Martial Arts....at home?

[Scin]

I have heard that it's nigh on impossible to do martial arts correctly by learning by yourself at home. Is this true of all martial arts?

[Shamou]

I don't know about other types of martial art... but there is no way that you can get to be proficient in Karate at home... You need a teacher... because Karate involves the mental part along with the physical part... and if you are alone, who will push you beyond your usual limits...???

Plus, who are you going to fight with...??? You just might knock yourself off in front of the mirror...

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[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Scin

I have heard that it's nigh on impossible to do martial arts correctly by learning by yourself at home. Is this true of all martial arts?

You can find a private instructor to teach you martial arts / self-defence at your home, provided you have enough room to do it. I converted my garage to a padded floor at my old house for that purpose. You can also find a dojo to train in, and go once or twice a week to, and then use your home to practice what you've learned.

It all depends what you're looking to get out of the marital arts training. If you're looking to build your confidence with dealing with people, you need to be in a dojo with other people so you can deal with them and increase your confidence. Nothing like flinging someone twice your weight around to boost your confidence. Kind of hard to do that by yourself. If you're looking to build a strong self defence base, you would also need a proper instruction to teach you that.

If the only thing you're looking at is simply to get a good workout while doing martial arts type moves, you can technically do that yourself at home just setting up a training space, and a punching bag or something and go nuts. However, this isn't really martial arts, it's more like just exercise.

I train in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Check it out locally, you might even find a local instructor that does private lessons.

[Scin]

Taijutsu? That's an interesting choice. If I remember correctly, it's one of the fundamental cores of ninjutsu, yes?

As far as dojos...I live in the middle of nowhere. There are none that I wish to train at in my area. In an ideal world, I would find a taijutsu or kenjutsu instructor. Unfortunately that's not possible here.

[Shamou]

Learning the Martial Arts at home would be a little like trying to learn how to play baseball by yourself...

However, a great part of the Martial Art is concerned with being in good physical shape and having good flexibility... So, if you could drive at least once a week to the Dojo... you might be able to achieve something worthwhile...

Best of luck to you...

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[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Scin

Taijutsu? That's an interesting choice. If I remember correctly, it's one of the fundamental cores of ninjutsu, yes?

As far as dojos...I live in the middle of nowhere. There are none that I wish to train at in my area. In an ideal world, I would find a taijutsu or kenjutsu instructor. Unfortunately that's not possible here.

One of our students in my school lives in the United States in Washington and drives across the border into Canada to train at our school. It's about a 45m-1hour drive for him each way. He is a police officer in Washington so to him the 1hour drive each way isn't so bad if what he learns saves his life one day.

Not sure what your beliefs are on the subject, but you might want to use Law of Attraction to attract either a school or an instructor or the means for you to be able to train in a martial art of your choice. That's what I did.

[Jams]

Originally Posted by Scin

I have heard that it's nigh on impossible to do martial arts correctly by learning by yourself at home. Is this true of all martial arts?

Another vote for 'NO' here - not in a thousand years

I know you can buy all sorts of training videos etc, but without anyone to correct you, you'll pick up so many bad habits that what you're doing will only remotely resemble a martial art at all.

Imagine you did find yourself in a violent confrontation one day... it would be like learning to drive from a book, and then taking your license test having never touched a steering wheel

[openeyes]

Time spent at home is largely to practice what you've already learned in person. As you gain experience practicing at home becomes more feasible. I started off training around age 7 under my dad's constant guidance, and then when I went off to college at 18, around the time I was becoming more serious about my training, I'd occasionally watch videos to review forms while practicing daily on my own and whenever I came home my dad would closely observe me to be sure I was still making progress.

He gave me a more rigorous mental education than I'd have likely received at most dojos, though training with others in addition to my dad would have been helpful. It's best that you regularly practice around others for at least the first few years, and you'll always want to practice with someone else at least on occasion.

If you can't find a school to go to regularly, you might focus on improving physical fitness via weightlifting, jumping rope, and possibly some endurance activities you enjoy (bicycling, jogging, hiking, etc). If there is a YMCA nearby you may find a judo class where you can learn to fall, and a boxing class where you can learn what it's like to hit/be hit. After learning those basics you may simply focus on improving physical conditioning on your own.

Consider heading off to a place where you can stay at a martial arts camp and train daily for a little while after achieving moderate conditioning (from a weekend to a couple weeks or more). Spending a weekend training with a professional fighter, hitting and being hit by people who'd trained in various styles such as Muay Thai was quite rewarding for me as a supplement to everything else I'd been doing for years.

Becoming a black belt won't happen from infrequent training with an instructor, but basic self defense skills can be acquired much more quickly, it just depends on exactly what you're hoping to accomplish.

[TheIronStar]

Originally Posted by Scin

I have heard that it's nigh on impossible to do martial arts correctly by learning by yourself at home. Is this true of all martial arts?

