Instructor Profile:
Master Tina Matania
Master Tina Matania
I began training in Tang Sou Dao in February 1996 with the then 4th Duan Instructor Master Adam Goward at Epsom at the Rainbow Leisure Centre.
I had always wanted to learn a martial art since my early teenage years and it was sheer good fortune that I found Master Goward's class. I knew instantly that training in martial arts was going to become a fundamental part of my life and was grateful to have found a high-quality practitioner.
My interest in martial arts ignited an interest in Chinese history, culture and language and I am pleased to have passed my international GCSE in Mandarin (with two A stars) and am now studying towards AS level examinations .
Over the years I have trained consistently with Master Goward at various locations throughout Surrey, Sussex and Kent and with Grandmaster Loke at National Headquarters in Essex. I have also had the pleasure of training in Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Gung with Mr Jim Dickson of the Longfei Tai Chi Chuan Federation in Surrey.
I began teaching Tang Sou Dao in Epsom, Surrey in 1999 after attaining my duan grade. Teaching has been and continues to be a rewarding experience. It has been a pleasure to have taught for over a decade and to have been able to contribute to and facilitate others learning and development. I have many happy memories through my involvement with Tang Sou Dao, including: teaching brownies and girl guides self-defence with Master Goward, performing at the Merdeka Carnival as part of Grandmaster Loke's demonstration team, participating in Grandmaster Loke's Masters workshops at HQ with Masters from Reading, Essex, Kent and Cambridge and taking numerous photographs at the annual National Championships!
Grandmaster Loke's Merdeka Carnival Demonstration Team
September 2007The study of martial arts can mean different things to different people and each individual student will have their own motivations: some wish to train occasionally just to 'keep fit' or to learn some basic self-defence, some students enjoy free-fighting whilst others prefer technical analysis; there are those whose goal is to attain the highest level of ability they are capable of, whilst others perhaps just wish to relax and find an outlet for the stresses and strains of modern living or engage in a social activity. However, martial arts is not just about training the body, to my understanding it's also about unification of the mind and spirit and an appreciation and respect for tradition and values. This brings us back to the importance of the family and the appreciation of a whole that is greater than the individual or any sum of its parts.
April 2008: front thrust kick with fellow students at HQ
National Championships Demonstration 2008"mastering yourself is true power". Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, 33
Click here to read 'The Masters Road' article by Master Tina Matania.
Tang Sou!
Click Here for YOUTUBE - Luo Han Form Five Demonstration
Master Siew Ying Loke, Master Stephanie Debenham
and Master Tina Matania© Ren Yi Wu Kwan Tang Sou Dao, All Rights Reserved
