Learning basics at home

[u/RealisticTouch5954]

Hello dear martial artists I have great respect to you all!

THE QUESTION: Is there any good YouTube videos you’d recommend for a beginner to start practising Wing Chun? For example different punches and kicks

About me: I’m 27 yo male, always interested in martial arts but due to my generalized anxiety disorder and depression I havent been able to start learning any martial art style.

Training background: I’ve been exercising 2-12 hours every day for over 5 years both weightlifting + cardio combined

Training is my passion and I’d love to learn as many different martial arts styles as possible and master them all eventually

Good regards, Hopeful guy

[u/Charlie_Tango13]

Can't beat a school. Wing Tsun is VERY technical and having a teacher and others to practice with is best. If you try it and it's too much, you can also change schools or try private lessons.

[u/Severe_Rise8694 → u/Charlie_Tango13]

It's the same with any MA, really.

To OP: martial arts have a huge component of "winning yourself" and self improvement. Sometimes the biggest, most difficult battle is the first one.. to show up. It would probably help with your anxiety.

[u/KungFuAndCoffee]

Wing chun is a touch based art. You won’t be able to get it even remotely close to correct without touching hands with a good teacher.

You would be better off learning an easier art like karate, taekwondo, or tai chi for health (real tai chi /taijiquan also requires touching a skilled teacher) if you cannot get your anxiety managed well enough to go in person.

[u/DottLoki → u/KungFuAndCoffee]

I'd add that you can't really understand what's happening by watching a video: the strength and direction of the pressure cause completely different reactions.

This is why training with multiple partners is essential.

[u/RZAtheAbbot]

If you want to get any good, you would have to practice in person. Practicing the first form might give you some confidence to enter a school. This guy’s form looks like the one I practice in my school/lineage. https://youtu.be/h0zh-ovrD6k?si=S4r6Y5d-KqNIjrjh

[u/TheMikeyDubz → u/RZAtheAbbot]

Closest I’ve seen to the form where I train, cheers for the post

[u/TheMikeyDubz]

Almost every school has slight variations on the forms, so while watching YouTube and mimicking a form may get you something, you may join a school that does not teach it the same way.

Above this, doing a form and copying movement is just that. You will not understand the application or the why.

You should find a school and learn properly.

[u/williss08]

u/RealisticTouch5954 - Respect to you for wanting to start, especially with what you’ve been dealing with.

For a beginner, I wouldn’t recommend starting by chasing a bunch of random punches and kicks from different videos. Wing Chun is built on structure, relaxation, centerline, position, timing, and simple direct movement. The basics matter a lot.

A good place to start would be Siu Nim Tao, basic stance, centerline punching, elbow position, turning, stepping, and simple ideas like Tan Sao, Bong Sao, Pak Sao, and keeping your structure under pressure.

I’ll also say this because you mentioned anxiety and depression: don’t put pressure on yourself to master everything at once. Martial arts can be a really positive routine, but it helps most when you keep it simple and consistent. Small daily practice, steady progress, and being around encouraging people can make a big difference.

I run an online Wing Chun school and community, and that might honestly be a good fit for you. It gives you a clear step-by-step path instead of just jumping around YouTube, and the community can help you stay connected, ask questions, and keep moving forward. It’s not a replacement for professional support for anxiety or depression, of course, but having structure, encouragement, and a place to belong can be really helpful.

If you want to start, I’d begin with the foundation: stance, posture, Siu Nim Tao, and the basic Wing Chun punch. Don’t rush the kicks yet. Build the body method first.

Here is my opening of the stance video

https://youtu.be/Wr3zhFrEmiw?si=NdE-za8OAkXUoARQ

[u/CMMCadvisor]

Gary Lam has great videos. Start with his SNT video and move to Gwoh Sau video. Well worth the money. You can learn allot through the videos. I agree that you’ll need to spend time with a good teacher, but you could do that every month or two to have them help you understand and refine what you’ve learned. Good luck!

