Video's and Seminars ?

[legend29]

I know you nothing can take the place of a good instructor, but does anyone feel that they can be extremely useful ? Video's are not hands on training but, we can study them over and over. Seminars are hands on, but it's just a few hours. So what does everyone think can be learned from them ?

 

[Kenpodoc]

I know you nothing can take the place of a good instructor, but does anyone feel that they can be extremely useful ? Video's are not hands on training but, we can study them over and over. Seminars are hands on, but it's just a few hours. So what does everyone think can be learned from them ?

Seminars - I find seminars exillarating. When I'm feeling stale Seminars can get me excited about Martial Arts again. Also I find that seminars let me see how different people move. These images frequently allow me to see my training in a different light. I'll always remember watching my then 13 year old son after he spent some time with Frank Trejo (Mike Cappi's Fall Fling) We returned home and his whole sparring style had become smoother with a little of Frank's rolling style. 1 1/2 hours with Mr. Trejo permanently improved my son's Kenpo.

Tapes - Good review systems. Best if you can work with a partner. Even better if you can suppliment them with group and private lessons.

Jeff

 

[MJS]

I know you nothing can take the place of a good instructor, but does anyone feel that they can be extremely useful ? Video's are not hands on training but, we can study them over and over. Seminars are hands on, but it's just a few hours. So what does everyone think can be learned from them ?

This has been discussed many times before on here. I'll give my thougts on both tapes and seminars.

Tapes- Very good for a referrence point. IMO, you'll get the most out of them if you already have a background in the art. For example, if you study BJJ, then I could see getting a BJJ tape and using it as a ref. point for the techs. shown. However, for a Shotokan student to get a BJJ tape and think that he'll be able to learn from it....not going to be easy. Sure, its possible to get some moves, but the quality is not going to be there. I myself have a few BJJ tapes, that I use as a ref. I'll look at the moves and then work them. Its easier for me, because I already have that BJJ background. Could I be missing the fine points? Of course. Thats why I have a BJJ inst. to rely on.

Seminars- Awesome and I recommend them to everyone! Not only do you get the chance to work with some of the top people in that art, but you also get the chance to meet and train with a wide assortment of people from all over. As for what you'll retain from them??? Chances are, you'll be overwhelmed with info. Taking notes is a big help. I attended a week long Arnis seminar last year. The days were broken into 3 sessions. After each session, I'd go back to my room and video tape everything that was covered. Even if you dont remember everything, chances are that you'll see the same thing again at a future seminar. Taking 2 or 3 things, and really working them is better than trying to do 20 things and not having any quality.

Just my thoughts.

Mike

 

[OULobo]

Logically I like the idea of tapes/dvds, but I don't have any in actuallity, while logically I don't see seminars as overly valuble, but I attend as many as I can afford. Either way to really learn an art, the best way is repetition and constant examination (informal) by instructors, can't be done from tapes and seminars.

Tapes- Great way to retain info, especially basic techniques. I agree with what was posted in that it is a good way to review material you haven't seen in a while. Tapes are also good for getting an intro to a system or style you don't know. I would emphasize not trying to learn anything brand new, especially technique, from a tape. When you try to learn from a tape you loose all the nuances that personal instruction can give you.

Seminars- Great way to get a real physical taste of an art you may not have seen, tried or even heard about, also good to learn a few tricks your regular training crowd doesn't know or hasn't seen. Sems are also great for networking, stories and just meeting new people, not to mention the opportunity to learn, even just a little, from a GM. Plus you usually get the chance to pick up a snazzy new t-shirt. The problem with sems is that you will only retain about 10-30% after all the brain fry is done. I love seminars if I can get to them and if I can afford it.

 

[Cryozombie]

I like watching Tapes, they give a different perspective on material you know, or a reference point on new material. I wouldnt rely on tapes to learn, there are a lot of things you cant really see, and no one to correct you if you are doing it wrong...

Seminars are great, you can see new perspectives on material, new or different material, as well as what Kenpodoc said, how others move.

I think both have their place, and if used correctly, they are very valuable.

 

[pesilat]

Both are valuable training tools.

Video, though, has severe limitations when it comes to actually learning new material. First, you're trying to get a 3D thing from a 2D medium which means certain perspectives will be distorted or not visible at all - even on the best of videos that have multiple angles covered. Second, no matter how many times you watch it the explanation and angles do not change. Third, a video cannot address tangential questions. Fourth, a video cannot make you feel the material being done correctly. Fifth, a video cannot give you any guidance on what you're doing right or wrong so unless your training partner is familiar with the material on the video, then it's a case of the blind leading the blind.

I think videos are great as reference material. If it's material I already know, then the video is great as a form of notes. Especially if it's video of me doing the material.

Seminars fall into two classifications. I'll use the term "seminar" and "workshop" to differentiate. A seminar is where an instructor comes in to a public setting and sets one or two pieces of pie on the table that everyone can sample - but they're not seeing anything remotely resembling the entire pie that the instructor has to offer. Or, sometimes, they get a quick overview of the whole pie but don't get to taste anything deeper than the crust. The seminar format simply doesn't allow anything else. You either get very little breadth with a little more depth or very little depth with a little more breadth. Seminars are great for getting exposure to a new instructor or system to see if one wants to pursue it further. If you go to enough seminars with the same instructor then you will, over time, gain some breadth and depth in the material the instructor brings out - but bear in mind that seminar material is almost always "public" material. It's the tip of the iceberg because the instructor never knows from seminar to seminar who will be there or what level people will be at. Occasionally, you get lucky at a seminar and end up with a room full of seasoned players and the instructor digs a little deeper because the room at large is more experienced. But that's rare and if you're not also at that more experienced level then most of it will likely go right over your head. Seminars are also good for networking. You meet a lot of people at seminars. Some are very good instructors in their own right and these connections may help you find an instructor you can actually train with on a regular basis. And the seminar circuit, like tournament circuits, is a type of community. Once you're a part of that community, you sometimes go to seminars just to visit with acquaintences/friends you haven't seen in a while.

Workshops are a little different from seminars. A workshop is when an instructor comes to a school on a regular basis and teaches a specific curriculum. The first workshop may be public or by invitation but subsequent workshops are usually invitation only and usually require attendance at the previous workshops (or the majority of the previous workshops, anyway). This format enables the instructor to really get into the meat of what s/he teaches and gives the attendees material that they can really work on and develop between the workshops. But this format is pretty rare.

I think all of these have their place as training tools but without a regular in-person instructor, it's difficult (if not impossible) to really develop any depth of understanding/application in martial arts.

Mike