Which style can be mastered alone ?

Kung Fu is waaaay to elaborate to learn by yourself. Kickboxing = Hmm, I'm a bit skeptical on that one.

 

you could practice alone in a room, but it won't do you any good if/when you have to use it. but sure, practice alone...feel like a tough guy. makes sense.

 

In my opinion all you can do alone is general fitness training. Martial arts requires a critical eye to be cast over your form. Without that in put and feedback critical errors will become habit and misconceptions will become dogma.

 

"Kapkido"????

 

You can't learn kickboxing alone. End of.

 

Would Tai chi not be an art which he could work on alone from dvd's books etc? I'm not suggesting he could master it or use it in a self-defense situation but it does seem the most obvious option if training in a club is not an option. It should, at least, provide him with some foundation which may be of some use if he decides, at some stage, to attend a club and train in Karate or Kung-fu or whatever.

 

So you're saying Tai Chi doesn't require instruction?

 

let's make this simpler shall we.

if you think your martial art, the one you practice, can be learned from dvd and can be learned alone, then post here. let's not assume that an art can be learned alone if YOU YOURSELF HAVE NOT DONE IT.

 

No. Personally, I think the idea of learning a martial art alone is silly but he does not seem able/willing to attend a club so I am responding to him at face value.
I know Tai Chi has a very effective martial/external side to it but, from my admittedly limited knowledge, most tai chi training does not require a training partner. So I was thinking that maybe he may be able to gleen something useful while training alone using dvd's and books as a form of instruction.

By the way, I am new to Martial Arts myself so I know I may very well be wrong. It was just a thought.

 

let's put it in perspective. do you practice tai chi?

which art do you you practice and can that art be learned alone?

being new to martial arts maybe you have fresh eyes. can martial arts be learned alone?

 

Book Fu Do and Vid Mak Fu, all are there to make Fund Bank Ching

 

No. I am only suggesting that, if he cannot attend a club, then he might gleen something from dvd's and books which may provide some foundation, however thin, which may be of use if he ever gets off his ass and attends proper classes. If you look at my original post you will notice that it was put in the form of questions not statements. T'was only a thought.

 

Cavedweller, no is the answer. Any body based art/sport (Pilates, Yoga, Tai chi, Karate etc) requires someone who knows what is good form, looking at what you do , otherwise how can you tell if it is right? Further to that, any martial art then requires training with a partner (under the instruction of someone who knows what they're looking at) in order to give you anything even approaching effective fighting skills.
The end.

 

I think the most obvious option is to NOT train. I think people have to accept that there is such a thing as the wrong time to get involved. If you lack the finances, location, or simply the drive to do it properly, I think it's okay to say "this is something I'm interested in, but will need to double back to later in my life."

 

Ok, it sounds like you're actually less interested in learning a martial art than you are in simply learned the fundementals of how to survive a brawl. Learning how to "fight" is easy enough. Go out and get yourself pounded on a few times and you'll be AMAZED at how short your learning curve can be.

Wanna know how I learned how to "fight"? Terry Horsteman, some genetically mutated freak who was big and stupid, kinda like a pitbull after too much inbreeding, chased me home every day from 4th grade through 6th and kicked my **** from here to jersy and back every chance he got. If he caught me I got pounded. One day I just got sick of bloody noses and split lips and just started hitting back. Caught him in the nose with a really awkward punch and then while stunned tagged him in the ear, lol. Done. After that I wasnt as afraid to throw hands. In 7th grade a friend and I started wrestling in the back yard, then we bought some pads with our allowances and started punching each other. By the time I was in 9th grade I could handle myself well enough. Mostly I wasnt afraid to get blasted in the kisser anymore. But I was just a brawler, no sense of style, no sense of technique, just knew what I knew and ran on pure instinct.

If all you want to learn how to do is punch and scrap and kick, then get some buddies, and beat the stuffing out of each other. You'll figure it out.

If you want to learn a MARTIAL ART or any actual Methodology of combat then you need a teacher, period. Anyone who tells you differently is lying. Theres no way you can learn the intricacies of kung fu, hapkido, judo or even boxing just reading things on line or watching videos. Dont even waste your time.

So decide. What is it you want? If its just to learn how to fight, like I said, go out and fight and you'll figure that out. If its something more, something real, take the energy you're using making excuses and apply it toward figuring out how to get to a school you WANT to learn at. Some of the guys here have actually gone to other COUNTRIES to further the study of their art, you can certainly get to another town.

Its really that simple.

 

Sure you can. I know plenty of guys that can kick the crap out of their reflections like true champs!

 

Archery. Practice alone is enough to learn it to a reasonable level.

 

What's the first rule of Fight Club?

 

Only the winner gets to wear the Lederhosen or is the one with the vasoline?

 

.....To turn of the DVD and go get yourself beat