Every time I walk through the doors of the SAS Academy, I learn something new: invaluable knowledge about Wing Chun, about myself, about life. Essentially it is the teacher, their knowledge, their willingness and their ability to impart that knowledge that is paramount. It is this that bind me to Master Andrew Sofos.

Senior Instructor Marc Thompson

Training at the SAS: I first heard of Master Andrew Sofos and the SAS Academy through a fellow Wing Chun brother. At the time I was a student of Tae Kwon Do. Over a 6 tear period I heard excellemt reports of Master Andrew and the academy and I resolved to walk through the doors of the academy when the time was right.

I was dedicated to Tae Kwon Do and I decided not to diversify until I had attained my black belt. Despite my love for the art, something was missing. Tae Kwon Do is taight with a very heavy competition/sport emphasis. I wanted more than this, I wanted something more practical and useful for modern inner city living, with a stronger spiritual emphasis.

I attained my Black belt in 1998, in early 1999 I felt the time was right to visit SAS. I explained my reasons for going to SAS to my Tae Kwon Do Instructor. After one trial lesson as  abeginner I knew my future lay here. My decision to take up Wing Chun whilst maintaining my Tae Kwon Do training was not recieved well by my Tae Kwon Do Instructor. To choose between a martial art that I had studied for 6 years, achievely highly in and loved and a martial art that I had one lesson first hand in experience was a strange position to be in.

Ultimately the decision was an easy one. For me, learning is everything and I knew that Master Andrew had something to teach me. At SAS the scope for learning is of indescribable magnitude, I knew I’d made the right choice. In one of my earliest conversations with Master Andrew said

“bring yourself and your training bag and we’ll do the rest”

He has been true to his word; I have been the at crest of a wave and have held on. I have realised abilities that I didn’t know I had and aquired knowledge that I didn’t know was out there.