How we learn kung fu

Like any complex activity, learning kung fu involves a fairly long process.  The reality is, if you are open minded, the learning never ends.

First, we start out by learning very basic stuff, such as stances, punches, kicks and blocks.

Over time, we continue to build upon this foundation by learning various “forms.”

Forms involve a sequence of movements, each of which has a designated purpose.  Once you learn the movements of the form, you learn the application of each movement.

This is sort of like a scripted fight seen in a movie.  The forms are often put together as if there would be multiple attackers, and you have a different technique for dealing with each attack.

After you learn the form, and its formal application, you’ll then learn what the instructor suggests are practical applications for a street fight.

Ultimately, as I will suggest over and over, learning and trying to master hundreds, even thousands of techniques to deal with different attacks is not really practical.

However, kung fu training is quite valuable for other reasons.  Among them is that the form training helps with mobility, conditioning, and improving your spacing and timing.

In the video below, I demonstrate the traditional way of learning a form, the formal application, and then I provide practical application based on combatives principles.

This video provides you with a demonstration of what you can learn here at Practical Kung Fu.

Enjoy!