4 Tips For Martial Arts Beginners

Here at KEI Kung Fu we firmly believe that martial arts are an activity for everyone. A martial arts practice is much more than just a way to develop your fitness or learn self-defence techniques. We know what it’s like to take the first step on your martial arts journey and we know it can be more than a little intimidating trying to work out where to start. We know a lot of people want to start but are a little hesitant so we thought it would be good to give our four biggest tips to people who’s resolution is to finally take up martial arts. This article is about a student’s first steps and serves as a quick guide to starting with a martial arts practice. It’s largely based on advice we’ve received from instructors and peers with many years experience.

1. Dive In

This seems like an obvious tip, but one of the hardest parts about starting to learn any new skill is taking that first class. It’s really common for beginners to feel like you’ll make a fool of yourself or that people will judge you, but you have to remember that everyone else in our academy has been in your situation at one point in their life. Go ahead and book that trial class at KEI Kung Fu. As long as you come ready with desire to learn, listen to advice and with a positive and respectful attitude you’ll quickly find yourself part of the KEI Kung Fu community. 

2. Bring A Friend

If you feel somewhat insecure about taking a trial class, then bringing a friend along would be a nice place to start. However bringing a friend along to a trial lesson is by no means essential, and won’t stop you from training – so don’t use it as an excuse to put off joining! In general, you’ll be paired up with a partner during class anyway. Which brings us to another important tip— trust your training partner. During your class of choice, you’ll be learning from both your instructor and your fellow Kung Fu peers, and they’ll equally be learning from you. Work together with your partner to understand the Kung Fu techniques you’re learning in the moment. Remember to slow it down, ask questions, and concentrate on developing your technique. It’s not much different to learning to put sentences together in an unfamiliar language.

3. You Will Get Fitter By Doing It 

Another common misconception we encounter for beginners every now and then is that they feel they aren’t fit enough to take part in a martial arts class. Any martial arts academy that accepts new members will get that people’s fitness levels vary. At KEI Kung Fu we offer beginner specific classes and make sure cater to complete novices in our standard classes. The whole purpose of a martial arts practice is that they are a training method whereby you get stronger, fitter and learn new skills– the expectation is that you work towards attaining those skills. This is Kung Fu I’m a nutshell.

4. Stay Consistent

This kind of builds upon the last point but from a slightly different angle. No matter what your goal is when you start out on your martial arts journey, being consistent will take you there. Training regularly can be a challenge as motivation or time constraints can limit the classes you can attend. At KEI Kung Fu, we suggest that some training is better than no training – a few minutes of form practice, or air drills might not be a replacement for attending an hour long Kung Fu class but if it’s done with focus and with intent it can still push you to be better. And it is a lot better than being a couch potato!