What are you looking to accomplish in the martial arts training?

Generally, the overall answer is a pretty strong "No, it's not possible."

That doesn't mean that if you do know something, that you can't practice it on your own.

Nor is it absolutely impossible to learn something of value on one's own. An iaido instructor in Canada once chimed in and posted his opinion on the matter here: You Can't Learn Martial Arts From a Book

Just remember what you're looking to accomplish, and what will be the optimal/satisficing path of training in your life.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by TheIronStar

What are you looking to accomplish in the martial arts training?

Generally, the overall answer is a pretty strong "No, it's not possible."

That doesn't mean that if you do know something, that you can't practice it on your own.

Nor is it absolutely impossible to learn something of value on one's own. An iaido instructor in Canada once chimed in and posted his opinion on the matter here: You Can't Learn Martial Arts From a Book

Just remember what you're looking to accomplish, and what will be the optimal/satisficing path of training in your life.

I was in Karate for seven years and I was awarded a black belt... so, I feel that I know something about it...

The martial arts are about self-defense... and self-defense is about fighting... how can you fight when you are alone...???

You need many sparring partners... and you need someone that will push you beyond what you think is possible...


The martial arts are also about an attitude... an attitude that can only be learned through emulation... and not by reading a book...

Maybe one could learn the basics by reading some books... but you won't ever learn how to take on someone twice your size and come out on top that way...

.

[TheIronStar]

Originally Posted by Shamou

I was in Karate for seven years and I was awarded a black belt... so, I feel that I know something about it...

The martial arts are about self-defense...

Are they necessarily? Whatever the arts' origins, the case is that as they are practiced today, some martial arts are about civilian self-defense, others are about combatives, others about performance, others about sportive practice, others about spiritual discipline, and yet others are about who knows what.

I don't want to hijack this into a "What constitutes a martial art?" discussion, though, so I'll stop here on this part.

I don't see why it's a problem if he wants to buy some Thai-Bow videos or whatever and dance to them day and night. The question again is, does what he would likely achieve by doing that match up to whatever it is that his intended training goals are? If not, then he needs to change his intended training methods.

[Oreb]

Originally Posted by Shamou

I was in Karate for seven years and I was awarded a black belt... so, I feel that I know something about it...


.

seven years and only a black belt? A blackbelt is simply mastery of basics, most people gain black belt satus in only two or three years of training.

You could very well teach yourself martial arts, particularly conditioning and learning of technique through trial and error (in regards to body mechanics) though it would take enormous discipline. If anyone says it flat out cant be done then they obviously havent heard of Musashi Miyamoto, who taught himself swordsmanship (and for the uninitiated was the best single swordsman in all of Japan).

But that route is probably not for you so it would be wisest not to try.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Oreb

seven years and only a black belt? A blackbelt is simply mastery of basics, most people gain black belt satus in only two or three years of training.

There are well over 2,000 types of disciplines in the martial arts... and I know that some of those are simply "belt selling machines" where the Sensei makes a living at charging so much for every belt that they hand-out... with the result that some of their black belts could not fight their way out of a paper bag....

I received my black belt after training at least three hours a day for the last three years... I wanted that black belt to mean something to me... not just a piece of cloth to hold up my karate gie...

If you can learn to fight by yourself... I wish you the very best...

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[Oreb]

I understand, sorry.

I just confused whatever art you studied with the generally held purpose of the black belt (at least with respect to TKD or your standard karate), i.e. mastery of basics.

What did you practice?


Back on topic: If you ever decide to do something by video or book make sure it's NOT ninjitsu. In fact, even if you have an instructor do not learn ninjitsu, that would be like trying to get a formal blackbelt in basket weaving. Actually, finding some legitamate ninja teacher to begin with would be far harder than finding a practical Kung Fu master.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Oreb

What did you practice?

Full contact Kyokushin...

.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Oreb

Back on topic: If you ever decide to do something by video or book make sure it's NOT ninjitsu. In fact, even if you have an instructor do not learn ninjitsu, that would be like trying to get a formal blackbelt in basket weaving. Actually, finding some legitamate ninja teacher to begin with would be far harder than finding a practical Kung Fu master.

Just look up any Bujinkan school. Not that hard.

Link on Wikipedia: Bujinkan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Also this one: Masaaki Hatsumi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paul

[silicon toad2000]

Depending what you want to achieve out of this training at home.

If you are more interested in the martial aspect then I'd wager if you get a few books and train hard at home, you'd clean the floor with someone who goes to a dojo once a week but who's heart isn't in it.
If you are more interested in the art, then no you cannot learn purely from books and videos.
I believe a lot of martial art discipline comes down to training your body to react before your conscious mind has a chance to bugger things up, hence the endless drilling and kata.