Testimonials

“Tom is a knowledgeable and open minded instructor that has combined his personal training education with his martial arts background. The end result is a practical approach to self-defence grounded in personal experience and physiological principles. Tom’s martial style is efficient, effective and hyper practical. As an instructor, Tom is not afraid to be challenged or proven wrong. He is a great person who only has his students best interest in mind.

Tom has been a great friend to me and I often use him as a sounding board for my ideas. I can always count on him to give solid feedback and suggestions to improve my techniques and approaches to martial arts and body mechanics.”

“I moved to Taiwan in 2006 to have more time to study Tai Chi and Kung Fu on a deeper level, but after a few years I hit a slump and became upset with my practice. That changed when I met Tom.

Tom came to Taiwan and stayed with me in my School for a month. Meeting Tom and seeing his dedication and energy for Chinese Kung Fu reinvigorated me. He taught me the basic moves of Siu Nim Tao — the First Form — and it has helped me reach a new appreciation of Wing Chun and has even shed some light on my Tai Chi practice.

I look forward to the day when I come back to Canada. Although I will always be a “Tai Chi guy”, one of my goals is to get better at Siu Nim Tao and then continue my Wing Chun journey with Tom. I was very impressed with what I saw in Tom; an energy and a dedication which he has found a way to teach! I was reminded of many of the Wing Chun masters I had met at tournaments in Canada and the USA. But I found Tom very friendly, approachable and willing to practice. He is good at teaching people to open up and get involved with all aspects of Martial Arts.”

“Before meeting Tom, I was in a bad place. I had low self esteem, low self confidence, and I was living in fear. I’ve trained in many forms of martial arts, but none of them made me feel confident in my ability to protect myself.

I began researching for martial arts that will truly protect me. In my search, I found Tom online and it has been the best thing that has happened to me. I have gained skills to protect myself in such a short amount of time. I have gained confidence in myself and I no longer live in fear. I can confidently say I can protect myself and my loved ones.

I live on the east coast and Tom is able to effectively teach via Zoom. I’ve learned more in the seven months with Tom then I have the years I’ve trained in various martial arts. Tom is professional and the skills he possesses are real.

I had the opportunity to travel and train with Tom in person and it skyrocketed my skills. In person training, helped me see how his stuff worked. He was able to correct my posture and form which helped me develop more speed and power in my punches. Outside of the physical improvements, meeting him in person helped me have a better understanding of gungfu as a whole. It opened my eyes to what I can get from gungfu and I can’t wait to visit him and the guys again.

What separates Tom from the past teachers I had, is that he is honest and truly cares for his students improvement. He will take the time out to work on a single movement and explains it in an easy to follow fashion which has made virtual training incredible. He is not only a great teacher but also makes me feel like family, even though I live thousands of miles away.”

“Training with Tom Yung has been one of the most important stepping stones of my life. Before I had met Tom, I was transitioning out of my teenage years with very little self esteem and direction in my life. Furthermore, I was in poor physical shape and had many unknown postural issues. However, after training for the better part of a year, I feel much more confident, in tune with my body, and more positive about my future.

Tom is not only a great teacher, he has also been a great role model and friend to me as well. His approach to teaching and his friendliness is unmatched by my previous martial arts instructors. No other instructor I have trained with has put as much care and time into my progress as he does. Due to his level of knowledge and expertise, he was able to identify many visible health issues and postural issues that my doctor and I had not noticed. Over the course of the year, Tom has started a personal training regiment to correct my issues as well. Moving on, his ability to relate to me when teaching was a key reason on why I have continued to train with him. Rather than make me feel inferior for my lack of martial ability, Tom was extremely patient and empathetic. He’s keenly aware of individuals progressing at their own pace.

Tom is very understanding, and will go above and beyond to address any concerns/questions I may have. Overall, I have been very grateful to have had the opportunity to train with Tom. Doing so has been one of the most fundamental times of growth for me, I was able to learn patience, balance, and most importantly; virtue.”

“Tom is a fellow colleague of mine and has grown to be a dear friend. He is kind hearted and always looks out for you. It is an honour to have him as a teacher. I’ve always had a desire to learn self defence, but never had a chance due to my busy schedule. When I started with Tom, he was very much aware of the teaching style I needed. He communicated well and made sure that I understood the concepts and techniques. Even if he had to repeat things several times; he did that for me.

Patience is key and this is a gift Tom has. Even as a personal trainer, I struggle with good posture and coordination. Learning and practicing martial arts with Tom has helped me significantly. Combining the two worlds of martial arts and personal training, Tom has the knowledge and is committed to helping his students achieve their full potential. I wouldn’t ask for any other Sifu.”

“Tom is both a knowledgeable and humble man. Due to my schedule, I have not been able to take his classes consistently, but he always teaches me in the most efficient manner. He has a way of sparking curiosity and a willingness to learn not only self-defence, but self-awareness and self-care as well. He caters his teaching styles and intensity to accommodate my limited capabilities due to Post-Concussion Syndrome and often asks for feedback on how I am feeling symptom wise and whether I need a break or for him to repeat himself. This is very important to me. He has shown me what my body is capable of despite my beliefs.

Having a degree in Kinesiology myself, I can confirm Tom’s knowledge about the body and the way he uses biomechanics to his advantage. He is consistently learning new techniques himself and ensures that they work effectively before teaching them. The dedication that Tom has towards his students and himself makes him an excellent instructor.”

“I went to Tom to learn self-defence and he took it upon himself to fix my posture as well. He is very knowledgeable and looks out for his students’ best interests. It is important to him that his students understand what they are doing over blindly copying. He is always trying to educate by sharing videos and encouraging discussion.

He truly loves what he does and goes the extra mile, providing tailored support for each student. Tom is an excellent teacher and someone that practices what he preaches. These are both traits in which I look for in a sifu.”