3 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Kung Fu

When you begin kung fu you will learn many things and some of these things are things that you'll want to avoid.

Newbie martial artists are fairly predictable when they are making mistakes.
There is nothing wrong with these mistakes everyone goes through some version of mistakes when they begin the martial arts.

The first mistake I want to talk about is the mistake of thinking that kung fu is like the movies.
Kung fu is a lot of hard work and you should strive to have your movements be as natural as walking not dramatic and flowery like the movies.

I have seen many people come through the doors and they often think that kung fu is about pretty poses. You can't beat anyone up with a bunch of power ranger poses. These poses waste energy because they are inefficient and they lack power.

The next mistake I want to discuss might be a bit confusing but I think I can make it clear.
It is the mistake of doing what they think they should be doing rather than what the instructor is telling them to do.

So often I have seen people who join martial arts and after they have seen the new form they start thinking that they know it. Sometimes they do but they should look for further details to ensure they are doing it completely right.

So rather than getting a deeper level of understanding through observation of their instructor they start to think they know the form and look in their head  to see what to do next.

Now the other side of that coin is another mistake. Newbie martial artist would do well to give up following their instructors through forms in favor of getting through them on their own.

When I teach kung fu I make sure to show the students that I am teaching about 3 times. Then I make them think and do it on their own. They can never get through  he form themselves on the first try but they always know the form and know the form well by the time I am done teaching it to them.

I just require that they think and work to get the form so they don't end up going home empty handed. I hope these tips help you avoid these mistakes when you get started or even stop making them if you have been around a while. I have seen black belts still making some of these mistakes, so don't feel too bad if you are brand new and you have been making one, two or even all three of these mistakes.

If you'd like more kung fu tips and trick and just some fun martial arts related stuff check out my kung fu blog at http://www.eightdrunkenimmortals.com