Looking for sound advice

[Barzmac]

Hi , i have recently developed a strong interest in martial arts and after a bit of research i feel that taekwondo looks to be the most interesting and fullfiling art to myself personally. The only problem that l face is there are no dojang or any clubs where i live . Is it possible to learn and fully understand to art of taekwondo by watching videos , reading books or any other self teaching methods , or is it just a waste of time , i would gratefully appreciate any reply to this message , Thankyou

 

[arnisador]

You'll get different answers from different people, but personally I'd say that you need a training partner and an instructor to really learn.

You might also look at this thread and this thread.

Are there any martial arts schools where you live?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I've had some luck with books and videos, but really never made much real progress until I started working with some good instructors.

If there is another school near you where you could start in a different art, it may lead you to some contacts with those who can help you reach your goals. This is what happened to me. I was taking Kenpo, and from that school, got hooked up with my current instructor.

Good luck.

 

[Bagatha]

No, I would say it is not possible. JMHO.

 

[Ty K. Doe]

There really are a lot of small details to each of the techniques that help you to do them better that you really need someone with some knowledge of at least the basic techniques to help.

 

[Bagatha]

Bump on Ty K doe

I agree, the videos and books can be usefull in addition to normal training, but by themselves they cannot correct your mistakes, provide motivation, fitness, offer new ideas, or answer your questions.

 

[arnisador]

You need to get the "feel" of the techniques, the "energy"--you have to have someone there for that. If you've studied before it's one thing, but starting fresh--you need an instructor.

 

[Turner]

I strongly disagree with the recommendations of the people on this forum... let me tell you why. (Sit back, gonna be a long one)

I began training in the martial arts a few months prior to turning 8. It all started because I was a little geek that everyone seemed to like to mess with. I was quiet, kept to myself, did my best to become invisible and just get out of school and make it home. Of course when you intend to do that it just doesn't happen. Now, I had no idea that hand-to-hand techniques even existed. I didn't grow up with a TV nor did I go to movies. I went to the library to check out books on wrestling, boxing and to see if I could find something on sword fighting since the form of combat that I was familiar with was a reenactment group that I happened to watch at a park one day. So dudes dressed as knights swinging swords and sticks at each other was my idea of combat. I was hoping that knowledge of that would transfer over to just using my hands. Well, as luck would have it I happened to run into some books by Bruce Tegner and Stephen K Hayes. The books by Hayes were entertaining, but virtually worthless for my purposes, but Tenger I could use.
Privately I studied the techniques and practiced throwing punches and kicks over and over again preparing for the day that I would have to use them. Years went by and the torture from my peers increased but I didn't feel as if I was capable enough to put that knowledge to use so I spent more and more time with (having transcribed them to a notebook) the books until I had the techniques virtually memorized. When I was 12 things were at their worst and so I had a laundry bag filled with scraps of cloth in the basement where I would practice and formulate combinations... I would practice for 8 hours a day sometimes because the dude that was buggin' me was the "baddest" kid in school and I was terrified.
A misunderstanding occured with another person and on the way out of the locker-room to the football feild for P.E. class a huge ape of a kid jumped me and I had no choice. Things slowed down to a stand-still and I saw a fist rocketing towards my head. I side stepped and blasted a left to his mouth (still got the scar from where his snaggle teeth sunk into my hand) as his hand hit the wall where he cornered me. He tackled me and we went to the ground and I quickly moved to a back-mount (Got a lot of ribbing for that) but I was out of range and luckily the teacher showed up.

My standing up for myself impressed people and I eventually became friends with the Baddest kid in school (not the guy I had the fight with, I fought him again and really won the second time, but it isn't relevant). Younger people in my neighborhood heard that I 'knew karate' and asked me to teach them. Being that it fed my ego I agreed. Fearing that they would find out that I was a fraud I had to research and discover things to teach...
Since then I have taken quite a few different arts and I have recently discovered that basically only Kenpo teaches the same principles that I discovered when I was 13 years old...

