I just started taking a Kung-fu class. The teacher is dedicated and does much individual instruction.?

Levels of ability do vary. Some depends on the ability of the teacher and some depends on your willingness to train and practice. Some depends on how well can you take instructions and corrections. Some depends on how much time you can dedicate to your training. Some start already conditioned while others have to work their way into it. No two people are alike and no two people learn alike. Someone might struggle with something that is easy for you and sometimes you will feel you are the only one struggling.

There will be plateaus and you will feel like you are not making any progress. That's when a lot of people quit. Hang in there it always passes and all in a sudden it will click and you will take off until you hit the next plateau.

Learning martial art is not a race and you should not compare yourself to others. Martial arts is all about you and improving yourself. A good teacher will understand this and appreciate what you have to offer.

There is one thing about martial art. It gives you back exactly what you put in it. If you train hard and are dedicated it will give you back more than you can imagine.

1. Yes, the levels of ability do vary. Some people find it more difficult than others. However, if you find it difficult to start with you get used to putting effort in from the beginning so when you begin to get more experienced and it begins to get more difficult it's easy to apply effort it improve. However - if you find it easy to start with there becomes a point where you realise a lot of effort is required and because you're not used to it you have to adapt quickly and that breaks some people. Everyone is capable of getting better...martial arts are more mental than physical...you have to be determined to never give in no matter how difficult it gets.

2. As a martial artist I struggle to tell whether I'm improving quite often, this is when feedback is useful. Sometimes it is difficult to see for yourself and that can sometimes put you down, this is when your determination is necessary. The more you put into a martial art the more you get out of it. No one will 100% master a martial art, that is impossible! You may get close to mastering a certain move...but to do it perfectly 100% of the time and to have no slight errors it would be impossible.