FAQ - Can I Teach Myself Martial Arts?

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by aikiwolfie, Oct 11, 2014.

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  1. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Bredan, remember we talked about thinking before you type? That could have been written by hitting the keyboard with a kipper and it would have made as much sense
     
    Hannibal, Sep 30, 2017
    #61
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  2. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    Reads like the Architect from the Matrix during the final throws of vascular dementia...
     
    Knee Rider, Sep 30, 2017
    #62
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  3. Gil Katz

    Gil Katz New Member

    Yes, of course you can teach yourself martial art by watching the videos from YouTube or anywhere else. And you will also can know this from the tactics from any other professionals and then you can execute this at home perfectly. But i would suggest you yo not to do that by yourself completely because you can hart yourself in some serious manner. So, I would suggest you to learn the basics from some professional trainers then start learning by yourself.
     
    Gil Katz, Dec 4, 2018
    #63
  4. Alansmurf

    Alansmurf Aspire to Inspire before you Expire Supporter

    Easy answer

    All the u tube and internet stuff are good study resources....
    But they cannot replace going to classes and learning from an experienced teacher

    Smurf
     
    Alansmurf, Dec 4, 2018
    #64
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  5. pgsmith

    pgsmith Valued dismemberer

    This is a question that gets asked repeatedly. This is always my answer ...

    Of course you can teach yourself martial arts.
    However, anyone's martial arts abilities are limited by their instructor's knowledge. The better your instructor's knowledge, the better your abilities will be.
    So, you have to ask yourself just how good of a martial arts instructor are you? What level of ability will you be satisfied with since you'll be teaching yourself?
     
    pgsmith, Dec 5, 2018
    #65
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  6. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    I was teaching my junior class tonight, kids as young as 7. We had some white belts there, who have done padwork before, and are obviously right at the start of their martial arts journey. These kids get decent instruction on a regular basis and work with people better than them all the time, but don't think about the prodigies we see on youtube clips who are literally one in a million, think normal people.

    They are decent students, but they were sparring for the first time tonight and they struggled, unsurprisingly. One of the key things they struggled with was range; understanding how to sit just off the end of an opponent's kick so you can counter, rather than taking an extra step or two and then being so far away you cannot counter without yourself getting picked off on the way in.

    Remember, these are keen students who train regularly with people who help them.

    The reality is, however, that it's nigh on impossible to teach someone to spar without them sparring. All the bagwork in the world won't help with that, you need to understand range and movement in a dynamic environment, ie with an opponent.

    Now we build up a better picture of the person who learns MA at home. They are almost without doubt not a prodigy. They are a normal person. They do not train with people better than them, people who can help them out as they work together. They don't have an Instructor dedicated to making them better. They never get to understand the dynamics of working with an opponent, because they never do it, and they have nobody to watch them train and give them feedback on their own situation.

    Imagine how much slower their general progress will be than a student who trains with an Instructor. Then imagine them trying to spar having never trained against an opponent before. They might have years behind them, but will still look like my white belt 7 year olds tonight, still at the start of their journey.

    So yes, you can learn martial arts at home. But no, it won't be efficient and it won't work when you actually have to punch/kick/grapple someone else who doesn't want you to punch/kick/grapple them.
     
    Mitch, Dec 10, 2018
    #66
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  7. Susan11

    Susan11 New Member

    Dear members of the forum I have already read here a huge number of posts about different martial arts.
    But what do you say about non-lethal weapons for self-defense such as stun guns? How effective are they in a real situation? I recently read an article on this topic.
    TOP 6 Best Stun Guns & Tasers | Buyer’s Guide 2018


    I will be glad to know your expert opinion on this issue.
     
    Susan11, Feb 21, 2019
    #67
  8. shotokanAikiJujistu

    shotokanAikiJujistu New Member

    Having a good coach means the world just ask mike tyson ,anyways these days there is many ,many and I stress many great martial art videos floating about out there especially on judo/bjj and grappling as well and some striking arts like boxing kick boxing MT but what I suggest is finding some schools of arts you wish to practice then get the basics down well and use advancement videos along the way the videos will get you light years ahead if you are a good student weather your in class or watching a video you will also need a good sparring partner roy nelson learned a lot of bjj online infact got his black belt and he is a dam good BJJ grappler and a ufc star!
     
    shotokanAikiJujistu, Feb 22, 2019
    #68
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