Would reading a book do you any good?

Yea, I'm just wondering. Would reading a book to learn a martial arts do you any good, will you actually learn the style by reading the book over and over again?

 

NO! Yuo will try to do the technique abd probably screw up. You have to work with an instructor

 

It will do you good if it keeps too busy to go out and get your self in trouble.

 

It can broaden your view of the art you practice. One may not learn the technique solely from the books but it is good to study some history, theory etc. I go as far as to say that if more people would read about martial arts the so called McDojos would have less customers.

 

Reading books does plenty for your brain. I suggest reading many books.

For MA skills? No.

Would reading a book make you a better runner? Football (American and normal)? Tennis? See the pattern?

PL

 

I think it might help if you are already practicing the art.
But as for learning techniques from a book alone? Nope.

 

Surely it would if you can find relevant information from the book. One of the reasons I left my crappy karate school was the books I read. I find out they were practicing our style in a weird way and I also find out some of the reasons my body was not feeling very good even though I was practicing pretty much. And of course I am not talking about some how to learn karate in six weeks manual.

 

I totally agree. It may help you to memorize the techniques you have learned and help you to understand how human body works.

 

Reading

Good for history and orgins..Not real good for for techniques, you still need to practice them under the watchful eye of an instructor to ensure you're doing them correctly..

 

I think learning techniques from books is a great idea. I'm always going through one book or another and trying out submissions and reversals with a friend. You just have to keep practicing it until it works. I don't need an instructor telling me I am doing something right when my mate is tapping out because he is in pain.

 

Does your mate know what he's doing? If he doesn't know any escapes or defenses, that might cloud your results. Know what I mean?

 

I agree with most of the other posters...
- Learning a system from a book , in my opinion, is not feasible.
- Learning the history, different perspectives, and claryifying central concepts is feasible
- Using books and videos to supplement regular training with partners and instructors is a good way to get added depth to your knowledge of the style and foundation.

 

Hi All,

I have a number of martial arts books and videos and I have to say that I have learnt from them - but NOT new techniques - for me they help to refresh existing knowledge.

However different people learn in diufferent ways - some by watching and some by doing - I need to 'do' to learn but know someone who was able to learn kata from video - something I could not do - so could 'someone' learn technique from a book - I guess I'd have to say 'someone' YES but 'everyone' NO...

Hope that the above makes sense.

All the best.

Robert.

 

Nice post, Robert... and I agree. I think, especially at more advanced levels, that books and videos are a great aid in refreshing one's memory and I think it becomes easier to learn new techniques from books and videos when the concepts and fundamentals are the same as your system. It's a good point you make.

However, I don't think a person could learn a whole system from a book or video....

 

Hi Thomas (and All),

I agree - it would be an exceptional person who could do that.

Also I think that the problem isn't even so much with the techniques - punch - kick - lock - throw - so much as the other things that make a system a system - the timing - the attitude - the interaction and learning from your instructors and fellow students.

All the best.

Robert.

 

I keep reading Karate books and in class, my Instructor keeps having to say "Who the heck showed you how to do it that way?"

 

Books are great but your likely to learn poor form from a book. You may think your doing the technique perfect but you will only be doing to the technique as the book says. You may not know what it exactly means or it may not go in depth enough for you to fully understand the application.
For example, a book may tell you to throw a cross with your right hand, or left depending on which stance you prefer. It may not go into details like body mechanics, body flow, positioning of the hand, the looseness required etc.
Don't fully trust a book, seek professional guidance if you can

 

How many foot ball players do you know that instead of going out and playing football, they sit at home and read books and actually get better at playing football?

PL

 

Books

As stated by many others in this thread, it isn't likely you can pick up and art solely by reading a book. There are far too many variables in each technique, and only a good instructor can watch all of these variables to be sure you are doing a technique correctly. You could, again as has already been said, supplement, or better yet, use books to see how what you are learning in class may vary slightly from the way a book shows it. A book might also give you different variations of how to apply a technique that you are already proficient at. A book may also be referred to as a refresher if you have been away from practicing, or are at home working out and don't remember something quite right.

 

i know of a few players that watch tapes to figure out how other people do plays. Reading for new plays, reading for new training methods on running faster, tackling harder, reading to figure out the rules, reading for proper ways on kicking a field goal at acertain wind speed, reading another teams play book....
Those seem like benefitial ways to learning football. The same applies to MA. I have a book on Shaolin Chin Na, and ive never studied it in person before. Does that mean im a master? No. But it does mean i have an idea wut im up against, the simularities between Chin Na and Jujutsu, and even basic grabs and throws... A book is a good teacher, but nothing is better than hands on practice of course.