One of the things I preach when espousing the benefits of kung fu is improved mobility. Kung fu gets you moving in ways you wouldn’t move otherwise.
Below is a video of me at age 56 (I’ll be 57 in a few months), performing a kung fu form I learned years ago.
Nope, I’m no Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, but I would venture to guess I’m a bit more mobile than most men my age.
The beauty of this video is that it also tells me I have so much room for improvement. That’s really the essence of kung fu… working to improve yourself.
Quite frankly, I could kick myself for not practicing more over the years since I stopped training formally at a school. But, I digress.
Traditional kung fu training helps with your mobility primarily through the stance work involved in the forms, along with the kicking motions.
Flexibility is best improved through dynamic movement rather than through static stretching.
When you continuously practice kicking techniques, deep stances and forms, you will develop better flexibility in your muscles and mobility in your joints.
In recent months as I’ve been working on this Practical Kung Fu project, it’s become clear that my mobility is improving, as I can get lower into my stances than before.
With all this in mind, I hope you consider checking out the Practical Kung Fu training program.
