I am very interested in MA's but do not want to join a club or hire a private teacher, so I was wondering if there is a martial art that I can learn completely on my own. I am thinking about classical boxing (a punch bag, boxing gloves, skipping rope and some weights should get me started) but maybe you guys have other ideas. I would prefer learning an oriental MA but I have a feeling they will be too complicated to learn solo...
Do-It-Yourself Martial Art
- Thread starter Rocky5000
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Cirdan
Senior Master
No.
Join a club.
Join a club.
I 2nd that!!:ultracool
To further expand Rocky, there are a huge number of tapes, books and dvds on the market. Its just not possible to pick up the fine points from those sources. A book isn't going to tell you if you're doing something right or wrong. There have been a number of threads of here regarding this very topic. Using the search feature on here should lead you to those threads.
I agree with Cirdan...find a good school, with a qualified instructor, and do some good, hard training. There are no shortcuts.
Mike
Any martial art, even classical boxing requires instruction. You can't just go and buy some gloves and a rope and bag and become a boxer, it's great cardio vascular exercise, but not boxing. If you buy video's and books, you still miss out on the subtleties that a trained instructor can show you, and if you're training incorrectly you have no feedback except injuries.
Like Cirdan says, join a club.
Like Cirdan says, join a club.
- Thread Starter
- #6
Thanks guys, I'll think about it.
bydand
Senior Master
Welcome to Martial Talk. Go find a club, or instructor. As for the advice given so far: read and head!
Welcome to MartialTalk and I would suggest that you go and find a good Training Hall!
- Thread Starter
- #12
My experience with sports clubs is that I lack the endurance to make a long term commitment. I train enthusiastically for a few months, then I get tired of it and I quit. I guess I just don't have enough patience to work my way through all those belts, sad but true.... But I guess I should take your advice, join a club and try harder this time. Or maybe I'll go along with the punchbag idea just for the cardiovascular exercise....
Cirdan
Senior Master
Don`t start training too hard at once. Too much can be the same as not enough. Belts don`t matter. Be patient, especcially with your self.
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Don't look at it that way. Think of it as each day, you're learning new material, and that the ranks are incentives to progress to that next level.
Talk to the instructors of the various schools in the area. Tell them exactly what you've told us, and be honest with what you want, and expect. You may very well find a system that can accomodate your needs, and could very well make you stick around for the long term.
bydand
Senior Master
Could it be that you just haven't found the art that suits you yet? I know until I found the art I'm in now I had the same problem with training and working out. Now that I found "my" art the training is no problem, just wish I could say the same about the working out part.
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
Welcome to MT and everyone has already said pretty much what I would have said.
One thing though, don't worry about the belts, just train and enjoy the training.
You might discover that trying to train on your own can be harder than training with a good group of friends. It is easier to "burn out" on your own and lose motivation to continue. Find a club where you feel comfortable and make friends with the people there. It is easier to train when you have the support and friendship of others.
- Ceicei
KempoFlow
Yellow Belt
I agree with Ceicei, I may be moving in the next year, and I can't imagine finding a new place to train because it feels like such a second family for me at the dojo. Friends make it much easier.
PeaceWarrior
Green Belt
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What everyone else said 
Theres nothing wrong with wanting to train alone and get good exercise and such, but if you want to do that why not just take up running, or go to the gym and work out? If you want to learn how to fight, you have to train with real people, plus have an experienced instructor who can correct and help you refine your technique. You can punch a heavy bag all day, but that heavy bag will never hit you back. You cant train reflexes, blocks, footwork, keeping your guard, distancing - any of these things required to learn an art (or 'system') by yourself.
And besides, like Xue said, you shouldnt be worried about working your way through "all those belts" because thats not what martial arts are really about - its about training, and learning, and meeting a bunch of new friends (and personal body guards-hehe). If you dont have patience at all, I suggest finding a good MMA school because they will teach you how to be a well rounded fighter in the shortest amount of time possible. You could maybe find a school that isnt based on ranking (i.e. belts) but instead trains you hard so that you know it will work. Myself, I am a TMA practitioner and I wouldnt have it any other way.
Good luck man
Peace
Keith
Theres nothing wrong with wanting to train alone and get good exercise and such, but if you want to do that why not just take up running, or go to the gym and work out? If you want to learn how to fight, you have to train with real people, plus have an experienced instructor who can correct and help you refine your technique. You can punch a heavy bag all day, but that heavy bag will never hit you back. You cant train reflexes, blocks, footwork, keeping your guard, distancing - any of these things required to learn an art (or 'system') by yourself.
And besides, like Xue said, you shouldnt be worried about working your way through "all those belts" because thats not what martial arts are really about - its about training, and learning, and meeting a bunch of new friends (and personal body guards-hehe). If you dont have patience at all, I suggest finding a good MMA school because they will teach you how to be a well rounded fighter in the shortest amount of time possible. You could maybe find a school that isnt based on ranking (i.e. belts) but instead trains you hard so that you know it will work. Myself, I am a TMA practitioner and I wouldnt have it any other way.
Good luck man
Peace
Keith
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