does 15 years of imaginary training really pay off?

When its comes to training yourself in fighting i believe that any training is helpful.It is true that improper training is harmful.But as long as you train your self correctly i would say your could do anything there is no limit to what you could learn. the only set back there is, is that you dont get the fighting experience you would get fighting a partner. care to discuss?

 

Get a teacher. /thread

 

did the people who created styles have a teacher and these became masters

 

I agree. I don't think you can be a martial artist without sparring and doing kata.

 

Everyone who has become competent has had a teacher.

 

People who founded the first styles had to have had real experience fighting, else what would be the point in systemising it? As long as there have been wars there's been some form of martial art. There's mention of "trained men" going to fight in the bible (which is fun to tell people who are morally against martial arts ) so someone must have been in a fight, overcome the other bloke, and told someone else what he did to defend against what, and it grew from there. Anything else is empty kata.

That said, if you knew a hell of a lot of the theory and biomechanics and had a supremely detailed instructional medium, there's potential in you doing less harm to yourself. But with commercialisation classes are everywhere, and with competition some of them are ridiculously cheap (I went to an aikido class a few years back that cost £1.15 for two hours! A SQUID FIFTEEN! If the class was any good I would have stuck around but that can't be the only class employed by the venue.)

These days there's not much excuse for not getting formal training. It's not like masters hang out in the wilderness and you have to wipe his ar.......mpits for five years before he teaches you how to punch.

 

yes but classes are somewhat expensive.

here is how i see it there are 3 men 1.the man with 15 years imaginary training.2.the man with 15 years "real" training. and 3.the man with not training just a regular say hood with a somewhat hard life. put them together.

1 vs 2: of course 1 would most likely lose but not so easly.
1 vs 3: what do you think?

man number 3 i say is a normal person say that you may have to encounter (random fight that happens) even though u may not be able to destroy trained fighters. there are not trained fighters trying to attack you on the street lol .

i believe the body knows itself the best if anything learn from a master then take off and become your own master.

 

Imaginary training might get you fit and flexible, even fast and accurate, but if you've never hit someone before you're probably gonna hurt yourself. If you've never faced adrenaline before you're gonna freeze. As to which will win, my money's on the one that wants to most. Becoming a master of yourself is always good, but if you only ever train by yourself, you're not likely to become a master of the art. Theory can go a long way but if you're not fighting you're not learning how to fight.

 

yes i will say actually fighting has alot to do with the experience the person has actually fighting.

one of these days i will go on a journey and test this theory

 

Those that have martial arts styles or systems that survive to this day were martial arts geniuses. They all had teachers at some point in their lives, to my knowledge.

But I can see your point, and kind of share the same belief, to a certain extent...let me explain. When I was a kid, my parents would not pay for my martial arts classes, mostly because I failed many of my classes in juniorhigh and highschool. So I turned to the many martial arts books, and began practicing the basics as outlined in those books, and some of the kata. Very difficult to do.

I also had the advantage of growing up in an era when kung fu movies, and black belt theatre (also movies) from the US and China/Hong Kong were very popular. And so, if I saw a particular training method that I liked being shown to the hero of the film by his teacher / master, then I would incorporate that into my training.

These movies were very different from the movies and stunts we have today such as The Matrix, where actors are fixed into a sling / ratchet / rigging, or use spring boards, or have digital animation applied to make them look like martial arts experts. The actors in those movies of long ago were often times well trained martial artists, acrobats, or at the very least very fit athletically.

So if for instance one used heavy rocks to train with, I would copy this using bricks in my hand and do punch after punch after punch in a deep horse riding stance. And then practice my blocks in the same fashion. I would set up balance beams and practice walking accross them forward and backward, I would practice circular stepping movements and a wide variety of other exercises that I also saw in those movies and books.

I would also practice moves with a wooden staff, often times copying kata from books and one of my friends had a wooden sword (bokken) that we would use as well. Keep in mind that some of these movies were fairly good representations of the art, and others were kind of crappy much like the martial arts we see in the movies today.

This kind of training is okay for a short while, and is just that...a kind of training. It does not equate to skill. Eventually, in order to really learn and understand martial art, it is best to learn from someone who knows more than you, and is willing to teach you. That is how we all learn martial arts from day one white belt. Many communities have recreation departments where martial arts are taught and are much less expensive than a commercial school.

Even when I was practicing those times without a real teacher, and as a kid, I knew that I was just practicing to develop my own coordination and reflexes, and not necesarrily practicing a martial art for the sake of combat. So I didn't lead myself to believe that what I was doing was somehow as real as it would be under the guidance of an instructor. It was a workout, and I sweated, and my muscles around my arms and forearms started getting a little bigger from working out with the bricks in my hand and the repititions. It was also at a kind of slow and steady pace...I was not trying to push/move those bricks as fast as I could into blocking or striking. I also mixed that up with plenty of jogging (as I was an avid runner), swimming, and some basic calesthenics like push ups sit ups, pull ups, jumping jacks and so on. I eventually did, as I matured and grew older, go out and start training in some of the local martial arts in my area.

The martial arts I eventually learned were quite different from what I had been training myself in, but that is the what we discover anyways when we go to train a martial art.

I know this is kind of long, but I hope it makes some sense.

 

Kata?

 

I am not sure what your situation is but most instructors I've had have always been lenient with the monthly dues and willing to work out a payment plan if you can't pay up. Most of the time you can work something out with them. Heck you can even ask if they need help because a lot of dojo need a treasurer or secretary.

Or you could go to the park at 6am there is usually free tai chi lessons there.

 

In 1 vs 3; 3 will win most often. He hasn't filled his head with 15 years of imaginary combat but 15 years of real life. That is a harder lesson.

 

Also, getting into sports like wrestling or team sports like basketball or lacrosse develop some of the reflexes and coordination that could easily translate into the martial arts. If those cost too much also, then you can always get a group of friends together for a freindly scrimmage of the sport of your choice, and you can do that in addition to your own workouts until you decide to practice at a martial arts school or dojo.

 

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Ye, great idea...many dojo also need people to clean up a little around the place, tidy up, take out the trash, sweep the floors...excellent advice! I know of one mother at another school who trades weekly cleaning services in exchange for her kids monthly dues.

 

I'd happily clean the dojo in exchange for lessons but they take place in a leisure centre and there are already people paid to do that :doh:

 

You're hired. When can you start?

 

First, there is something called the shift key. It makes small letters into big letters at appropriate points, with the great benefit of making your writing wonderfully less painful to read.

Any training is helpful. If it's good yes.
Improper training is harmful yes.

And if you do not have a teacher to guide you. How do you know your training is 'proper' and that what you are doing is harmful or helpful. Think on this.

Not all martial arts material is out in the mainstream to be accessed for free. So 'imaginary training' there are certainly many many limits to how much you can learn.

And what exactly do you mean by 'imaginary training'.

 

less time on nonsense threads and more time actually training would be a big benefit.

christ...