Instructors
Jan Simpson
Jan is the founder and chief instructor of the Internal Alchemy Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong school. His interest in the Chinese Martial arts began at the age of seven training in Jee Pai Kung fu for eight years and Sama Karate for two years.
In 1998 he joined the Zhong Ding traditional martial arts association UK in order to study Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong to see if it would aid him in his recovery from an accident in which he fractured his skull, suffered partial paralysis down one side of his body, and lost his sense of smell and taste. Over time the symptoms from the accident disappeared and senses returned even though doctors had told him this was impossible. Jan believes that it was the practice of Tai Chi and Qigong which healed him and this is supported by the many similar experiences of healing in his students.
In 2001 Jan won a bronze medal in his first competition, the British championships, and has since won gold and silver medals in Tai Chi form, weapons and pushing hands.
In 2003/5 Jan travelled to Malaysia where he studied under Nigel Sutton, Tan Mew Hong and Zhau Wei Dong. He has studied Baguazhang in Beijing with Gao Ji Wu and travelled extensively through China visiting historical places such as the Shaolin temple, Chen family village and stayed at the birth place of Tai Chi Chuan, Wudang Mountain.
In 2009 Jan was presented with a 4th Duan instructors grade by Nigel Sutton Chief instructor of the Zhong Ding traditional Chinese martial arts association.
In 2016 Jan became an instructor in the Phoenix Qigong system developed by his teacher Master Joe Lok and is studying the Quan Zhen Long Men (Dragon Gate) Daoist tradition. In 2019 he was awarded an instructors certificate in the Immortals Tai Chi and has become a Natural Energy Academy(Hong Kong) Instructor.
In 2018 Jan fulfilled his dream of going to Taiwan to pay his respects to Professor Cheng Man-Ching. On the trip he also visited the Cheng Man-Ching Memorial Hall where he met one of the Professor`s disciples Grandmaster Hsu Yee Chung and was also invited to the house of Grandmaster Liao Zhen Xiang, another disciple of Professor Cheng, who at the age of 93 showed Jan his incredible pushing hands skill.
Jan qualified as a Usui Reiki Master/ Teacher in 2004 and underwent 3 years of training to achieve this. In 2011 he spent 6 months studying Shamanic healing with Leticia Parmer and Quinto Grigatti. He is also a qualified practitioner of The Access Bars® Therapy.
Jan is Senior Instructor registered with the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain (TCUGB) and a member of the British Health Qigong Association.
Jan can be contacted on 07768 949394 or email him through the contacts page on this web site.
Keith Charnley
Keith’s interest in martial arts began in the 70’s with the study and practice of Judo and Tomiki Aikido. His work lead to an interest in Psychology with a particular leaning towards the work and writings of Carl Gustav Jung which in turn introduced him to the study of the “I Ching” (The Book Of Changes) and the “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu and Daoist philosophy. This inevitably resulted in taking up the practice of Tai Chi and joining the Daoist Tai Chi Society in the late 1980’s. Keith moved to Sussex in the mid 90’s and joined the Zhong Ding organisation and began his passion for the Tai Chi Chuan of Professor Cheng Man-Ching. Work and frequent travel abroad lead to periods away from attending classes but he continued his study, solo, on the Tai Chi “form” and Qigong. He is very proud to have been awarded 3rd Duan instructor with Internal Alchemy Internal Martial Arts School and in the Taoist tradition, to continue, always to be a student of Tai Chi.
In June 2022 Keith became an initiated disciple into the Cheng Man-Ching lineage and is really keen on sharing the his vast amounts of knowledge that he has gained over the years.
Keith is an advanced Instructor registered with the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain (TCUGB).
Mike King
Mike`s martial arts journey started in 1976 when he decided to take up Judo. This ended very quickly after damaging his left shoulder. Mike was first introduced to Tai Chi in 1983 under Steve Watkins and attended regular seminars held by Dan Docherty and Cheng Tin Hung of the Practical Tai Chi Association. He continued his practice on and off until 1990. In-between studying the Wu Style tai chi, Mike also studied Wing Chun under Wai Po Tang and his brother Hang Po Tang.
In 1992 Mike became interested in the practice of Qigong and started studying with Paul Lundberg. Around that time he had pulled away from Wing Chun and was back studying Wu style Tai Chi with senior instructor to Bruce Frantzis, Brian Cooper.
In 2002 Mike started studying Sun style Tai Chi under Lam Kam Chuen. He studied this for a total of nine years, moving on to training in Chen style tai chi with various teachers and traditional Yang Style Tai Chi under Simon Robins and Sam Masich. He continued with the Yang style for a further three years until finding his calling in the Cheng Man-Ching Style. Mike holds the grade of 2nd Duan instructor and enjoys teaching pushing hands and applications.
