The Advanced Wing Chun Academy, Baltimore, Maryland's premier school for learning Wing Chun, was founded by Master John Clayton. Master John Clayton began his interest in martial arts at the age of 14. Many had an interest in martial arts during the Bruce Lee era, but few pursued it with the zeal that he had which ultimately became a life-style.

Master Clayton trained in Traditional Wing Chun directly under the Grandmaster William Cheung starting in 1982 and continued for over two decades. His training includes: Chi Kung Breathing, Chi Sao, Combat Street Defense, Disarming Weapons, Dragon Pole, Forms, Iron Palm, Kicking Advancements, Meridian Therapy, Self-Defense, Swords, Therapeutic Healing, Weapons and the Wooden Dummy.

He is a 9th generation disciple of the Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu System and a lifetime member of the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association. He is the six student taught by Grandmaster William Cheung in the United States and the only senior student still actively practicing Traditional Wing Chun to date. He has an impressive tournament fighting history. He has competed in tournaments from 1984-1991 being awarded over forty trophies as well as over 150 successful real life applications of Traditional Wing Chun. He specializes in instructing the Pro-Tekt Personal Protection Course.

Master Clayton was inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 1991. He has also been inducted into the Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) Museum in Dayton, Ohio, and the Who's Who of the Martial Arts Elite. In 1999 he was appointed Chief Instructor of the State of Maryland via the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association. In 2010 Master Clayton was inducted into the International Brotherhood of Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Sifu of the Year. He is recognized for being the most experienced traditional Traditional Wing Chun fighter and is the founder of the Maryland Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy and the Johns Hopkins University Wing Chun Club.

He has trained over 22 students in Traditional Wing Chun that were certified as SiFu's by Grandmaster William Cheung and who are now successfully operating schools through the United States and foreign countries.

He became a member of the United States of America Wushu Kung Fu Federation in 2002. He attended the first U.S.A. Grandmaster Yip Chun seminar held in the 1994.