Can I study martial arts without actually taking a class?

Question

I know its important that you have a Sensei(or instructor) there to help you and to correct you if you mess up but

My family is having Financial Troubles since last year and I really want to go back into Martial Arts I still have the book they gave me and I Know the basic Punches Kicks and Stances

so what do you reccomend?

Answer 1

I understand your situation. Hopefully things will change and you will be able to join a martial arts class. Books and video can't correct mistakes. For that as your said it requires and instructor. It also requires at least one training partner. As you practice you will be correcting balance, timing, distance, and many other things.  If you practice something incorrectly later you will have to relearn it. Sometimes it is harder to retrain your mind and body to do something correctly than it is to learn it correctly the first time.   People are always getting in a hurry trying to become good at their martial art. If someone is training two days a week, they think that if they increase to four times a week that they will get better twice as fast. There will be some benefit in increasing the amount ot training. But training twice as much will not make you get better twice as fast. The mind both conscious and sub-conscious needs time to adjust. That part of training can't be rushed. I tell my students this:

"If you practice something incorrectly for 20 years, you will get very , very good at doing it incorrectly. But if you practice something correctly and take your time you will get very good at doing it correctly"

Hang in there your chance to train correctly will come in time.

When I started, I was 13 years old.  My parents did not want me to study the martial arts. They refused to pay for it.  I started a lawn mowing business and saved my own money. My parents recognized my commitment and allowed me to join a local karate school.   Best of Luck!

Edit:  You do not say how old you are. Perhaps you can talk to the local Sensei and see if you can work off your training fees. If not perhaps you can mow lawns, clean windows, or do odd jobs to earn money.

Answer 2

practice your stances, your kicks, and punches, and read..

any where in your bedroom, back yard, garage, the park

go slow, for a while, slow so that you have a solid balance and foot work, and are stable and comfortable,,

then speed it up

Answer 3

I hope this helps.

Anyone can read a book on performing open heart surgery and study it. But without  a qualified instructor no one will allow you to perform the surgery.

The same thing with martial arts. You need a qualified instructor to learn and get proficient in martial arts.

Answer 4

Study -- yes.

LEARN -- maybe.

Learn it CORRECTLY -- probably not.

Answer 5

Yes.

You can also learn open-heart surgery from a comic book.

But seriously folks, just keep practicing whatever you know every day.  Even black belts practice stances, punches, and kicks.  When your family is able to afford it again, you will be better at it than you were before.

Answer 6

Find a more affordable dojo. Places like the YMCA and community rec centers offer great programs. I know of world champions that teach and practice at rec center dojos.

Our karate school first started at a rec center where no students had to pay anything. It was funded by the city.

Answer 7

Some important bit of information are missing here and I am going to make some assumptions based on your question.  What is true for beginners and most imtermediate sudents is not necessarily true for more advanced students.  

Some arts are different than others in what you can do on your own.  I train in self-defense art that would be impossible to learn without a training partner and teacher.  In other arts, you can focus on kata, conditioning, flexability, and individual training.

That said - I am making an assumption that you are a beginner and engaged in the study of some form of karate.  (You mentioned 'sensei' and punching and kicking.)

Turthfully, you will find it hard to progress and improve on your own if you are a beginner.  The skill is in the details that you are not likely to notice, simply because you haven't learned all of them yet.  I struggled with this when I was young as my family did not have money for such things and didn't think girls should fight in any form.

You can practice what you know (Kata, stances, punching, kicking), work conditioning and flexability, build cardio... all those things other people said.  But if you want to progress look for a teacher.  

Many good teachers do not teach to make money, they teach for the love of their art,  No one is turned away from our dojo due to inability to pay.  Instead of money, some people pay by doing chores, or just training and learning.

I finished school, got a job, went to college, and took martial arts at college.  Now, 25+ years, later I am still studying and learning.  Don't give up, just try finding a different way.

Answer 8

u can STUDY martial arts through online. can u BECOME a martial artist by juz learnin bout da moves prbbly not. martial arts is mroe than studying katas and memorizing attacks and defenses

Answer 9

Yes. It's possible. If you can get in practice with a live partner, who actually has some training, it's better. Also buy books, magazines like Black Belt and Ultimate Grappling. I have a friend who is a purple belt in BJJ, and with very limited training, im able to hold my own against him in grappling.

Answer 10

you can learn from books and dvds but you will need a partner to practise with. because you could learn lots of moves but when it comes to actually excecuting them against someone else it would be a whole different story

Answer 11

You can learn some techniques online. My site is purely for exercise purposes. If you really want to be a Martial Artist, your best bet is to join a Dojo close by. Good Luck !!

Answer 12

It's not possible to successfully learn an MA without taking classes.

- You have no one with experience to monitor your form to ensure it is correct

- you don't have a sparring partner to practice your technique and test to see if it is effective.

I'd love to do many things in life but don't have the financial capacity to do so. Therefore I except that I have to do without or work to a point where I can afford to.

You could work on controlling adrenaline kicks which is something which can have an impact during competitions or in instances where you may have to defend yourself.

Practice the basic punch and fine tune it to be as snappy, powerful and accurate as possible. Then when you can get back to taking classes you'll not be so rusty.

Answer 13

fir almost nuttin like only 160 a month you can learn superkarate online and nevre be defeate again, trust me i did it too!

Answer 14

omg some of this superkatate bullshit its retarded dont listen to him, i do muay thia and only pay 50 dollars a month you could get a job for saturdays and sundays maybe get a little money and pay for it yourself just find a affordible gym/dogo

Answer 15

70% of my development in martial arts, I believe, was from constant practice at home,

like practising:

1.Splits - takes a lotta time

2.Properly executed Side kicks, Turning kicks or Spinning kicks

3.Strength training - pushups/situps/weights

All u do in clubs is learn technique and get a bitta whipping if you dont do it right.

The most IMPORTANT INGREDIENT,however, is MOTIVATION and you got it.

What i recommend, is first learning the correct technique PROPERLY by asking pro's that u know, or youtube or books etc.. theres no point practising crappy techniques over and over...

THEN, the rest is up to you and your motivation.

Answer 16

Yes ya can

Answer 17

Well, if you really can't afford classes right now, it's better than nothing, but  not that much. You'll be missing so much of the ins and outs that a qualified instructor will give you. What you'll be doing may look like the technique, but it won't be the technique.

I think just getting into a general conditioning training until things improve (hiking, swimming, etc...) may actually serve you better.

Or here's another idea: How about either finding a dojo that will let you exchange work for training, or an experienced practitioner with which you can exchange something for lessons (maybe there's a skill you have you can teach them in exchange, such as computers, math, language - something they'd be interested in.).

Answer 18

well...I guess you can practice the stances and the others but if u really want to learn martial arts find a good class and a good instructor.