Kung Fu for People Who Think: A Different Approach to Learning Martial Arts

When I moved to Hong Kong to deepen my Hung Gar training, I encountered a level of detail and understanding that changed the way I looked at martial arts.

Moving on a decade later, one of my students, after his first month, said: "You aren't just teaching Hung Gar online. You're designing an individual learning experience that combines traditional martial arts knowledge, movement science, creativity in teaching, and personal coaching."

That distinction matters to me.

The moment I realised there was so much more to learn

When I moved to Hong Kong I began to see that movements I had previously understood as relatively simple actions were actually connected to much deeper principles.

Take footwork, for example. Previously, if there was a step, I would just step. But now, the distance was very precise. Because your footwork is always connected with the imaginary lines, the structure, the center lines, they make the technique and footwork functional, make force transition. It was science, not guessing anymore.

It was part of a system of movement, distance, structure and intention.

I found this fascinating. It made me realise how much information can be hidden inside even the simplest movement, and how much more meaningful training becomes when someone helps you understand it.

That experience continues to influence my teaching today. I don't want students to simply know what to do. I want them to understand why.

Teaching is a creative process

One of the things I enjoy most about teaching is solving problems.

A student might struggle with a particular movement because of limited mobility, an old injury, coordination, a lack of strength or simply because the explanation hasn't made sense to them yet.

My job isn't to keep repeating the same instruction louder or ask them to try another fifty times.

It's to find another way.

Sometimes I introduce a different exercise. Sometimes I break the movement into smaller parts. Sometimes I use an analogy, a physical object or an entirely different activity to help someone understand what their body needs to do.

I love those moments when something suddenly clicks. When a student sees, feels or understands something that previously seemed impossible.

That moment is one of the most rewarding parts of being a coach.

It also means that teaching isn't a fixed process. The technique might be the same, but the route towards understanding it can be different for every person.

Making movement easier to understand

I often use tools and equipment in ways that go beyond their obvious purpose.

Resistance bands, for example, can help develop strength and punching power. But they can also help students understand the direction of a movement, visualise an action, feel a particular pathway or explore how a technique might interact with an opponent's arm or structure.

Cones can mark angles, distances, lines and positions in space. They can make footwork patterns and spatial relationships easier to see and understand.

These tools aren't there to make training look more complicated. They help make abstract ideas more tangible.

Sometimes a student understands something much more quickly when they can see it, feel it or interact with it in a different way.

This is where traditional martial arts knowledge meets creative teaching. The principles remain rooted in the art, but the methods we use to explore them don't have to be limited to demonstration and repetition.

Training with understanding, not just repetition

There is a difference between doing something many times and actually learning from it.

Repetition is important in martial arts. But repetition without attention can become mechanical. You might perform a movement a hundred times without really noticing what is happening.

I prefer to make practice purposeful.

What are we trying to develop? What should you pay attention to? What does the movement teach you? How does it relate to something you have already learned? What can you change to make the next repetition more effective?

This approach is particularly important for adults.

Many of my students have full-time jobs, families and responsibilities outside training. They cannot necessarily spend several hours a day practising Kung Fu. And I don't believe they should have to.

The goal is to make the time they do have meaningful.

That means combining physical practice with an understanding of movement, clear objectives and methods that support learning. It is not about avoiding hard work. It is about making hard work more effective.

Train smarter, not just more.

The mind is part of the training

My academic background is in sport psychology, and this is another dimension that naturally finds its way into my teaching.

Learning a martial art isn't only a physical process. Motivation, attention, confidence, habits, expectations and the ability to manage setbacks all influence how we develop.

Why do we sometimes struggle to stay consistent? How do we build a training routine that survives a busy week? What happens when progress feels slow? How can we approach a difficult skill without becoming frustrated?

These are not separate from martial arts. They are part of the learning experience.

I incorporate ideas from sport psychology and mental performance into training, helping students understand not only how to practise, but also how to approach their development. Sometimes this means discussing a psychological concept. Sometimes it means changing the way we structure a task or encouraging a student to reflect on their experience. I want students to develop skills that extend beyond the training session: the ability to learn independently, recognise their own progress and approach challenges with greater awareness.

Personal coaching, even when we're miles apart

Online training is sometimes imagined as a library of instructional videos: you watch a lesson, copy the movements and practise on your own.

That's not what I wanted to create. I don't do "courses".

I believe personal feedback is essential to learning. Students regularly submit videos of their training, and I review their work, identify areas for improvement and provide individual corrections and guidance.

The feedback is not simply about whether a movement looks right or wrong. It is about understanding what each student needs to work on next. I've heard this so many times that I should probably be used to it by now. And yet, I still find it surprising that the corrections they receive are more detailed than any they received when training in a physical school. Still, shocking.

Some students need to focus on body structure. Others need to develop coordination, mobility, timing or a better understanding of the technique. Their training should reflect those differences.

I also care about the person behind the practice. Students come with different experiences, circumstances, challenges and reasons for training. I want them to feel that they are part of something, that their development matters, and that there is someone genuinely invested in helping them progress.

Even though we may live in different countries, personal connection and a sense of community remain important parts of the experience.

A learning system, not just a collection of lessons

All these ideas need a structure to work together.

That's why Kung Fu Scholars is built around a progressive curriculum and individual coaching, rather than a collection of disconnected videos. Students receive weekly training plans that give them clear direction: what to practise, which exercises to work on, what techniques to explore and what to focus on during the week.

Their progress is tracked through levels and milestones. They can reflect on their training, record their observations and receive feedback from me. Each part connects to the next, so students can see how their practice develops over time.

I want students to know where they are, what they are working towards and why a particular task is part of their training.

One of my favourite pieces of feedback came from a student who told me that Monday was his favourite day because it meant receiving his new training plan.

For me, that says something important. Training should give you a sense of direction and something to look forward to, not leave you wondering what to do next.

Kung Fu for people who think

Traditional martial arts contain generations of knowledge, experience and principles. I have enormous respect for that tradition, and I want to preserve its depth rather than reduce it to a series of movements to copy.

At the same time, I believe we can use modern knowledge about movement, learning, psychology and coaching to explore that tradition more effectively.

These approaches don't have to compete. They can make each other stronger.

My aim is to bring them together: traditional Hung Gar, practical martial arts experience, movement science, creative teaching and personal coaching.

I want students to become more than people who can reproduce a form. I want them to understand movement, think critically, develop their physical abilities and become increasingly independent in their practice.

That's what Kung Fu for People Who Think means to me.

It's about training the body, sharpening the mind and never being afraid to ask why.