When I met Brian I had already being doing meditation for 15 years, Taoist meditation for 10, and Tai Chi for 8. I have been certified to teach Tai Chi Qi Gung, and Wu Chi Qi Gung. I was teaching at Sussex University, and went to try a free trial lesson, with Brian. He did not show anything extraordinary on that first lesson... but that detail... on how to round the back, and spread the chest, in the second movement of the form... just seemed to help me on my own personal practice. I decided to go there a second time. This time paying... And then a third time. This was 2 years ago. I now study with Brian 5 hours a week. And bless every day that I am in Brighton.
In the time I have been in Brighton I discovered in Brian a generous teacher, slightly old, very knowledgeable and with a twisted sense of humour. After the first 6 months you can expect to have learned up to the "Abbey National Posture" (short name for: "How did the Abbey National employee stand while being robbed again"). After 12 months you will probably have learned up to "Throw the baby out of the window [to heal the heart]". After 18 months you can expect to have learned up to "Pat a friend on the back, while stealing his wallet".
Brian's way of teaching is calm, and goes over the same movement again and again, over the months. At each repetition introducing new elements. Making the movement more and more effective in terms of health, meditation or potentially martial arts. Martial arts application are shown daily on his patient wife Sylvie who submits to her fate with an unlimited reserve of trust. Nearly always well posed.
One of the amazing things about Brian's way of teaching is that you learn to do the Tai Chi form in many different ways depending on what you are trying to reach, and your level of practice. If you just apply his instructions from the first two years, you will easily reach a high level of tai chi skill.
While being at the school Brian will teach you so slow that you will actually learn everything when you need it. This is very positive, since you learn Tai Chi one step at a time, yet it can make some people who are either very talented, or who for any logical or illogical reason want to go faster, quite frustrated.
Brian has been publicaly called "my number one teacher in Tai Chi" by the lineage Taoist master Bruce Kumar Frantzis in Boston (2003). We were never told so, and we needed to establish an intercontinental-gossip-system to discover it. When Brian was confronted on why he kept it as a secret, he just answered: "Oh, I don't care in either way". I personally felt he was not lying, and was thus greatly impressed.
After studying with Brian for 2 years, I can honestly say that I know more of the form I have been studying with him, that on the two forms I have been certified to teach (from a different school). Also each and every one of the concepts that I learned with Brian were easily applicable to my daily practice, and deepened it, making it also more stable. Exception made for the two extra lessons: "How to pick up a pub fight every night, to test your Tai Chi", and "How to rob a bank, while doing nothing illegal" who have obviously a more secular application.
I certainly can recommend Brian's class. And having stopped teaching myself, I can also confidently (of not losing students) add that Brian class is the best class of Tai Chi in the whole Brighton and surrounding area.
Pietro Speroni di Fenizio
27 April 2004