Sadly it is a fact that in the martial arts an instructor holds the students hand all the way to black belt, giving them the principles and 'doctrine' by rote. When you study by yourself you discover the principles and 'doctrine' by yourself. You 'own' the knowledge because, while it isn't origional, you created it.
How did the martial arts come into being? Did some supreme being create a human that was fully developed as a warrior? No! Someone had to invent the methods of combat. A thing that all martial artists must remember is that EVERY SINGLE SYSTEM is artificial. Someone made it up. Those that did might have had more motivation because they were deadly serious about needing to defend themselves, but every martial artist should go into training with that same deadly seriousness.
In ancient days most martial artists developed their skills by reading scrolls and then testing it in combat. That is the way it was done. I bet they would love to have had video and the quality of books that we have today. Using those you will have far more help than I had.

You get out of something what you put into it. If you are truly/deadly serious about learning the martial arts you can do so from books and videos. If you are looking for a hobby to give you discipline and something to do, it takes hard work so having a teacher to motivate you might be necessary depending on your character.

 

[Barzmac]

Thanks everyone for your opinions on my previous thread . I think i already new that getting proper instruction was going to be the best move . I live on an island which means i have limited travel , there is a lesiure center where i live but martial arts are short lived novelty's which fizzle out quickly and i dont think i would trust the instructers who take the classes. thanks turner for your comments but i am not really looking to create my own stlye . just to follow up my interests on a martial art which is already established

 

[Turner]

Yeesh, what have I done?

No, I don't encourage anyone to make up their own style. There are too many of them in the world as it is without someone going off and promoting themselves to grand-goggly-master of toe-jam-do.

My point was more about the fact that if you do a punch or a kick a couple of thousand times against a heavy object you are going to finally get the punch right... why? Because proper technique is all about efficiency so with your natural human laziness and how much it hurts when you do it wrong, you will gravitate towards the right way of doing things and it would help even more to have a video/book to give you the pointers so that you get there quicker...

Again, about creating your own style... You want to create your own style of fighting because you are unique and different than everyone else, but you shouldn't create your own system. I haven't created my own system and while I've been encouraged to, I never will. With the number of systems out there it would be doubtful that you could come up with an origional idea... as I said, all my training on my own led me to understanding concepts that most martial arts don't teach... Kenpo did and Kenpo is the art that I now am striving to learn.

 

[Barzmac]

Yeah i see where you are coming from Turner , i guess that is going to be my only option , since there are no schools here and i want to study taekwondo i think i will attempt to have a go myself for enjoyment if nothing else.

 

[Ty K. Doe]

Turner, that's great that you were able to fine tune your fighting skills on your own. But not everyone has the natural ability, or is as smart as you to develop thier own techniques. And to give that kind of advice to someone you don't even know is just bad logic. To tell someone they can become a great fighter, when you don't even know if they have the ability to develop as a fighter is just irresponsible. In my opinion, saying that you can learn martial arts from books or videos, is the same as saying you can learn it from watching martial arts movies. Learning on your own has allowed you to develop your fighting skills, and to me that's all they are. There is no way that you could have learned all the possible theories behind techniques and moves. All applications of throws and grabs. Theres just way to much to learn to have figured it out for yourself, or from a book.

Barzmac, if you want to learn how to fight, train and train hard. There will always be someone who has more ability and better moves. If you want to learn a martial art, learn from a martial artist. They've been taught by someone who's been taught by someone who's already figured it out. Take the shortcut and find a teacher. I understand your desire to learn TKD, but if that's not possible at the moment find anything. Whatever you take you will most likely find many similarities with TKD. Then when the opportunity presents itself, you will have a good foundation.

 

[white dragon]

Barzmac -

Where abouts in Scotland are you from? I *might* be able to help you find a club if you can tell me where abouts you are.

 

[kenpokid]

hi i was wondering if someone wasnt a very good kicker and that they did kenpo karate. Would it be hard for this person to do tae kwon do and what happens if someone cant get to grips with the lanague you use

 

[kenpokid]

If this person was to do taekwondo would it interfere with what they do in kenpo.

 

[Bagatha]

People speak different languages all the time. This is no different. I think you have to keep 1 straight in your head first though, I joined Muay Thai to help with my boxing in TKD. It has helped loads I love it. But my focus is TKD. The 2 do conflict with each other at points, and then you have to take a look at it and with an open mind say to yourself "well....which makes more sense? Which is more accomidating to my physical type and abilities?" and go from there....but the cool thing is you all of a sudden have these choices you never had before. For example, in TKD (at least in my club) it is strongly emphasised that you should be able to spar with both sides. In Muay Thai (again, where I train) it is the opposite, more boxing style lefty/righty you dont switch sides at all. So I learned that I do have options. I can do either and it is ok for me to do whatever feels comfortable. Suddenly I have improved in my sparring because I eliminated such a simple worry that was causing me stress. Kind of a dumb example but its always the simplist things..

