Plenty of people ask us first whether they can join at all - because of a repaired knee, chronic lower back pain, or a shoulder that has not been the same since some long-ago fall. The answer is almost always yes, with one serious condition: you have to say so in advance.
Why telling us matters
A teacher who does not know will correct your stance against the same standard as everyone else’s. A teacher who knows will ask for the same stance at a different depth - or give you a different exercise with the same purpose. One sentence on your first visit changes the whole path that follows.
Nobody will move you out of the group and you get no special status. In practice, the only thing that changes is what you do for three or four minutes of the class.
We do not adapt training to make it easier. We adapt it so you can still be training in ten years.
What this looks like for typical problems
Knee. Low stances are central to Kung Fu and they are the most common worry. The answer is depth: the same stance is taken higher, with attention to keeping the knee over the foot rather than collapsing inward. Holds are shorter and rests more frequent. Interestingly, many people report fewer knee problems after a few months, as the muscles that guide the joint get stronger.
Lower back. The key is looking after the pelvis. Instead of deep forward folds in the warm-up, we use pelvic rotations and hip flexor work, and the breath is used to release the deep muscles. Anyone in acute pain leaves out strikes with trunk rotation.
Shoulder. Overhead work is done through a smaller range or with a bent elbow. Qi Gong does the most here - slow circles under minimal load are often the only thing that helps a shoulder without irritating it.
Ankle and foot. Work is done seated or standing without jumps; kicks are replaced with hand work. Because we train barefoot, the foot strengthens on its own, which helps in the long run.
When we recommend private sessions
If the limitation is larger or recent, starting with a few private sessions makes more sense than joining a group straight away. In one hour alone with a teacher we can check precisely what the body tolerates and build a version of the exercises you can then take into a regular group without worry.
The line we do not cross
We are not therapists and we do not treat conditions. If you have a fresh injury, are in a post-operative period, or have a diagnosis for which a doctor has restricted your load, it is the doctor or physiotherapist who says what is allowed. We build the training inside that frame - and we are glad to, because regular adapted movement is often exactly what is missing.
