subject: Learning Martial Arts From Afar [print this page] Learning martial arts has, for thousands of years, been done through a sacred teacher-student relationship that was as personal as it was profound. But technology is changing even that vaunted tradition in ways that have given rise to significant debates. When it's possible to hear from some of the world's most accomplished martial artists on demand in your living room, is personal instruction really necessary? I think there's a middle ground between the Martial Arts DVD fans and the 'Senseis and Sifus' school.
Most Americans today have a martial arts school in their neighborhood. In all likelihood, the guy running it isn't a street fighter, an ex-military, or some other kind of genuine badass. He's probably not in the top 10 scoring point-sparring champions in his art. He's probably a mechanic, or a photographer, or a pizza delivery driver. But he's probably a black belt, which means he knows enough about the art that he can teach basic techniques and principles. And realistically, those basic techniques and principles are common to 80% of martial arts.
On the other side of the equation are the martial arts DVDs. If you're already learning the basics from a live teacher, getting training through a tool like that is ideal. You've already got the foundations to add the new information to. Even if you're studying something really hard like Kyokushinkai Karate, you can get a martial arts DVD featuring a highly opposing style like Brazilian Jujitsu, and you'll find that the basics you've learned allow you to understand and adapt the techniques without a terrible amount of difficulty.
The basics, if you're wondering, are the things common to all human bodily interactions: anatomy, leverage, angles of attack, and common targets. If you don't know these foundational elements, and you're looking at a martial arts DVD for the first time, you are never going to succeed. There's simply no replacing a sensei, sifu, or sabum. Such a figure can make basic corrections to your stances, your techniques, and most importantly your assumptions.
When you form bad habits early, they will be almost impossible to get rid of later on. Martial arts are universally based on evolving early, simple techniques into later, more complex ones -- and if your basics are bad, you're likely to hurt yourself (or at least fail to hurt your opponent) when you attempt the more complex techniques. That's why martial arts require an instructor, though it's not necessary to learn all of your techniques in person.
If you do decide to go with a martial arts DVD for your training, get someone to spar with, who wants to learn from the same DVD. Give your training sessions the same weight that you'd give the class you have with your live instructor. Push one another to learn more quickly, stay passionate about the study, and stick with it.
Without a doubt, if you can afford it, the best training you can get is by going to several different classes under several personal instructors. But this is the real world, and most of us don't have enough competent instructors within driving distance much less the money to pay for them. For us, there's martial arts via DVD -- it's just up to us to take the best advantage we can.