 

[Chiduce]

Originally posted by Ty K. Doe

Turner, that's great that you were able to fine tune your fighting skills on your own. But not everyone has the natural ability, or is as smart as you to develop thier own techniques. And to give that kind of advice to someone you don't even know is just bad logic. To tell someone they can become a great fighter, when you don't even know if they have the ability to develop as a fighter is just irresponsible. In my opinion, saying that you can learn martial arts from books or videos, is the same as saying you can learn it from watching martial arts movies. Learning on your own has allowed you to develop your fighting skills, and to me that's all they are. There is no way that you could have learned all the possible theories behind techniques and moves. All applications of throws and grabs. Theres just way to much to learn to have figured it out for yourself, or from a book.

Barzmac, if you want to learn how to fight, train and train hard. There will always be someone who has more ability and better moves. If you want to learn a martial art, learn from a martial artist. They've been taught by someone who's been taught by someone who's already figured it out. Take the shortcut and find a teacher. I understand your desire to learn TKD, but if that's not possible at the moment find anything. Whatever you take you will most likely find many similarities with TKD. Then when the opportunity presents itself, you will have a good foundation.

I feel there are good points here by both; yet the truth is that a large number of very high ranking martial artists are founders of independent martial arts associations which video test and promote the independent practitioner. They accept other dojos, schools, kwoons, and instructors; yet their primary purpose is to acknowledge the guy or gal who practices the martial arts own their own. These associations are sanctioned by very creditable masters, grandmasters, and soke councils. These associations board of directors list has masters, grandmasters, and soke from many martial arts styles. So, the martial arts community at large among the higher ranks has already addressed this particular video and book learning problem and come up with a viable , workable solution. So, we will never really know where our present and future sifu, sensei, teachers, master, grandmaster, or soke really got his or her true start, unless they decided to confide in us the intricate details of their respective careers!
Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[Kenpo Wolf]

Originally posted by Turner


You get out of something what you put into it. If you are truly/deadly serious about learning the martial arts you can do so from books and videos. If you are looking for a hobby to give you discipline and something to do, it takes hard work so having a teacher to motivate you might be necessary depending on your character.

A razor can't be sharpened on a piece of velvet, as the saying goes. With this said, I somewhat agree with Turner on some points, not all. If you have no other options, you can learn some basic techniques from books and videos, but without an instructor to help you 'fine tune' them, chances are they will be sloppy and inneffectual. And another thing, with a instructor and other students, you can actually apply your technique rather then just punch and kick empty air or a bag which cannot even defend itself or attack in return. Even if you can't find an instructor in your area, you at least need to find someone to bang with for the actual contact experience.

Speaking from experience, At a local park, I was sparring a self taught hapkidoist who has never worked out with any other martial artist and has never even been in a fight. His kicks were decent, not great, and he caught me with a good one flush on the jaw. Rather then continuing his attack, he just stood there, in shock that his kick actually caught me. Noticing his confusion, I took him down with a leg shoot and then I mounted him before lightly smashing his head into the grass a few times. He whined that I overdid it to which I replied that at least he got up and if it was an actual fight on a hard surface, he would'nt be so lucky. I also told him he should learn how to attack with combinations rather then single attacks, which seldom works

The moral of the story is that the guy, being self taught, had a false sense of security which is common when one trains by himself. You need to apply your techniques on someone to see what works and what doesn't.

 

[fissure]

Can you learn to drive by reading a book, then sitting in a kitchen chair with a dinner plate between your hands?
:LOL:

 

[Kempojujutsu]

When I was 14 or 15 my dad made buy a car. Chevy Vega 4 speed for those that need to know . I didn't get to drive it until 16, but my dad's thinking was you are going to need a car when you are 16. I remember getting in the car a practicing swifting from gear to gear. The sitting at the kitchen table with plate reminded me of my younger days. I think if you are desperate you will try anything to help in training. I remember seeing on tv kids in Cuba practice baseball with a rock and stick.
Bob