It is often said on forum(s) that people cannot really "learn from books or videos. For, the record, a discussion/thread, can someone actually "learn" from books and videos? To what, extent can the instruction and learning Why Books and Videos Have Limitations
From my perspective, a great deal can be learned from books and video, especially if the audience is training or has trained in a similar type of skill that is being relayed in the material. The short-comings that I see personally: 1) Nuances that don't translate well to a visual experience, and may need to be felt to be understood. i.e. A slightly different degree of rotation in a limb that takes a choke from being somewhat effective to highly effective. 2) The lack of a corrective authority to ensure that the audience is performing the skill properly. Even with the aide of mirrors, I've seen some people that view their own movements through rose-colored glasses. This needs someone to correct angles, postures, etc. that a person may feel like they're doing properly, but are missing the mark.
First off, thanks for your post; Please allow me to reply with sincerity; Then if the book or video was pertaining to those who are viewing these, as that of similar or relaying material, how is it a actual teaching method? Are you saying that if someone is in the same style or training, that the book and video are a point of reference? Totally agree, In short you are saying, there has to be a live, "qualified" instructor
Can you learn from videos alone? No Can you learn from books only? No way Can you learn from personal instruction only? Yes Can book and videos ADD to personal instruction? Yes
If there are 8 videos of one subject, say for example in Tai Chi, "Single Whip", but in all 8, it is described and performed slightly different. How can one, who is not personally trained by a qualified instructor, come to the conclusion which 1 of the 8 are correct? That would mean that the other 7 are not. Or perhaps. ALL 8 are not correct. this could be because none are challenged. What is to be said of these 8 people who are posting the 8 videos? How can someone actually conclude what they are vieweing, as correct?
Gapjumper pretty much got it one there. This is also a good point as well. To respond to this I would say how do we know that anything taught in martial arts is truly correct? For example look at kata, I've seen one single kata performed in many ways. I've seen applications to each of these variations. Would they not all be 'correct' to some extent because they fulfill the purpose of transmitting some form of knowledge? Many kata are generations away from the people that created them or were first transmitted them, can they truly be correct now, even if people perform techniques in them well and can gain knowledge and principles from them? I don't think we can ever fully know what is correct when looking at quite old and also very 'branched out' martial arts. This is where more modern and heavy contact sport martial arts win hands down over these. Being correct in these cases is about effective use of technique. I bet you could get a bunch of BJJ instructors to teach you an armbar and there will be a slight nuance in each one. BUT, it will be an armbar and it will apply pressure where it's supposed to. If you have a boxer who has a fantastic KO punch that almost always gets the job done when it lands are you going to say he cannot punch correctly? Anyways I'm rambling a bit. To sum up, in martial arts, be it sport, SD, TMA, military, whatever combination; if it gets the job done and defeats the opponent then it can be considered correct. EDIT To expand a bit as well. I've recently started reading Go Rin No Sho and Bubishi (Pat McCarthy). I've read them many, many times. I've never learned techniques directly from them but they have helped me at various points in my life as a karateka. I find I either realise things (that were always there) or join some dots which lead me on the path to my next stage of development. Books, even though many are written from the heart and soul, generally convey information quite impersonally and the words in them can never quite be received the way the author wants to get them across.
I think it depends on what you are trying to learn and what level you are starting from. Someone with a solid grounding in one striking art could learn a great deal about another striking art given enough video and textual sources. When you learn an art "live" you rapidly go from trusting your teacher to trusting your own body and that never really leaves you. To some extent your teacher teaches you the root of the art and then gives you the embellishments that make it different. Learning a different set of embellishments is less effort than learning from the roots again and some of that can be done with lesser sources, but not all. It isn't ideal but if there is no alternative you are mot necessarily wasting your time. Having said that a striker can't teach him or herself to be a grappler and you can't learn from zero without someone to show you how to do it. I've also seen a fair few dojos where the students would have been better off with a good book and youtube...
In addition to a lot of what has been mentioned here I would add that a lot of the people asking whether they can learn from books or video do so because: They think style > training and the style they think is so awesome isn't available near them They have ego issues → "I want to be good at it before I go train it" They have social issues (which are of greater concern to their SD ability and general well-being than technique and training) None of these things are necessarily solved by martial arts training. There are plenty of people who think passive training in their art will beat a pressure tested fighter in another art and plenty who still have ego issues. The biggest issue with books and video isn't the material itself but why people so often seek it out.
^^^This is not going through detailed explanations^^^ Whenever we get someone here, (or I get people from elsewhere) about training from a book, site, or video, I would like to point them to this thread. We are discussing this from a "beginner's stand point". Someone with little to no training and without a "live instructor" I rant upon this towards Qi Videos, Style Videos, and Defense Videos (and all propaganda here-say books and sites thereof) Too many people are lured to these and seem to believe, what they are watching (and mimicking) are accurate What are the other detrimental and cons of "self-training" (from sites, books, and videos) for a beginner without previous guidance/instruction
If you have "solid" foundation in any MA system, you should be able to learn from book or video. More than that, you should also be able to learn from just "few words".
Because I buy the ones my School and GM put out. That way, I know it is in sync with the way I am taught to do the move. Different lineages do have some differences. And that is one thing to be conscious of when using DVDs as a supplement. I use DVDs as supplements, they are a great help! Key word is supplement. Video's do not look at what you are doing and give you corrections. Looking at a video makes it hard to see a subtle nuance/ detail to something. "Maybe you are tilting forward just a tad too much, maybe that arm should be just a bit lower or slightly more extended..............."
Besides the "set up" and "safe entering", anybody can learn this move from video within 5 minutes. You push your opponent's shoulder, pull his leg, he will fall. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnzdQIqY4jU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnzdQIqY4jU[/ame]
This post seems to fit in here too. http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1074947077&postcount=9
YKW had a point with that video. But this was a "basic". And without a practicing partner, how could it be done? Also, I would a teacher would need to be present to explain the what ifs, if the technique fails
That's true. When you apply "single leg", what if your opponent - pulls his leading leg back (as light as a feather)? - puts all his weigh on his leading leg and hard for you to push (as heavy as a mountain)? - lefts arm hook punch at your head? - right hand pushes away your right shoulder pushing arm? - ... You may need more videos to get into this kind of detail level. - You can learn "1 thing" from 1 video. - You can't learn "everything" from 1 video, but - you can learn "many thing" from many videos. There are books that you can only learn, "This is a book". There are books that you can learn "To be, or not to be". [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnzdQIqY4jU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnzdQIqY4jU[/ame] I assume a training partner is a "must". Your training partner can give you proper feed back if your technique fail.
So, you are saying, "Can't learn from a video", is subjected to what is the information contained within? Will "Can't learn from a video", be applied to self defense and Qi?
