YOUR INSTRUCTORS

SIFU KELSEY CHAN

Kids Class · Co-Founder

Sifu Kelsey Chan is the Academy’s Co-Founder, General Manager and Chief Instructor of the children’s programme. Training in Shaolin Kung Fu since the age of four, she brings more than 30 years of martial arts experience to every kids class she teaches.

Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and is a triple National medalist in sparring and taolu (forms). That combination shapes the whole kids programme: authentic Kung Fu, taught with a sports scientist’s understanding of how children learn, move and build confidence.

A mum of three herself, Kelsey knows how to meet a shy or nervous child where they are — and how to turn first-class nerves into focus, discipline and genuine self-belief.

Kelsey also heads Fighting Fit Palmy, the Academy’s express fitness programme — an easy way in for parents who’d rather train than watch.

SIFU ANTHONY CHAN

Adults Class · Co-Founder

Sifu Anthony Chan is the Academy’s Co-Founder and Chief Instructor of the adults programme. Training since the age of five, he brings more than 30 years of experience across Shaolin Kung Fu, Taekwondo and Shotokan Karate.

A former National champion in both sparring and taolu (forms), Anthony holds a Diploma in Business Management and formal qualifications in adult learning and education — and he currently serves as a military instructor, with over two decades of service behind him. The result is a class that is disciplined, structured and expertly taught.

His focus is simple: meet every student at their level, then take them further than they thought possible. Whether you’re a complete beginner, returning after years away, or an experienced martial artist, every session is broken down step by step — you’ll never be thrown in the deep end.

JIAOLIAN MATTHEW

Assistant Instructor

Jiaolian Matthew is one of Sifu Chan’s senior students, with over 15 years of training in Shaolin Kung Fu and a second-degree black belt. A former class instructor himself, he now assists across the Academy’s classes at the Palmerston North Kwoon.

Having come up through the Academy’s own grading system, Matthew knows every step of the journey our students are on — and exactly what it takes to progress.