Martial Arts Training Through Media Supplements

[bushido_man96]

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

There is no doubt that our society is exposed to a vast amount of media today. It is possible to find information about anything through media outlets, ranging from books and magazines, to DVDs and VHS tapes, to internet downloads and websites such as YouTube. This wide variety of resources ranges from the informational to the instructional. Of all mediums, the most widely used of these tends to be the internet.

While the internet provides access to vast amounts of information on the subject of the martial arts, the accessibility that affords its convenience also allows for any Tom, Dick and Harry to deposit information on the subject, legitimate or otherwise. You could be looking at a legitimate instructor's advice, or the ramblings of a total quack.

The purpose of this article is not to argue the validity of learning the martial arts through supplemental media sources as a replacement to qualified face-to-face instruction in the class setting. That debate will rage on for years, and the pros and cons of each will not be discussed here, either. Rather, my goal in writing this article is to provide some points to help those who already have martial arts experience and want to take advantage of the information that is out there, and maximize the use of these training supplements.

In order to maximize training with media supplements, I think there are four main points to consider:

2. Know your subject matter.
4. Know your source.
   
6. Have a good training partner.
   
8. Don't overload.

Know Your Subject Matter

The best way to supplement your training with media is to already have a grasp of how to do what you are looking for. If you are looking for kicking workouts, make sure you already know how to kick to some degree. Now, I'm not saying you can't try to learn how to kick from scratch without an instructor, but it is definitely a longer road to hoe. The same goes with searching for joint locking or grappling. Learning how to joint lock or grapple without a basic knowledge of the body mechanics or control involved is a good way to make your first media supplement workout your only one for a while. Likewise with kicking; basic knowledge of how to kick can keep you from hurting yourself. Having a basic grasp on your subject matter will help you maximize what you can glean with the help of a media supplement.

Know Your Source

Along with being familiar with your subject matter, knowing who or where the information is coming from will help you determine the quality of what you're getting. With that said, you don't have to relegate your search to authors published by big companies, or the most recent YouTube video uploaded by a mixed martial arts legend. Although these could be great sources of information, it may not fit what you're looking for.

If you are a kicker looking for more advanced challenges, check into kicking specialists or style-specific kicking. Perhaps an instructor you know of in your current school affiliation or someone you met at a seminar. A taekwondo stylist with a competition focus may search for something with a Steven Lopez connection. If you are looking to focus you're joint manipulation skills for law enforcement purposes, you might look to information put out by Hock Hochheim or Tony Blauer, or a specialist from an agency in your state who had uploaded video or been locally published.

Remember that just because someone isn't popular to the majority of the martial arts world doesn't mean they won't provide quality information. If you don't recognize a source, but seem to like what you see from them, try to do some research on them through websites or by asking others you know if they know anything about them or know someone who does. You will want to try to find out how credible and experienced your source is before using their information or buying their products.

Have a Good Training Partner

Once you have finally decided on some material to delve into, you will find that having a good training partner can help maximize your media supplement training sessions. Your good partner should be competent enough that the two of you can collaborate on the intricacies of the techniques you are doing. If your partner is good, he won't just lie down for a technique to work. You both will have to make the techniques work, and if they don't, you and your partner should be able to discuss why, make adjustments, try variations and decide whether you can keep the technique or discard it. Your partner will also be able to help you spot and correct subtleties in technique.

Don't Overload

The final bit of advice I would offer to anyone seeking supplemental training information through the media is to not overload yourself with information. Today's technology makes it possible to have internet access almost anywhere, including local gyms and martial arts schools. You could go to your local gym, toting your laptop with you, do a YouTube search for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and bang, you've got probably thousands of videos to choose from. Then, you can just start with the first video and work your way down, but I would not recommend this. This overload can quickly diminish the focus of a training session. When you plan a session, have a training focus in mind, your intended source in mind and your subject matter. Keeping an outline of these things will help you streamline your search for information, and maximize your training session.

