Hey all, just joined. Looking to get into martial arts with my family. Me, my wife, and our two boys, we’re 42, their 6 and 14. I know their not the best option, but could anyone recommend some kind of home study course? I know it would be better to go to a dojo, but with this pandemic going on, I don’t want to take any chances. I’m diabetic, and we’re taking care of my mother who has Alzheimer’s. So, I don’t want to bring anything in on her. We want to do something in martial arts, but we wanna do it right. Or as right as we can. I have been checking out the Global Martial Arts Academy. Anyone familiar with that? Thanks!
Hello from Ky!
- Thread starter James77
- Start date
Highlander
Green Belt
Is there any particular MA you're interested ?
Welcome! What are your goals, what are you interested in, and what's in your area? That last question is because ultimately you guys should try to switch to in-person, when safe, so it would probably be better to start an art similar to whatever one you may want to check out in person when you can.
Personally, I would use this time to see the different arts in your area, and try some online trials for each of them, to see what you/your wife/kids enjoy.
Personally, I would use this time to see the different arts in your area, and try some online trials for each of them, to see what you/your wife/kids enjoy.
Thanks for the reply! I guess goals would be to get in shape, and have fun with the family.....my 14 year old took kempo lesson a few years back. That I know of......we have kempo, kung fu in our area.....that I know of.
Me personally.......I'm interested in shotokan, tang soo do.
Cool. So a couple of things.
First, I see you're in Kentucky. Any chance you're near Lexington? If you are, another member here lives in that area and may have more options for you regarding styles, since I'm sure there's more than Kempo and kung fu.
Second, both of the styles you mentioned are actually multiple styles. There are about 7 styles of Ken/mpo (some styles go by one, some the other, sometimes the same style has people that refer to it as either Kenpo or Kempo when it's technically the other one) I can think of off the top of my head, and there are hundreds of kung fu styles. Just something to keep in mind for looking for a similar online thing.
Third, a disclaimer. In general, I recommend against online training, particularly for new people. The reason for this is that there is no real feedback you're experiencing. You're lucky in that you have people to actually try the moves on so there's feedback in that sense, but you will probably develop some habits that have to be changed in class. Given that probably none of you want to become professional fighters, and you're goals didn't include that you have a fear for your life where you need sharp skills, it's not the worst thing in the world.
Now for actual information. You stated a desire for Shotokan/Tang Soo Do. I don't know any online, but @_Simon_ has been taking advantage of free remote learning karate opportunities, and I think some of those were in Shotokan. Hopefully, he sees my tag and chimes in.
For Ken/mpo, if it's American Kenpo, Learn American Kenpo Karate Online has basically the full Kenpo library there so you could start training, but it won't feel like a 'class' at all. Just different techniques that you will see them demonstrate, and you can do on your own. If you just want a feel of what Kempo techniques are like, the free yellow belt trial could be good, but I personally think it fits better as reference material than anything else. If it's Tracy Kenpo, I have heard of this one Virtual Kenpo - Online Tracy's Kenpo Karate Lessons. I don't know if it is good or not, but the website makes it seem that it's more actual classes than the first one I linked.
For kung fu, there are way too many styles of kung fu, and most won't do anything like this online, because of my disclaimer. If you wanted that, you'd have to check the websites of various schools and see which ones offer. I'll cover two of the most common ones though-Wing Chun and Tai Chi. Both, you can find the forms to learn and online (pre-recorded, not live video) classes through udemy. Online Courses - Anytime, Anywhere | Udemy and Online Courses - Anytime, Anywhere | Udemy. There's almost always a sale, so you can scroll through and see if any strike your fancy. I can't recommend anything based on quality, since I haven't done any of them, and my experience with both styles is very limited. But I can recommend that if you're looking for fun, Sifu Wong has a udemy course (he also has youtube videos) and he is absolutely hilarious and one of my favorite instructors charisma-wise.
Next is Bryan Stoops. He teaches Filipino martial arts (Kali), Jeet Kune Do, and Silat. The first two if you live near a city you should be able to find, the third is a bit tougher. This one if you want full access to what he's got (all his videos, along with weekly zoom classes, along with reviewing tapes that you make to ensure you're learning everything properly, and I believe weekend online seminars for advanced students although I don't know if those are extra cost) is a bit pricier-$500 for the year, or $100 a month, which is what a lot of in-person places will charge. But he offers a good amount with it, and he does have a cheaper option of $30 for a 'level 1 kit' which should be all you guys need at this point. 2020 OMALC Home Page. He's also the only one so far (the second one is coming next!) that I can personally recommend.
The last training that I'm going to suggest is our very own@Brian R. VanCise 's IRT online training. Here's his website, from it you can click to the Vimeo page with the lessons. IRT Online Training Adventure The only fee for this is that you need Vimeo on demand. I have learned some good information/drills from this. The only issue with it is that as a family, I do not know if there are any 'classes' that he offers with it, so you will have to practice what you learn in the video as a group, after watching the video. Which honestly to me can be more fun to see something and then experiment and learn with it. I'm sure he can give you more information if he sees my tagging him though.
There is one other thing that I will suggest if you're the main goal is to just do family activities and staying active. Kyra Pro offers workout videos that are actually dancing routines based around Disney songs! If you're kids like Disney, it might be something to try. My wife does them-they seem like a lot of fun and is free on youtube. Not martial based though. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnlTby2BI0Oz2kddSXDH66Q
Hope this helps!
_Simon_
Senior Master
G'day James, welcome to the forum mate hope you enjoy 
Yeah some great advice already, and checking out all local areas and doing a trial class or few weeks is always a great idea (when safe to do so!). I've been doing this recently, and it's a great way to gauge the sort of club it is, how they run it, what it emphasises and is about, how the instructor teaches etc, and gives you important info on whether it's the club for you guys. Plenty of places have training available for families, so have a look around for sure, and make sure to ask questions
In terms of online stuff, a great free resource is Karate at Home
It's purely Shotokan, free and has multiple classes through the week. If you look on the page for their public group and join that, you can see in the events tab what classes are coming up. It's a little tricky to know how advanced however the class will be... there are some basic ones but alot of them may require previous knowledge. But yeah it is limited as it is one-way training and they can't give you feedback on your technique, it's only a follow-along.
They also post all their previous sessions on their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtqGRGJtFEQiF-eHwhgRDWg
Best of luck! Let us know how you go too
Yeah some great advice already, and checking out all local areas and doing a trial class or few weeks is always a great idea (when safe to do so!). I've been doing this recently, and it's a great way to gauge the sort of club it is, how they run it, what it emphasises and is about, how the instructor teaches etc, and gives you important info on whether it's the club for you guys. Plenty of places have training available for families, so have a look around for sure, and make sure to ask questions
In terms of online stuff, a great free resource is Karate at Home
It's purely Shotokan, free and has multiple classes through the week. If you look on the page for their public group and join that, you can see in the events tab what classes are coming up. It's a little tricky to know how advanced however the class will be... there are some basic ones but alot of them may require previous knowledge. But yeah it is limited as it is one-way training and they can't give you feedback on your technique, it's only a follow-along.
They also post all their previous sessions on their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtqGRGJtFEQiF-eHwhgRDWg
Best of luck! Let us know how you go too
