Can you really learn Wing Chun online? In 2020, the government closed my Wing Chun classes due to Covid-19. I was no longer able to offer classes in person, so I decided to hold weekly Zoom classes for my existing students who wanted to continue their education.

After a couple of months, we reopen classes before the next closure. What I noticed was that those who had kept their training online had continued to improve while those who hadn’t were falling behind. The gap was obvious and perhaps this should have been obvious. While those who did nothing would not maintain their skills (instead they would slowly lose their dexterity), those who joined the Zoom calls actively improved.

However, all of the members who joined me online on the Zoom calls had some prior partner training under their belt. The question is: can someone with no previous experience gain anything from online training from videos? In part I’d like to say yes, of course they can, but you’re limited in how much they can actually learn from the videos without a training partner and qualified instructor to correct them.

Online videos are particularly useful for learning basic hand patterns. Without an experienced teacher (and a training partner), it is much more difficult to learn and understand the partner exercises that generate the reflex system and hand sensitivity that Wing Chun relies on.

Having multiple Wing Chun sparring partners in a classroom offers something that cannot be simulated even with a single sparring “partner.” If your training partner has no training, it is much more difficult to generate the correct form and reaction. Each training partner in a classroom offers something different from the last. One student may react completely differently from another. Some students will be more aggressive than others, some will have a long reach.

It is this part of a martial art that cannot be replicated through online training, no matter how intricate a particular training video may be. After all, Wing Chun in particular relies on touch and sensitivity in the hands, rather than just copying. A bona fide Sifu who has decades in the art will still need to lead a class and develop students with a series of forms, exercises, and partner activities to replicate real life situations. Even in a classroom, security is a factor that can take away from some of the realism. So some might say that learning from videos seems pretty useless.

Since my class closed in 2020, the Zoom classes I’ve led have held students accountable and kept them going with their training when they might have otherwise quit. At a time of lockdown in the UK, it was a source of purpose and even physical activity alone fulfilled the need for exercise and good mental health.

A student had just joined my class when we were in lockdown. But he went through the course and learned the whole system (in terms of forms) just from videos! When we went back to physical classes this became apparent and I couldn’t perform the exercises, and chi sau was very tense. However, the training of the forms had advanced him and this would not have been possible without any training. He knew the form of Siu Lim Tao, Chun Kiu, Biu Gee, Dummy, Knife, and Pole (at least superficially).

When I started learning Wing Chun in 1993, I used a book to study the first form (Siu Lim Tao), in addition to classes. Videos are much better than pictures in a book. They add another dimension to learning that is not possible through a book and pictures. Before the lockdown, I didn’t think you could learn Wing Chun online. I still don’t think you can learn Wing Chun online with any sense of competence. However, you can learn basic hand patterns that can give you an advantage if you plan to join a class in the future.

Hand patterns (shapes) are one of the best things you can learn online as a Wing Chun student. But to get the most out of online training, you’ll need to bring a good attitude and mindset to your training; it is much more difficult to have the discipline to train alone, than if you have a school and a qualified teacher.

So if you currently cannot access a school and still want to learn Wing Chun, you can learn the basic hand patterns of the system. These will give you a structure to build on. Start with Siu Lim Tao and practice every day.

Learn this pattern first and make daily practice a habit. Once you have developed this habit, start with the second form (Chum Kiu). Of course, some of the finer elements of the forms will be overlooked. But keep up your practice and find a teacher who can elaborate on what you have learned.

Train hard and practice every day!