New to Karate in the USA!

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by Jasmine Reed The Author, Oct 10, 2017.

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Can Karate be self-taught?

  1. Yes

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. No

    100.0%
  1. Hey there! My name is Jasmine and I am a part time student, karate enthusiast, musician, independent talent acquisition specialist and magazine editor. I am a girl of many talents, a fast learner and ready to master karate. I first gained interest in martial arts when I watched the movie "Tuxedo". I always thought is was so cool and at one point wanted to be a Ninja (lol). I hope I meet people who love martial arts as much as I do so I can learn from them and hopefully teach it one day! So tell me, what got you interested in martial arts? Is there a way Karate can be self-taught? I was taking lessons a few months ago but can no longer afford them. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
     
  2. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Realistically no you cannot - that isn't always welcome to hear i know but it is pretty much a given without a considerable amount of prior experience

    The best thing I can suggest is that if it's that important you will find a way to pay - you can even try quid pro quo (e.g. clean the dojo, do admin work for them in exchange for discounts or lessons etc..)

    In teh meantime work on fitness and practice on the small things you DO know so they are ingrained for when you return
     
  3. Can you recommended any exercises? I've been doing suicides and basic stretches. Thanks!
     
  4. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    This is Van Zandts guide here on MAP - there isn't much better out there TBH!

    Stretching for high kicks

    For other exercises there are so many you can do, but staples are crunches, push ups and squats...no equipment needed for those

    if you are in good shape already try a Karl Gotch Bible - that has the advantage you can make the cards represent whatever you want for exercises

     
  5. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    What Hannibal said. But also, you could read/browse books on karate so that when you are able to resume classes, you'll be familiar with the words and the movements and a little of the "why" behind how karate is set up. You won't feel like a complete utter noob if you know what they're talking about, even if you don't know exactly how to do it. :D:p

    Yoga is fully awesome, too, for all of martial arts.
     
  6. Rataca100

    Rataca100 Banned Banned

    Must say a good pattern book can never go wrong. Most of the good ones confess they are supplements rather than replacements anyway.


    I cant word it right, but other than some exercises i use for warm up and general fitness i don't do any stretching ones specfically, i personally just do kicks to stretch and practice kicks. That might be a lie, does doing everything in a long stance count as stretching? (yes i have that kind of instructor now *shivers*)

    (By the way, im only a white belt in TKD, so im below those two in the Hierarchy :p)
     
  7. Guitar Nado

    Guitar Nado Valued Member

    Check craigslist, meetup, and do some googling and you might find something low cost or free nearby. I lucked into a Karate club that was free that way a few years back.
     
  8. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    As a Karate practitioner, I do not believe that it can be self-taught.

    Where in the USA are you located? Perhaps someone here could point you in the right direction.
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2017
    Travess likes this.
  9. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    I agree with the others here.

    When we get new people, I get to work with them half the time when doing Kihon, and I can see that most of them don't even manage to do a proper Oi-Zuki while moving the legs at the same time.
    As soon as it comes to double-techniques it gets even worse.

    I don't mean that in a bad way - I wasn't much different.
    When I did it the first time, I got tons of corrections myself (feet, shoulder, height of the arms... probably everything aside from how to make a fist :D ; which, by the way, is something I see surprisingly often: Fists done wrong, when the thumb sticking out or being below the fingers.)

    So, yeah, one more vote for not trying to self-study.
     
  10. Morik

    Morik Well-Known Member Supporter MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Hi Jasmine--welcome!

    If I were going to just do some exercise at home while waiting to be able to do martial arts, I'd probably hit:
    - Jump-rope: great cardio, build up leg muscle. (I don't like running--jump-rope can be short sessions & still have you sweating bullets.)
    - push-ups, squats, sit-ups/crunches as others have mentioned
    - Other ab exercises: planks (high, low, side), leg lifts, etc
    - bridges, single-leg bridges
    - If you have or can get a stability ball, you can do a variety of leg & ab exercises with it (e.g., stability ball leg curls to hit your hamstrings).

    If you want to get your heart-rate up, one way would be jump-rope while doing burpees, push-ups, sit-ups, etc in between. E.g., jump for 3 minutes, do push-ups for 30 seconds, do squats for 30 seconds, jump for 3 minutes, plank for 60 seconds, jump for 3 minutes, burpees for 60 seconds.
     
  11. 47MartialMan

    47MartialMan Valued Member

    Hi Jasmine. Welcome. Some time ago, I allowed students withh financial situations to study. I had students mowing lawns, painting houses, etc. I was a person who was bothered by if "people couldnt pay, they were omitted". Start by looking for people practicing in open parks, etc. Approach them humble and sincere respect for interupting their practice. Open a dialogue to see if they wouldn't mind you working out woth them. But also be mindful of who they are, as you can research them. If you are intersted in sone schools arpund you, go and speak to the head instructor-owner, to find a way for financial suggestions
     

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