I know this may sound silly for many individuals and most have no interest at all, but does anyone here believe that martial arts can be learned at a distance. I have been in the martial arts for 15 yrs and there has been an explosion in "martial arts home study courses" I will admit most are trash. However there are some that legitimate and produce some good practitioners. Basically one does the techniques with several partners for several months, and then records themselves on a DVD cam at several different angles and sends in the recording to their instructor for grading and correction of mistakes. This method repeats itself until the student reaches the desired rank. I will admit this method can be effective but nothing beats live instruction. However, this is a good substitute if one finds a reputatble teacher for a martial arts distance learning program!
I've been in Martial Arts for 20 years and the foundation of any style has to be a solid one - I have doubts that one can achieve that foundation by watching a DVD... techniques that look as though they are being executed correctly vs being executed correctly are worlds apart. Personally I'd steer away from such DVDs, unless one is actually practicing that particular style already with access to an instructor to correct those techniques...
Hi L.L.: You have a pretty good foundation if you have 15 years under you belt, so to speak. The ability to learn via distance is a tricky one. There are a few questions I would ask. Do you have cross training in the Martial Arts? In other words, have you studied Japanese styles, Chinese styles, etc. Learning via a DVD is somewhat challenging, however, if you practice, you may learn something. I would say, ultimately, you would have to meet up with a live person to instruct you in that particlar style to fine tune you, the student. Being cross trained in a variety of styles would help greatly. I have a friend, Grandmaster X(for privacy), that owns hundreds of videos/dvds on everything ranging from Internal Arts, to combative applications of Dim Mak. His collection also includes many, many books as well. One could ask, "If he is a Grandmaster, shouldn't he know everything already?" His reply humble reply would be "There is always something new to learn". Good luck, Abner
How about a combination of distance learning and instruction in the dojo? Concepts and techniques not understood may be reviewed, refreshed, and practiced at home. I love Kun Tao Silat. It is composed of Pencak Silat and Chinese Kun Tao. Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is also interesting. I doubt brazilian jiu-jitsu can be learning through distance education. Well.. maybe if one imagines an opponent .
Re: Re: Distance Learning Martial Arts Back in the '70s, I began studying the martial arts through books and magazines because there was no school in my town. When I joined the military and began training with real life instructors, I was surprised at how much I had actually learned. Of course, there was much I had not learned. But the books gave me a sense (although limited) of what to expect. For one thing, my techniques were lacking in power. My instructors showed me how to correct this and how to refine my execution (which was pretty sloppy). I learned how to break bricks, boards and cement blocks from reading books. In fact, I was able to break more than some of the black belts. That said, I would not recommend the practice of breaking to someone else without a trained professional. In this case, relying on a book alone can result in serious injury. I know this because I have a friend who broke his hand. Today (and for the last several years), my interest is Wing Chun. Unfortunately, since there are no Wing Chun schools in my area, I train with books and tapes/DVDs. I'm in the process of purchasing a wooden dummy. I must say that reading this post brings back many memories. Roscoe P.S. Abner, what do you think of Dim Mak?
Re: Re: Re: Distance Learning Martial Arts Hi Roscoe: It's funny. I guess I was drawn to martial arts from a very young age. When I was around five years old, I ordered a Book on how to learn Karate, it even came with a striking points poster. My mom had to help me fill out the order form then enclosed a check for a whopping 75 cents. Of course it wasn't a hard cover book. It was basically a bunch of sheets stapled together with diagrams on stances, punches, kicks, etc. I studied from that book everyday after school for a couple years. Believe it or not, when I started formal training under a Sensei, he asked me if I trained somewhere else. I guess he could see I already had a basic foundation. When I showed him the book I studied from, he couldn't believe it. But I digress. What do I think of Dim Mak? Without getting to technical, Dim Mak can be very effective. However, the key is to learn how to "tenderize" your opponent prior to applying the strike, whether it is a pressure point or otherwise. The problem with many Dim Mak videos is they show the application of the strikes, however, the strike is done on a unmoving subject. Another observation, Dim Mak should be applied in close quarter combat. The obvious reason is so your opponent does not see it coming. The real key to Dim Mak, or any strike, is learning how to manipulate motion to increase power. A whipping strike is what creates the knock out effect (disruption of the central nervous sytem). I can go on and on. Sorry. take care Roscoe, Gott go due some honey do's before my wife knocks me out! Abner
Thanks, Abner. Looks like we were reading the same book (and chart) LOL! This is off topic but I'd love to know your thoughts about the different schools of Jeet Kune Do. The whole issue of JKD seems so confusing, it's hard to know what's legit. I believe there was a guy (with a PhD) who was given JKD credentials by Joe Lewis. It raised a lot of questions. If you'd rather respond by PM, that's fine. Roscoe
libertarian_Larry Hi libertarian_Larry, I agree to your suggestion partly, however in my opinion martial arts can be learned at distance after basic live training, distance learning for martial arts could be effective when the person have initially taken a live training for it's basic in the beginning. what do you say ?
Re: libertarian_Larry Well, I disagree. Much of what you learn in martial arts comes from training and sparring with others. However, there are martial arts related DL courses out there that deal with the more academic side to martial arts (history, philosophy, physiology, and so forth). I remember one such course taught from from Upper Iowa University by a Japanese professor there who holds high dan grades in Aikido and Kendo.
