Training Without a Plan: Why Repeating Kung Fu Forms Is Not the Way

Lately, more and more people have been messaging me for advice about their solo Kung Fu practice. And often, I ask them a simple question: “How does your training look like when you’re at home?”The answers are surprisingly similar — and worrying.

They usually say things like:“Well, I just go through the forms I know.”“I repeat what I remember from class.”“I just do a bit of everything.”

That’s like coming to the gym, looking around, picking up a dumbbell for a bit, running on the treadmill for two minutes, and then calling it a day.

Imagine walking into a gym with no plan. No idea of what exercises you’ll do. No structure. No measurement. No progress tracking. It would be boring — and also completely ineffective. You wouldn’t know whether you’re getting stronger, faster, or even just moving correctly. So why do we train Kung Fu like this?

Forms Without Direction Are Just Fancy Movements

Doing your form from beginning to end over and over is a bit like watching a movie on repeat and hoping you'll one day act in it perfectly. It looks like training, but it lacks intention. And it’s the intention that builds skill.

Without a plan, there’s no way to improve technique, develop power, build speed, or even enjoy the process. Because progress — real, visible, felt progress — is what motivates us. And progress needs structure.

Example: Strength Training

When I work with my students — beginners or advanced — we treat Kung Fu the way athletes train. That means having a training plan.Not only what to train (which techniques, which parts of a form), but how:

• How many repetitions?

• How much time on each part?

• How do we know it’s working?

Sometimes we’ll use a timer. Sometimes we’ll mark angles on the floor with tape or cones to improve footwork precision. Sometimes we’ll break a form into pieces: maybe just two moves today, maybe half of the form, depending on the goal and where we are in the plan.

It’s like walking into the gym and seeing:Squat 3x8 – 60 seconds rest But for Kung Fu.

That way, you’re not guessing. You know what you’re doing, how long you’re doing it for, and what the goal is: speed, sharpness, endurance, power, mobility, reaction… whatever you choose.

Breaking the Cycle of Mindless Repetition

Many people train the way they were taught — and in many schools, repetition was the only method. But training smarter doesn’t mean you’re being less traditional or less dedicated. It just means you’re actually getting better.

There’s a time and place for going through the whole form. But if that’s all you ever do, it’s like playing the same song on an instrument without ever practicing the notes. You’ll never become a master musician that way.

The Way Forward

If you’ve ever felt like your solo practice is getting boring… that you don’t know what’s improving… or that you’re stuck just doing the same thing over and over — you’re not alone. But you also don’t have to stay there.

The good news is that once you begin to train with structure, your motivation grows again. You see results. You enjoy the process more. You start to take your practice personally — in the best way.

So if this sounds familiar to you, and you don’t want to keep guessing every time you train alone, send me a message. I’d be happy to help you put together a simple but effective training plan that actually works for you — your level, your goals, and your time.

Let’s train smarter. You’ll feel the difference.