Is it possible to learn kung fu at home?
Absolutely!
Think about the typical learning environment.
A typical class where I trained usually had anywhere from and handful to over 30 people, depending upon the time of the class. I preferred to train at lunch time as the classes were usually smaller.
Our lunch time crowd usually had about 10 to 15 students. The evening classes were always much larger.
So, in general, you were not going to get much one-to-one instruction with your teacher.
The primary benefit to in school learning martial arts is that you get to work with different partners.
Partner training is where you get to hone your skill a bit, whether it is with one-step sparring (your partner throws a strike, and you block, and vice versa), three-step sparring or free style sparring.
Partners are also there to hold a kicking shield for you as you practice your kicks, or makiwara board as you work on your punches.
With that said, some partners are better to work with than others.
How to learn kung fu at home
Learning kung fu generally involves learning a variety of techniques. These techniques may be as simple as a particular kung fu stance, or a more elaborate form with a weapon.
When you are learning these techniques, it is usually broken down by your teacher through a step-by-step process.
This process can be done live or by video.
Therefore, you can definitely learn kung fu at home by watching video, and then you can practice in front of a mirror.
In fact, since you can play video over and over, there is some advantage to learning kung fu at home, as you can learn at your own pace.
You can also take video of yourself as well, to be sure your technique and form is similar to what your teacher is demonstrating.
This may not be possible initially, since your teacher will generally have more skill than you. That is why you practice.
To practice your kicks and punches, you will want to have either a heavy bag handy, or a Century BOB punching dummy. These are absolutely necessary tools for you training. I have these listed on the recommended equipment page.
To practice your blocks, a wooden dummy or similar device will work for training blocks against punches.
To learn blocks against kicks, however, you’ll want to work with a partner.
Eventually, as you progress, to best learn kung fu form applications, it is best to work with a partner. Therefore, it is probably a good idea that you recruit someone to join you if you decide to train with an online course.
With all this said, you can definitely learn quite a bit at home.
You can actually learn all your kung fu techniques and forms at home, but to really hone your skills, you want to work with partners.
My Practical Kung Fu training program is designed to help you build a foundation of knowledge. This includes lessons in kung fu and combatives as well as self-defense soft skills.
The program is designed primarily as companion training for other martial arts, and for individuals who are not able to train regularly.
Everything taught in the program can be learned at home.
Check it out here… Practical Kung Fu.
