Youtube

[Milt G.]

As you're all well aware, you can pretty much type in any art on youtube, and see a huge selection of clips. Now, some clips I've seen I walked away thinking, "Man, that was some good stuff!" while others I was thinking, "Oh my God....that was beyond words. I just dont know what to say!"

One would think that if someone was going to take the time to put a clip up, that it'd be something of qualilty, not crap. We also know that many times, youtube is what certain people use as a basis, to judge whether an art is good or sucks. I highly doubt that someone that does this, actually looks at every single clip that pops up, but instead, watches a few, and for their opinion.

For me, I would rather see an art live, in person, rather than watch a clip and form an opinion. I just dont see how anyone could view YT, and make an accurate assumption of an art, yet as I said, thousands of people do this.

Many of the clips that we see, depending on the art, are demo clips. A clip shot at a seminar. There are instructional clips, which show a technique or two. So in many cases, we are only seeing 1 side of the art. In other words, I could type in "Bujinkan" and see thousands of clips, showing techniques, but no sparring. So, should I walk away assuming that nobody in the Bujinkan spars?

Now, my focus of this thread, is not to talk about the Bujinkan. I simply used that as an example. What I do want to focus on with this thread, is whether or not you feel that youtube is a reliable source for basing an opinion of an art. Whatever your reasons are, please expand more than just yes or no.

Hello,

I agree with many here who state that the value of Youtube "offerings" depends on what you are looking at, who is presenting and the intent of the presentation. As with martial arts in general there are many different interpretations and skill levels displayed. The value of the offering is mostly in the eyes of the beholder.

I have seen clips I just loved "slammed" by others and ones I disliked highly praised. Kind of like food, I think.
What one likes, another may "not so much"...

All in all, Youtube can be quite helpful and entertaining. All we had when I started was books, and few of those. The only thing we saw, or knew, is what our instructor showed us. They were our ONLY example. These days you can get a pretty good cross sampling of many martial arts, teachers and levels of proficiency. Helpful in choosing a martial art for ones self as well.

Youtube synopsis... Good and bad. Mostly good, though, IMO.

Thank you,
Milt G.

 

[MJS]

My preference is not to watch an art live, but to join in and experience it firsthand. I feel this is the only way to get any real understanding of an art.

Since this was something that I said, I wanted to clarify. By no means, was I suggesting that we should just watch. I agree with you...see it live, train it, experience it...that, IMHO, is the best way, if not the only way, to really get the feeling as to what the art is like. :supcool:

 

[MJS]

I don't understand why anybody even WANTS to post anything on Youtube.

Yeah, I've wondered that too, considering no matter how good or how bad, there will always be some 'keyboard' warrior who spends his day leaving nasty comments on other peoples clips.

 

[MJS]

I think the main problem, IMHO, is that many who view the various arts, assume, that being the key word, that what they're seeing is the entire art. They dont seem to understand ( well maybe they do, but they're too dense to know otherwise) that maybe, just maybe, what they're showing on the clip is a demo or a small portion of a seminar. People tend to only look for something thats not dead or 'alive' but if we think about it, if they're watching a demo, or something instructional, of course it wont be alive. Then again, if I was going to post something about one of the arts I do, I'd show it slow, medium and fast. Hopefully that would silence the critics, but then again, with some of the nutjobs out there, I doubt that would actually work.

 

[Nolerama]

I love Youtube. But I agree with where you're going MJS.

It's never the entire art when you see a clip on Youtube.

But it's always fun to see something, and try to work on it afterwards with some good training partners. Those techniques are like... sprinkles on a cupcake.

 

[KELLYG]

Youtube video's. I have watched several in reference to my own art but not so much on other art forms. I like to watch videos on poomse. Some times I see great ones and sometimes they are just sad. But the interesting thing is sometimes good or bad, I see things that have been brought to my attention by my instructors that I need to correct. Then I have a good visual as to what he was talking about.

 

[Milt G.]

Yeah, I've wondered that too, considering no matter how good or how bad, there will always be some 'keyboard' warrior who spends his day leaving nasty comments on other peoples clips.

Hello,
Yes, very interesting AND humbling...
I know that mine get mixed reviews.

Can provide quite the "entertainment value", though. Some of the "comments" can be quite humorous.

Thank you,
Milt G.