Lesson 1 – The basics of 6 Dragons Kung Fu
The steps to become a 6 Dragons Kung Fu warrior
In this chapter we will discuss:
- The fundamental training
- The physical and technical workouts
- The basic training tools
Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).
After having mentioned how the inverted learning process of 6 Dragons Kung Fu works (read Lesson 0.4), we start explaining its 5 fundamental steps:
- Awaken of body and mind
- Body and mind expression
- Deep learning of techniques
- Martial skills development
- Synthesis
A note by Master Kongling – Naturally the fact that the technical aspects are mentioned in the third step, does not mean that you will not study techniques but simply that, in that phase, you will deepen them profoundly.
Before explaining the duration and focus of each phase it is important to stress that 2 things:
- The times we are going to list are only indicative, they vary from person to person (due to determination, age, time, etc.)
- Every serious martial art (modern or ancient), to be truly mastered, needs similar times of development
A note by Master Kongling – Do not be scared by the time. Anyone who will tell you they can fully teach you a martial art in a few days, weeks or months is most likely a scammer. To give you an idea: if you are extremely determined, the minimum time to acquire the first rudiments is 6 months (of hard work) but this leads you to be able to face ordinary people, neither more nor less; to learn to face a real adversary, it takes at least 3-5 years (always making the best effort).
1. Awaken of body and mind
Beginner level
First of all (as we have already begun to do in Lesson 1.2) you must adapt your mind and body to the idea that training is an integral part of your daily life.
To help us to accomplish this task, come to our rescue:
- The variety of the practices (read Same exercises, different execution)
- Fun and satisfaction (read How to train with perseverance)
- Health and wellness (read Qi and proper nutrition)
- The exclusion of exaggerated physical effort (for now)
This part is the shortest (from 1 to 6 months).
2. Allow body and mind to express their attitudes
Intermediate level
As a second step, you begin, in relation to the martial exercises, to give space to your personal expression (read The difference between 6DKF and other martial arts):
- With not too many interferences, limits or impositions
- With small directives to avoid the biggest errors
- To discover limits / potentials of your body and mind
- Free of cages related to technique and style
- To begin to shape your new physical and mental form
This part (during which we will literally learn to train the legs as arms and vice versa) is essential and it has a medium-low duration (1-2 years).
3. Add martial technique to personal attitudes
Advanced level
After having learned the bases of self-defense, developed an instinctive combat capability and explored yourself, the deepening phase of the most advanced techniques begins:
- Only after having acquired a basic knowledge of the involved psychophysical dynamics
- Only after a lot of errors / mistakes and wrong ways (read How to bridge our failings)
- Only when defense and attack can count on basic reflexes and on a practical instinct
- Only when the mind starts to understand what Kung Fu is really about
This part, in terms of martial life, has a middle duration (3-5 years).
4. Add to the technique high-level psychophysical martial skills
Expert level
After the technique follows the acquisition of real martial skills:
- Based on long-term practice
- Founded on solid technical principles
- Protected from otherwise unavoidable safety risks
- Far from those who did not have the determination to get here
This part has a middle-long duration in the economy of a martial life (6-15 years).
5. Improve training and connect personal attitudes, technique, and martial skills
Master level
Finally, the moment comes to find a personal synthesis between innate abilities, technique and acquired skills:
- Through constant training
- Through sharing
- Through experimentation and self-criticism
- Through continuous deepening
This part is the longest and will occupy the rest of your martial life (16-50 years).
Discover yourself
Errors are precious sources of understanding and innovation (read Measure ourselves with errors). The freshness, originality and creativity of the novices (especially the children’s one) are often stifled by the weight of the imposed “wisdom” of bad masters (read Recognize a good / bad master: 5 characteristics).
Although the 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s way of teaching is not free from contraindications, it is the only way to create a truly personal style.
The point is that, if you wait to lay the foundations of your personal style at the end of a complete martial path, very few people will have a mind open enough to break down the preconceived rules.
What is the best style of Kung Fu?
The best possible Kung Fu:
- It is not the one that comes closest to you, it’s the one that springs from you
- It is the one that comes from the fruit of incessant experimentation, adaptation and study
- It is the one that springs from a lifetime process of discovery that ends only with your death
There is no style, technique or tactic that can make this kind of mastery vain.
In-depth articles
- How to learn faster – The secret to advance faster in any kind of Kung Fu Style
- The use of unorthodox methods – How to have a chance to win against any kind of opponent
<< Lesson 1.4 – Index – Lesson 2.2 >>
Author: Master Kongling
Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.How to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu?
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January 9, 2018 @ 8:42 am
Whe I will learn self defense? Are there techniques in phase 2?
January 9, 2018 @ 11:47 am
Yes, you will learn techniques and self-defense also in the second phase, do not worry (you will also start learning advanced skills, even if you will not properly understand it immediately).
When I talk about steps I mean what you have to focus on and not what you are called to do. This is the big difference.
Everything is connected but it’s up to you to choose where to look.
January 10, 2018 @ 3:32 am
It’s the first time I see a method like this, it will be a new experience
January 10, 2018 @ 11:02 am
Happy to ear it 🙂
January 14, 2018 @ 7:58 am
What is the most difficult part?
January 14, 2018 @ 10:32 am
The difficult part is to move from the first step to the second one. After that:
– You will feel uncomfortable if you do not train
– The only enemy will be rest times longer than 3 days
The idea is to understand that constant training is the goal and not the acquisition of special abilities (they will come automatically).
January 17, 2018 @ 11:52 pm
how can I find my kung fu?
January 18, 2018 @ 11:32 am
It’s a big question and it’s impossible to reply in a few words… you will know it by yourself.
Probably you will find your Kung Fu when each thing that martially you do will have enough sense to do not have to find a reason to be done (even in training, even in combat).
October 5, 2023 @ 9:55 pm
I love this approach because I have seen that if you never allow the body to express itself BEFORE the technique, you lose something, something that makes the difference.
October 9, 2023 @ 11:40 am
Exactly, if you look at the pro fighters in the highest level MMA competitions you always see a natural way of fighting, never a predetermined one.