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Opening of Martial Arts Academy

Mill Street, Bedworth

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Sifu Paul Burkinshaw, Sil Lum Kune Martial Arts Academy 2003

Sifu Paul Burkinshaw, Chief Instructor, has for some time hoped to open a head office / training hall for the Sil Lum Kune Shaolin Chinese Boxing Association.  Students and Instructors alike, were excited when Sifu announced that he had found suitable premises and we were optimistic when he told us of the location.  Situated in the town centre of Bedworth, Warwickshire, it seemed ideal that we would be central to the communities we are part of. Although the students of Sil Lum Kune train daily at many kwoons in the area, the chance to have a modest training hall and office permanently dedicated to our art seemed fantastic.  When we first viewed the shop we realised there would be a lot of work needed before we could open.  Renovations included stripping all the walls down and re-cladding and plastering as required.  There were issues along the way, such as wiring improvements and the fixing of a large hole in the ceiling.  Once these issues were overcome it was down to general replacing of fixtures and fittings and replacing the whole building from top to bottom.


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Back Office - After repainting and installation of storage cupboards.

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Photo Of Club Shrine And Weapons Rack Area.

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The premises seemed structurally sound but it was certainly going to take some time and effort before the place would be suitable for training in!  The site comprised of one large room, two small 'office' type rooms, a small kitchen and a bathroom.  When we started to reform the shop we were extremely grateful for all the help and hard work we had from a number of students and friends.  All of the rooms were stripped down and repainted,  the outside windows were all painted in club colours ( the red stripe signifies our heritage with the tiger ripping system).  Once the painting was finished SIfu Paul began filling the place with the huge array of equipment needed for daily training sessions.

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The main room was floored in mats which all though quite rigid,  allowed for practising of sweeps and other such ground related exercises that were not suited to hard floors!  Sifu Paul introduced his vast array of weapons into the academy and before long the walls were literally littered with photos and trophies of the clubs achievements throughout the years.  As the weeks progressed further training implements were introduced, such as two wooden dummies and a heavy punch bag suspended from the ceiling.

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Although most of the classes contain far too many students for the academy to be used for standard lessons it is ideal for private small group lessons and other special events.  For example there is now a weekly women's self defence class which had taken off very well.

Overall the Academy provides the entire Shaolin Fist Chinese Boxing Association with a 'home',  it provides the basis of the core of the association.

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Front Of Academy Showing Association Logos plus contact details etc.

    

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Side Of Academy Showing Various Courses And Types Of Classes Covered By The Association

We would like to sincerely thank the following people for there help, support  and determination in completing the academy's renovations:
 

Kevin Redgrave
David Richardson
David Forsyth
(for general work inside the Academy)


Nicky Troth
(for painting all exteriors of the Academy)

Steve Parker
(for carpentry work required)

Mark Pritchards
(aiding with the security system)

 

 

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