The SA Kung-Fu Federation

The SAKFF opened its doors to the public in January 2009. We are based in the Helderberg, Somerset West, which is 45 minutes drive from Cape Town.

Karl van Lith spent five years in the United Kingdom. In that time he trained under Lee Paul Heron and two years with Master Steve Tappin, his son Wayne and a host of other Escrima Concepts practitioners. Under the endorsement of the World Martial Arts Alliance, the UKKFF hosted many seminars and private classes which were taught by visiting Masters from Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Italy. These instructors imparted knowledge of their personal interpretations in their specialised arts. On this page, Karl would like to publicly thank all his teachers for their 'always honest' and direct instruction.

In July 2008, Karl van Lith returned to South Africa to follow in his teacher's footsteps. A qualified instructor and nutritionist, avid student of Yoga and complementary therapies, Karl now brings the UKKFF ethos and spirit to his homeland.

The UK Kung-Fu Federation

The UK Kung-Fu Federation (UKKFF) is a professional, independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to the tuition, research and development of authentic, realistic martial arts. Our headquarters are based in New Malden, Surrey, we have an ever-growing network of instructors & schools across the surrounding regions, and we have strong links with many other like-minded organisations across the world.

We provide all our members with regular training & tuition in three closely related disciplines, each of which enhances the other two.

We strive to offer our members access to a wide variety of complementary training opportunities on a regular basis. The core syllabus of our main arts is taught via General Classes and we go deeper via private tuition, seminars, workshops, tutorials and other dedicated events, including regular visits to other countries.

We also have access to world-class masters in Ju-Jitsu, Grappling, Historical Weapons, Chi-Kung, Yoga and other related arts too. Our annual schedule of seminars & events is second to none, and thanks to our non-profit status, incredible value for money. We are not bound by any corporate doctrine or individual school of thought, except that of attaining the highest possible quality in the education of our members.

Finally, although our company name might suggest we are only interested in the Chinese arts, we actually use the term 'Kung-Fu' because of the generally accepted translation, namely; Hard work over a long period of time. This phrase neatly illustrates our approach towards everything we do, and of course is a very correct attitude when training these beautiful & rewarding arts. No short-cuts, no quick fixes, no substitute for effort and quality.

Mission Statement

"The UK Kung-Fu Federation exists to promote & share the benefits of authentic martial arts training with as many people as possible. We believe that a complete understanding of these arts will have an enormously positive influence on our members & subsequently on society as a whole. Through training & education we strive for the elimination of violence, both as a means to an end, and as an end in itself."

Explanation Of Terms;

1. Authentic martial arts: Meaning real, genuine, tested, proven, valid concepts & techniques that work together as a consistent whole in real fighting. Not bits & pieces assembled from many different styles or systems to fit a media image, marketing niche or adolescent fantasy of the martial arts.
2. As many people as possible: Meaning we do not differentiate between race, colour, creed, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Everyone is made welcome at our classes. It also means that we strive to keep prices affordable to the average person.
3. Complete understanding: Meaning than an incomplete or partial understanding of martial arts forces assumptions to be made & can lead to incorrect conclusions, which is not the best way to approach anything related to combat, fighting or self-defence situations. We strive to avoid this through constant re-evaluation of our own knowledge & teaching practices.
4. Training & education: Meaning that our students should not only be able to DO through physical training, but also understand WHY through learning about the conceptual & theoretical aspects of martial arts.
5. Positive influence on society as a whole: Meaning that the more our students understand the phenomenon of violence, the causes & its effects, so their interactions with others will tend towards non-violence as a means of conflict resolution. In time we hope these effects will spread to wider society.
6. Violence as a means to an end: Using violence to solve problems only leads to temporary, short-term solutions. All historical evidence points to the fact that violence only creates more violence in the mid or long-term. It is a self-perpetuating, escalating condition.
7. Violence as an end in itself: Using violence simply for the sake of violence is an indicator of serious mental illness or instability. The UK Kung-Fu Federation will not teach anyone displaying such tendencies, or with a history of violent behavior.

Revised August 2006

Our Promises

1. To place the needs & interests of our members before those of financial gain.
2. To share all our knowledge as openly as possible with like-minded individuals or organisations.
3. To uphold the traditional martial ideals of strength, honour, trust, discipline & respect.