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I started learning about martial arts buying books such as Ketsugo, Jukado, and various karate manuals. The thing was I was a 10 year-old-kid and money was tight. I wanted to learn to fight so I learned some moves by pictures in books.
After I grew up and went back to college, I ended up taking one online class from the University of Phoenix. My initial assessment was I could learn this way but the question then became more of what suited me. In this post I will examine karate distance learning in many of the modalities found today and ones I have personally been involved. Now here is a link to one lesson online I found on youtube. Embedding has been disabled so please just select the link to view.
Women’s Self Defense Against Frontal Attacks : Self Defense Against Two Hand Chokes
So you can see with multi-media presentations it is possible to teach some self-defense. By the way I liked this video as it was clear and to the point so any woman could easily learn one way to escape a front choke hold.
Other ways to learn would include books and telephone. Now what situations would students learn well from distance learning? One way I taught some students in the late 70′s was over the telephone. I had some Navy students that had already attained a belt and they wanted to continue learning the self-defense techniques for the next belt. They were able to call in a predetermined times and I taught them the moves verbally over the phone. They had a jump on the next belt on their next trip into port.
I should say that verbally or audio tapes might not work well with beginning students. But semi-advanced students that already have the basics but just want to learn some nuances, might do well. On example of a site offering telephone consultations is Wim Demeere’s Blog here.
Online or video lessons would probably suit a motivated beginner that either could not find a school he liked or if he lived in a remote area. I know of plenty of multi-media lessons available on the web and some totally online schools too. One example of an online school that is tailored for beginners is CQDT Online. These types of schools would work well if one had a partner to work though the moves. That way one could emulate the lessons and get something out of it.
Now probably hardest type of distance training would be a book. I tried this when I was a kid and I did get something out of it but I think books would work better for already advanced students that already know the basics.
Now I am sure I am missing some ways of learning karate or self-defense (does the Wii Fit offer lessons yet?) but I wanted to review some of the common modalities and who might be good prospects.
I think if you are not near a karate/self-defense school and still want some exposure, a DVD course might work out well. Also consider an online school if you would like some feedback for the “what if” questions that normally arise. If you are already advanced and are just trying to get clarity or continue an already paved path, telephone or manuals might be fine. If you are near a school that is a good fit, I do think you ought to give them a try as many people excel in the face to face learning environment.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hey, FYI – I tried to view your video but it says it’s no longer available. I think youtube has been purging their files a lot. I’ve come across this frequently recently.
Thanks for your self defense info. I wish you success with your classes.