How to Learn Kung Fu Online for Free

Despite the numerous advertisements and marketing schemes available on the Internet, there remains no guaranteed method for learning an entire martial art online. When it comes to the perfection of an ancient art and toning the body, nothing can replace the intensive education of a live instructor who constantly corrects you as you practice. This being said, there are a number of resources available online for those martial artists seeking to supplement their training with free Internet lessons and techniques. For those aspiring practitioners learning on a budget, the best available option might be to look online.

Things You'll Need

  • Exercise space
  • Sparring gloves and boots
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Instructions

    • 1

      Research web directories and search engines for advice articles and other resources written by martial arts professionals. Now more than ever, there are numerous businessmen and women offering expensive online courses in martial arts. One of the necessary drawbacks involved with seeking kung-fu instruction online is the need to navigate these promotional offers and advertisements in order to find the words of a true master. Online articles and commentary will help instruct you towards the practice and application of the various strikes, blocks and stances of kung-fu, and can offer the professional insight of a trained and dedicated martial artist.

    • 2

      Connect your computer in a space where you can safely practice your martial art. This means stretching, striking and the freedom to enter stances as guided by the video instructor. Perhaps the next best thing to having a real instructor (and useful due to the ability to pause and rewind) online videos and tutorials available on YouTube can show you exactly what postures look like in their complete form, as well as detail the specific motions of individual punches, kicks and blocks. The ability to practice real-time to a sifu in the video allows for a strong development in hand-eye coordination as well as a more personalized sense of education.

    • 3

      Find a sparring partner to test out the strikes, blocks and stances you learned from the online videos. Easily the most beneficial and educational portion of a free martial arts training, utilizing live combat and sparring enables you to apply your practice in practical combat in order to make tangible connections with the material you've learned in theory. Before sparring it is vitally important that you open communication between you and your partner as you establish safety measures and designate available offensive and defensive targets. As always, when it comes to full-contact practice, you should purchase a set of sparring gloves and shoes in order to both soften your blows and protect your joints.

    • 4

      Tone corresponding muscle groups to best strengthen specific strikes and blocks. For example, if you are wanting to improve the strength or speed of a left front snap kick, spend 15 minutes each day in a horse stance in order to strengthen the calf and quadricep muscles. If intending to improve the power of your punches, practice "burst-strength" muscles through the use of an arm-strengthening sequence involving quick and sudden push-ups while laying flat on the floor. Be aware of your body as you train your strikes and blocks and distinguish which muscles are used at what times during your forms, in order to best target specific primary and peripheral muscle groups.