So, you’ve been training ving tsun kung fu for a while - a week, a year, a decade, doesn’t matter - and now it’s time to attend a seminar. A weekend-long training event where martial artists from across the country and around the world come together to put in the hard work and train kung fu together.

The Denver Kung Fu annual seminar will be three days (Jan 23-25, sign up here) of marathon training sessions full of hard-earned sweat, fairly traded bruises, and reality-crystalizing epiphanies guided by seasoned Sifus and Grandmaster Moy Tung himself. Hours of focused work balanced by kung fu family time. Nothing accelerates your kung fu journey quite like a seminar.

*Grandmaster Moy Tung (left) instructing students*

It’s an intense experience - fun!, but intense - so here are a few tips and tricks for surviving and thriving at a kung fu seminar:

PRE-SEMINAR PREP

Sleep

You’re about to ask your body to train for hours, then some more hours, and maybe follow up with an impromptu late night for-the-hell-of-it chi sau session. A well-rested body won’t quit on you before you’re ready to be done training.

Hydrate

This is Denver. We’re at an elevation of 5,280 feet - literally the Mile High City. Our air is thin and dry; if you’re traveling to our school from lower elevations, it’ll dessicate you like beef jerky before you even start sweating it out in the seminar. Drink water before, during, and after. Hydrate so you don’t die-drate.

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU

Snacks

Yes, there will be meal breaks, but your body will be working very hard. Quick, easy munchies that provide good fuel are a must. Personally, I’m a fan of granola bars and those fruit leather things from Trader Joe’s.

Water and electrolytes

See above about hydrating. Bring a large refillable water bottle, maybe a case of water to share if you’re feeling generous. Given how much you’ll be sweating, I’d also recommend something to replenish lost electrolytes, like Gatorade or coconut water. If you want cold drinks, just put ‘em on the school’s back porch for a bit - this seminar is in January, after all.

Extra shirts

Did I mention you’d be sweating? If you’re doing the seminar right, you’ll sweat through the shirt you show up in. And then maybe another one after that. Bring spare dry shirts to change into as needed. Your training partners will thank you; no one wants to make a splash zone every time they hit you.

Lucky money

A bit of cash to bless and thank your school and your teachers, usually presented in a lovely red envelope. Have a quiet chat with your senior sihing about how to contribute.

Curiosity & respect

Every new person who walks into that seminar knows something about kung fu that you don’t. Keep your mind open, your words respectful, and your hands ready. People you’ve never met before may hit you, but it’s okay because you’ll hit them right back. It’s all to help each other learn and grow your kung fu. Remember, you’re all in this seminar together.

2026 Denver Kung Fu Seminar Survival Kit

Training shirts for Kung Fu.