RoW wrote:It's hard to learn of DVDs because sometimes you could be doing little things wrong like having your foot in the wrong place and not even noticing it so it's really helpful to have some one more experienced with you pointing out your mistakes.
^^^ This.
You can learn ANYTHING by watching DVDs; hell, if you look hard enough, you can probably find lessons for free on youtube or the Internet.
But nothing beats having someone better than you (e.g., a mentor) at least check in on you once in a while to look over your technique and form, because if you're practicing wrong...it's still wrong.
To add to everyone's opinion, learning through books or dvds will only give you an idea. Martial arts is about form, these things can only instruct you but you wont know if you are doing it wrong. You can practice a technique a 1000 times, but if you are doing it wrong then you will get perfect at doing it wrong. Best bet is for people to go to a legit gym (yes gyms can also have wannabe trainers) and train. It's definitely worth the money. By going to a gym you will separate yourself from all the wannabes that only watch but dont do it.
The best way is to join a gym and use Videos that supplement your training. When I first started training BJJ in Hawaii, I was fortunate because I worked with the Instructor at his day job. I was in the military and he was a civilian contractor.
I dove head first into BJJ and watched instructional tapes every night before bed, read books, etc. I trained 3 days a week at the school. All of the extra stuff helped me tremendously in class, especially since I discussed it with the instructor. I would ask him about a move, he would offer a suggestion/variation, next week I would be hitting in class. Within 2 months I was stopping most Blue Belts from tapping me, by month 4 I was catching several of them and caught a purple who underestimated me.
DVD/internet training is awesome, but it will never replace legit rolling. Even if you have a training partner to roll with, you'll get to use to his game, his strengths, his weaknesses, his go to moves, etc. Live sparring is irreplaceable.
Henry Rollins - “Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.”
“I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.”
I'm in the minority here, but I think in most cases for NEW students in BJJ, Boxing etc., DVD's are a BAD idea. DVD's in most cases require training partners, and often times are way too advanced for the beginner. The foundation of your sport whether BJJ, Boxing etc., will suffer because you won't really learn how to build it, because DVD's won't explain things in enough detail and stress this importance enough. BASICS and FUNDAMENTALS are everything in combat sports. If you have a WEAK foundation, you can only take your game so far! Now guys like Rich Franklin or Eddie Chambers learned a lot from books, DVD's etc from the start, but that's RARE, and to get to the next level they got personal coaching.
A FAR better idea is go to a local fight card or grappling tournament, and see which school or gym WINS consistently, amateur stuff is even better to watch because it will show NEWER guys, and a lot of the amateur coaches are better at developing the basics, than somebody who only works with POLISHED professionals, plus it gives you more guys you can spar against with similar skill levels. If you see a gym have a bunch of losses, (NAGA tournaments, USA Boxing events etc.) then more than likely the coaches aren't that good. From there you will have a better idea where to train. The teaching ability of coaches varies widely, as it would in other things like PICKUP. A lot of guys call themselves a coach, but are really just HACKS, or ex fighters who learned the WRONG way from the start, which is why they weren't very good, and thus teach you their shitty style. Get with a good gym-school, you might get your ass handed to you a few times, but that's what makes you better. DVD's also don't address CONDITIONING, or MENTAL TOUGHNESS the way a GOOD coach would, something you really can't develop unless you get put through FIRE in sparring etc. You would also be surprised how many coaches will work with you for very little $, simply because they have a PASSION for the game.
Now for more advanced guys DVD's may help, as new moves can be added to your arsenal, but you already have the BASICS and a good foundation down, because your advanced.
Everything said previously has been great, but one more thing. I've been practicing martial arts most of my life and it really is important to have others to train with. If you are learning moves from DVDs, then you are not getting the full experience of self defense.
Let's say I get into a real fight on the street, but had learned some powerful combinations from a DVD. For one thing, I wouldn't know if my strikes would be either powerful or effective enough to be able to subdue my attacker unless I practiced against someone and got their feedback.
Secondly, let's say I start the combo, and my attacker counters it midway through and then goes on the offensive........fuck. Even though you may be learning some really good moves by yourself, it doesn't develop a fighter's instinct in you. Sparring with a partner will allow you to develop the ability to improvise with different tactics and also learn how to read your opponent's movements in order to make split second decisions.
The main point of studying Martial Arts is to learn to defend yourself in a real life circumstance after all. Good luck!
There's no substitute for getting hit in the face, if you've never been hit in the face, it'll catch you by suprise.
"Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habbits, your habbits become your character, your character becomes your destiny." From the book Get Selected
