Beginning your journey with Wing Chun is fairly easy, thanks to some accessible fundamentals and a wealth of online resources. If you’re looking to start training from the comfort of your own home, you’ll find ample training videos and in-depth walk-through material to guide you through entry-level techniques and simple solo drills. However, if you want to get the most out of this highly effective martial art, you’ll almost certainly want to find a nearby school and undertake one-to-one training with an experienced instructor.
How to Learn Wing Chun
The Importance of Face to Face Training
Although you can become highly proficient in Wing Chun in just a few years, mastering advanced techniques requires you to train under an experienced instructor. Unlike many other forms of martial arts, Wing Chun is based on tactile-kinaesthetic impulses. In other words, you need to be able to feel and respond to pressure from an active sparring or training partner in order to react accordingly. Although wooden dummies and other training aids can be useful to a point, these items can never fully substitute for a live partner. You can of course begin your Wing Chun at home with these kinds of training aids, but you’ll inevitably have to advance to face-to-face training with an instructor.
Another major benefit of training in front of an actual instructor is that any improper technique can be quickly identified and rectified before bad habits are firmly entrenched. Many people who begin their training at home often fall foul of misguiding videos or technique guides. If this poor form is adopted and followed for long enough, it can be hard to shake off bad habits and start performing techniques properly.
Remote Learning with Live Online Classes
Many people who live in remote areas may find it difficult to find a nearby Wing Chun training center, forcing them to turn to the internet for reference material. While online guides and videos can be useful to a point, they should only really be referenced as an initial introduction to Wing Chun, or to complement continued studies with a live instructor. Thankfully, the internet and remote networking software has made it easier for would-be Wing Chun practitioners to perfect their techniques at home.
WingChunAcademy.org is the ideal destination for those looking for live online classes. These online classes demonstrate new techniques in real-time, with instructors performing movements their end with a partner. Those viewing these live classes can then replicate the techniques from home, with the instructor able to give instant feedback and advice on how to rectify any issues. Although it might not quite match up to being able to train mere feet away from an instructor, it’s certainly the next best thing.