.

In 2003, he was selected as one of the Contemporary Chinese Martial Arts Masters (Volume 2 of “Outstanding Chinese Wushu Figures”). In 2012, he was also recognised as one of the “Hundred Kung Fu Elites.

For Tom and his students to have such a close relationship with a Grandmaster of this calibre is a rare gift indeed and one for which he is eternally grateful.