Well, there you have it. This is my take on martial arts training through media supplements. I know this way of training is frowned upon in some circles, and it will be a highly debated topic for years to come. However, with more good information becoming more readily available, using the points I outlined can help practitioners looking for additional training information to maximize the use of the vast martial arts media available.

[Patrick]

Thank you for the submission.

Patrick

[sensei8]

A very well written article across the board. Some very fine points for those wishing to explore that media for their MA training. While I'm not a favorable proponent of that type of MA training, it's still valuable to those who decide for themselves to engage in that.

Thanks for it!!

[DWx]

Great article Brian. Media supplements should definitely be embraced but students have to be discerning.

[bushido_man96]

A very well written article across the board. Some very fine points for those wishing to explore that media for their MA training. While I'm not a favorable proponent of that type of MA training, it's still valuable to those who decide for themselves to engage in that.

Thanks for it!!

I highlighted the above section because that is exactly one of the reasons I wanted to approach this topic in an article. The vast majority of instructors and students out there feel that an instructor is the most necessary element in learning a Martial Art. It is, for sure. However, with the exposure of information on the internet, to insist that it isn't possible to learn from that kind of source is really an absolute that, in my mind, doesn't exist anymore. Like learning anything, you have to have the proper approach to make learning effective.

Media supplements should definitely be embraced but students have to be discerning.

Agreed. It should be noted that just looking for something and then trying it out isn't a smart way to go about this kind of training. Preparation is the key.

[Patrick]

KarateForums.com is a media supplement, too, don't forget. So when you talk about media supplements in a positive or negative light, we're in that boat for a lot of people.

Patrick

[Wastelander]

This is a good article on the subject--thank you for sharing!

[Evil Dave]

Nice article, everybody could can use more education and a wide variety of sources only broadens our knowledge base. This is not a dig on any of our instructors, just an open mind to continue learning.

[sensei8]

The vast majority of instructors and students out there feel that an instructor is the most necessary element in learning a Martial Art. It is, for sure. However, with the exposure of information on the internet, to insist that it isn't possible to learn from that kind of source is really an absolute that, in my mind, doesn't exist anymore. Like learning anything, you have to have the proper approach to make learning effective.

Still, accurate and credible feedback is needed. Without the feedback, nothing of value can be truly added to one MA betterment. It's all guess work and heresay and conjecture without the feedback. In that, it's not about one saying..."Better than nothing" because without that critical feedback, nothing can be learnt that's effective. Either ones doing it correctly, thus effectively, or ones not doing it correctly, thus ineffectively.

Imho!!

[bushido_man96]

The vast majority of instructors and students out there feel that an instructor is the most necessary element in learning a Martial Art. It is, for sure. However, with the exposure of information on the internet, to insist that it isn't possible to learn from that kind of source is really an absolute that, in my mind, doesn't exist anymore. Like learning anything, you have to have the proper approach to make learning effective.

Still, accurate and credible feedback is needed. Without the feedback, nothing of value can be truly added to one MA betterment. It's all guess work and heresay and conjecture without the feedback. In that, it's not about one saying..."Better than nothing" because without that critical feedback, nothing can be learnt that's effective. Either ones doing it correctly, thus effectively, or ones not doing it correctly, thus ineffectively.

Imho!!

I agree that feedback is a key, and there are two ways to garner that feedback. 1, as I mentioned in the article, is to have a good partner. By working together, and working through the nuances of what you are covering, you get immediate feedback that you can use to correct mistakes and make adjustments as needed. 2, is to seek out help at a later time/date with a qualified instructor or other partner that you feel comfortable asking questions of. Then you go back and make changes as necessary. Is it a longer road to hoe? For sure. But, it is better than the alternative of not training altogether.

KarateForums.com is a media supplement, too, don't forget. So when you talk about media supplements in a positive or negative light, we're in that boat for a lot of people.

Patrick

Absolutely! I know that I've picked up lots of good ideas over the years here at KF that either take looking over the internet, or searching in books for different things to try and do. These media outlets are valuable resources that cannot be discounted.