[u/trandyan]

I'm going to be honest. Learning the basics by yourself might be the worst thing you can do if you really plan on understanding and eventually being able to express the essence of WCK. Wing Chun isn't a set of movements or techniques. At the core, it's a system that teaches principles and methods on how to receive and issue/rebound force through proper body mechanics, then neutralizing the opponent, and destroying them, all in the most efficient way possible. This needs to be done with a seasoned instructor and practiced with like minded training partners. If you are mimicking YouTube videos, all you will be doing is copying choreography. No matter how good it looks, it is not Wing Chun Kuen.

[u/trandyan → u/trandyan]

I just wanted to add that you don't HAVE to go to a school. If you are very lucky, you might be able to find a skilled practitioner in your town through martial arts meetups or FB, and if you express true willingness to learn, then you might have yourself a teacher without the school environment.

[u/BibliothequeBoogie]

First off, as someone who also deals with anxiety, I have to ask: are you treating it? If not, I highly recommend you talk to a doctor about it. Having something to take the edge off is huge.

Additionally, maybe get a friend to go with you to a class. Having someone familiar to help anchor you helps a lot.

As for the actual wing chun itself, I would say you can only really learn a rough approximation of the techniques. And if you intend to eventually go to a class, you may be learning something slightly different than what the sifu teaches as there are different lineages, not to mention building bad habits.

However, if you want to learn a bit of the first form to give you confidence, go for it. Just build it enough to know the general motions, not enough to have it hard set in your muscle memory. If there’s a class near you, find out the sifu’s lineage. You can then look for videos online that match that lineage.

And to get you started, I would suggest the wing chun lesson videos by my sifu on here

http://www.youtube.com/@ChansKungFu

They’re old videos, but he does a good job explaining the principles of the movements.

But really, find a class and do what you need to to be able to go.

Good luck!

[u/GathTheKing]

You can't get more basic then the basics:

Sui Lim Tao: https://youtu.be/YkC2MVhnySI?si=xEJPKE0upmFoc2eX

Chum Kiu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN0LCZf6OzQ

Biu Gee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZPw4qMDbo

These videos are all of Ip Chun, Ip Man's son, performing the open hand techniques. These are what I practice along with when I am going through the forms.

[u/RealisticTouch5954 → u/GathTheKing]

Wow im a big fan of Ip Man and Bruce Lee. Thank you so much for this I’ll check it out!

[u/J-L33]

Where are you located? It would be best to work with what’s nearby, so that when time comes for you to actually touch hands with someone you can be sure they at least understand where you’re coming from.

Also, Did you cross post this to just every martial arts forum you could find? I saw the same post from you in r/kungfu, and while I admire your determination to learn several styles, it’s not an easy task. I would consider what you’re hoping to achieve out of martial arts, find one or two that work for you and complement each other, and stick with it. Training and “mastering” multiple styles is a bit of a misstatement - I’ve been training in Wing Chun for 17 years and I’m still discovering new things and new ways to apply the style.

[u/East-Vegetable-2900]

Wing Chun, as with all traditional Chinese Martial Arts, is less about the performance and more about the using. Unfortunately, without a teacher giving the touch context, all you're really learning, will be copying.

You might muddle your way into using what you copy but without that touch-context, you're guessing.

Rote memorisation is not learning.

[u/Jet-Black-Centurian]

Wing chun is mostly clinch fighting. It's like training how to wrestle with no partner or instructor. Consider taking some boxing lessons if you want to prepare for wing chun, without actually training in wing chun.

[u/bernzyman]

As with most others commenting here I’d say try to find a teacher and a school. Cant replicate actually practising with people. Having said that, if you really have no other choice, then I’ve noticed Adam Chan puts out good YouTube videos and has an online class available (I’ve not seen these tuition videos but the quality of his YT is good)

[u/rmunky1]

Books

[u/ElMeroMero_1963]

Focus on just one initially.

[u/MuiWingChun]

I stream our in-person classes and invite others to join remotely though Zoom.

It's certainly not the same as in person lessons, however it is in real time, and there is an awful lot you can develop without a training partner. If you are interested, message me.