When I first heard the phrase “Eat Bitter,” it struck a chord with me. It’s not something you learn in passing—it’s something you experience. If you want to get good at Kung Fu, or anything else in life, for that matter, you’ve got to learn to love hardwork. You’ve got to own the discomfort, the frustration, the “good” pain. That’s what it means to “eat bitter”.
Most people don’t want to hear this. They want the shortcut, the magic trick, the hack. But here’s the truth: there are no shortcuts to getting good. If you want to become honestly good at Kung Fu, if you want to unlock the deeper levels of skill and understanding, you must be willing to take on discomfort and say, “More, please.” That’s the mindset of someone who’s going to succeed, not just in Kung Fu but in life.
Life is going to hit you, no doubt about it. There will be days when everything feels like it’s working against you, when you’re exhausted, frustrated, and on the verge of quitting. That’s when you need to Eat Bitter. You’ve got to chew through the setbacks, swallow the frustrations, and keep going. Not because you’re forced to, but because you choose to.
But here’s the thing: the real warriors, the ones who succeed, don’t wait for life to hand them hardship. They go looking for it. They know the value of voluntary discomfort. They understand that progress comes from the challenges you willingly embrace, not the ones that are thrust upon you. Don’t feel like training today? You could stay home. Not in the mood to push yourself in class? You could coast. But that’s not what gets results. That’s not what builds greatness.
If you want to get good at Kung Fu, you have to make a decision: are you here to dabble, or are you here to get good? Kung Fu is not for excuse-makers, complainers, or quitters. It’s for the doers, the grinders, the ones who get up every day and say, “Bring it on.”
Eating bitter in Kung Fu means committing to the work. It means showing up to class when you’d rather stay in bed. It’s about pushing through the fatigue to refine your movements, standing in horse stance until your legs shake, and throwing the same punch a thousand times until it’s perfect. That’s what it takes to get good. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the price you pay for REAL skill.
And let me be clear: no one can make this decision for you. As a Sifu, I can guide you. I can push you. But I can’t do the work for you. You have to want it. You have to want to Eat Bitter more than you want comfort, more than you want ease, more than you want to hide.
That’s why I always tell my students: Figure out your “why.” Why are you here? Why do you want to learn Kung Fu? It doesn’t matter if your goal is self-defense, personal growth, or becoming the best fighter you can be. What matters is that you commit. Kung Fu isn’t something you dabble in—it’s something you dedicate yourself to.
At the end of the day, the formula is simple. Your success in Kung Fu—or in anything else—will be directly tied to your ability to Eat Bitter. The more you embrace the grind, the more you’ll grow. The more you push through the hard days, the more skill you’ll develop. And the more you lean into the struggle, the stronger you’ll become—not just in Kung Fu, but in life.
So stop making excuses. Stop running from discomfort. Start embracing it. Eat bitter, and watch how far it takes you. That’s how you get good at Kung Fu. That’s how you get good at life.