The keepers of the art — leadership guiding SATA's mission and standards.
根源
Founding Authority
The tally against which SATA's own lineage and authority are measured.
兵符
Bīng Fú
Dr. Lin Yu Ping
"The Matching Tally"
Dr. Lin Yu Ping holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate Institute of Sports Coaching at Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, and teaches Chinese martial arts as a physical education faculty member at Soochow University. Her teaching career began in 1996, built on the conviction that Chinese martial arts is at once a martial art, a fitness discipline, and a system of mental cultivation — training students in self-defence, physical conditioning, and self-discipline as a single, integrated practice. Her doctoral research examined how traditional martial arts can be more effectively woven into modern physical education, offering new frameworks for the field's future. She remains an active competitor in Chinese martial arts tournaments, carrying that current, practical experience directly back into her classroom. It is through her lineage in Taiwan that SATA's own teaching draws its root: Raph Atkinson, SATA's founding force, traces his training to her lineage. As Bīng Fú (兵符) — the tally whose two matching halves once authenticated military command — Dr. Lin Yu Ping represents the matching half of SATA's own lineage and authority.
掌門人
Zhǎng Mén Rén
Abdul Kader Baynes
Founder, Grand Master & Chairman
“Keeper of the Gate”
董事
The Directing Board
Some seats await the right person — we welcome enquiries from dedicated practitioners.
技
技術總監
Jìshù Zǒngjiān
Technical Director
“Chief of Skill and Method”
Richard Boyder
Richard came to Taijiquan at eighteen under the late Sifu Andre Du Preez, whose lineage traced back to Cheng Man-Ching. After Sifu Andre's passing in 2022, Richard took on the school and deepened his own study — he now trains in the Wudang Sanfengpai tradition under Master Ziji, a 16th-generation inheritor. He brings to SATA a technical director's care for both the martial depth and the health and spiritual dimensions of the art.
文
文書
Wénshū
Secretary
“Keeper of Records and Words”
Raph Atkinson
師祖 (Shīzǔ)
(Acting)
Raph Atkinson is the founder of 林式太極拳 (Lín Shì Tàijíquán) and serves as the founding force behind SATA. Within the 林式太極拳 lineage, Raph holds the title 師祖 (Shīzǔ). With more than 50 years of martial arts experience, Raph's continuing study and development of 林式太極拳 brings together traditional Taijiquan principles, martial application, health practice, Qigong, self-defence, and the study of the classical foundations of Taijiquan. He currently teaches Taijiquan and Qigong at Kōrai Jiu Jitsu in Sandton, with programmes ranging from traditional practice and martial application to self-defence and healthy ageing. A qualified accountant and business consultant by profession, Raph combines a lifetime of martial arts study with professional experience in governance and organisational development in his stewardship of SATA.
師祖 林鑫鈞 — Founder, 林式太極拳
財
財務總監
Cáiwù Zǒngjiān
Treasurer
“Guardian of Resources”
Raph Atkinson
師祖 (Shīzǔ)
(Acting)
Raph Atkinson is the founder of 林式太極拳 (Lín Shì Tàijíquán) and serves as the founding force behind SATA. Within the 林式太極拳 lineage, Raph holds the title 師祖 (Shīzǔ). With more than 50 years of martial arts experience, Raph's continuing study and development of 林式太極拳 brings together traditional Taijiquan principles, martial application, health practice, Qigong, self-defence, and the study of the classical foundations of Taijiquan. He currently teaches Taijiquan and Qigong at Kōrai Jiu Jitsu in Sandton, with programmes ranging from traditional practice and martial application to self-defence and healthy ageing. A qualified accountant and business consultant by profession, Raph combines a lifetime of martial arts study with professional experience in governance and organisational development in his stewardship of SATA.
師祖 林鑫鈞 — Founder, 林式太極拳
推
推廣總監
Tuīguǎng Zǒngjiān
Director of Development
“Spreader of the Art”
Carlo Gomes
Carlo has been immersed in Chinese martial arts since the age of five, accumulating nearly three decades across competitive Wushu, Shaolin traditions, and Taijiquan. In 2025 he became Raph Atkinson's inner student, entering a lineage connected to recognised master Dr Lin Yu Ping in Taiwan. He now teaches six days a week, drawing on classical texts, Daoist cosmology, and exercise science, and serves as a corporate wellness coach and co-founder of Duality Fitness.
健
健康總監
Jiànkāng Zǒngjiān
Health & Wellness Director
“Guardian of Vitality”
Nikko Avraam
Nikko's fascination with Taijiquan began in childhood, though it was through kung fu training alongside Raph Atkinson that his foundation was first laid. Three decades later their paths crossed again — and that reconnection proved transformative, sparking a journey of personal renewal through the internal arts. Now stepping into Qigong and Taijiquan practice, Nikko brings to SATA the perspective of a genuine beginner's heart combined with lived experience of the art's capacity to heal and restore.
數
數碼總監
Shùmǎ Zǒngjiān
Digital & AI Director
“Architect of the Digital Path”
Ray Beale
Ray comes from a technical background and has spent the past four years working in AI, helping individuals and organisations save time and live their best lives. The most junior member of the SATA board in the art, he trains under Carlo Gomes and Raph Atkinson with a particular focus on Chin Na — bringing a beginner's discipline and a competitor's mindset from two years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Off the mat, he leads SATA's digital transformation, building the infrastructure that brings this ancient art to a modern audience.
