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10 Essential Tips for Kung Fu Beginners

10 Essential Tips for Kung Fu Beginners

Train Smarter, Not Harder – The Secrets Every Beginner Must Know

Starting Kung Fu is exciting, but many beginners fall into common traps—rushing techniques, ignoring footwork, and struggling with tension. Traditional Kung Fu (傳統功夫) is about efficiency, structure, and lifelong mastery.

💡 In This Guide, You’ll Learn:

  • ✔ Why slowing down is the fastest way to improve your Kung Fu skills
  • ✔ The #1 mistake beginners make—chasing techniques instead of mastering movement
  • ✔ How to build unstoppable power through stance training (馬步, 弓步, 虛步)
  • ✔ The secret behind Fajin (發勁)—explosive power comes from relaxation, not tension
  • ✔ Why footwork determines everything—bad movement = bad fighting
  • ✔ Internal training isn’t optional – Breathwork, tendon strength, and energy flow separate skilled fighters from amateurs
  • ✔ How pain is your greatest teacher—embrace discomfort to grow stronger
  • ✔ Why a teacher matters more than videos – Get feedback, avoid bad habits, and accelerate your progress

💭 Do you want to avoid beginner mistakes and build real martial skill from Day 1?

Essential Tips for Kung Fu Beginners

Online Courses

Deepen your understanding with our specialized online martial art courses.

The Drunken Boxing Project: Semester 3 STAFF course

The Drunken Boxing Project: Semester 3 STAFF

The Drunken systems first weapon is the staff. This ten week session covers three different sets: - The Dragon Pole (Long Pole Fighting) Form - Dragon on the Lotus (Dragon Pole on Lotus Steps) - The rare Drunken Guan Dao. Guan Dao is an ancient Chinese calvary weapon. A six foot staff with a two foot blade on one end and a spear head on the other. Traditionally a heavy weapon and difficult to train with the form creates body connectivity as well as teaching the use of the weapon. The form is done with a simple six foot staff (or broomstick!) teaching the 'Heaven and Earth' double ended staff system. The staffs 'Secret exercises' are also covered outside the forms. Dragon pole: Nine Directions/18 Strikes, Row the Boat, 'Sun' Character circles, The moon has Three Rings, Black Dragon wags Tail... Double Ended Staff: Single and Double Hua (Flowers), Sweep the Floor, Dragon whips Tail, 'The Box'...

•All levels
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Joint Locking (Qin Na Seize & Control) Catalog course

Joint Locking (Qin Na Seize & Control) Catalog

36 Different Qin Na (Seize and Control) Joint locking techniques from the Ma Family Drunken Fist. Each lock is demonstrated and explained succinctly by Shifu Neil Ripski on a cold day at the Red Jade Martial Arts School in 2016. Included are methods from all four types of Qin Na: Tear the Muscles, Break the Bones, Seal the Breath, Seal the Blood 36 Methods include: General accepts promotion, Crow flips its body, Lesson from Iron Mountain, Break the Monkeys Tail, Bind the Leopard, Woodcutter binds the Wood, Eagle seizes the fish, Bind the thief, Eagle seizes the waist, and more. Also inclided is a Tea Table Talk about being a good training partner called "Moments in Time" regarding nurturing and not damaging ones partners. Especially important for dangerous techniques like 擒拿 Qin Na.

•Beginner
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The Drunken Boxing Project: Semester 4 course

The Drunken Boxing Project: Semester 4

This ten week session begins intermediate Drunken Fist. The second Drunken Fist form is taught covering new movements like Drunkard toasts the Moon and Lightning Legs in detail. Applications of the four types and four layers discussed alongside body methods training for lower and middle Dantian. The First five of the ten core principles are discussed in depth. These principles are strategy methods for combative applications of Drunken fist on live opponents. Interception, Controlling the Terrain, Patterns/Habits, Stepping Past, and controlling the diameter of the Sphere. The 18 Ghost Steps are also covered. This is the Sixth of the Ten principles and is based completely on studying footwork. The 18 steps create opportunities to kick and throw opponents with 'Cutting Legs' methods.

•Intermediate
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