Martial Arts Questions?

Lol believe it or not there are thousands of martial arts apps on itunes. I downloaded the ones with the best reviews and they all suck.

I don't think they make martial arts look bad. I think its worst than that. This is a disgrace, as possum said, a way to pray on those who don't have access to a dojo. I think all the techniques are there, but the journey isn't. In my opinion, this is wrong. In the days before internet, this is the equivalent of a 'master' writing a letter to a friend detailing how to do his art/techniques. What if you have a question? Theres no way to ask.

BTW that shotokan dvd looks like trash. The gracie idea is better but in my opinion still wrong.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:

I'd been practicing Taekwondo for over 30 years when I started Aikido. A simple wrist lock wasn't anything I hadn't seen before, but my footing, positioning, posture, and eyeline were completely off and it took several classes for me to get it right. It took a 6th dan sensei to physically move me into position to get it right. What will this DVD trash do that my sensei couldn't do is beyond me.

As anyone experienced knows, the difference between a technique working and failing can be as much as a 1/4". And the Gracies know this. And so does anyone who produces these videos. They prey on desperate people who don't have ready access to classes - or quality classes.

I see this as the on-line equivalent as a McDojo. An internet McDojo or an electronic McDojo. In short, an i-McDojo or e-McDojo.

EDIT: Sifu Frank reminds me of Canemasters who used to have video instruction on how to use a cane. Mark Shuey I think was his name who founded Canemasters. You buy the video and cane, then do the materials per the video, then make a video of yourself doing the techniques, then mail in your video, then you get graded. This goes back 20 years, if I remember right. I don't know if your videos have grading options. (If it does... what a hoot! Same crap, different day!)

Person versus animal questions are annoying, honestly. Those seem like they should be common sense. Or really goofy person versus person/fictional person ones too. Questions about cartoon character versus cartoon character too, but questions about martial arts in such and such cartoon, I cut some slack, as they loosely relate. I can agree too with the "Where can I find a school for X art in X city?", but at the same time, I honestly find 'em kind of funny. They make me think of really racist people talking to someone of a different race. "Oh, you're Korean? I know another Korean guy, do you know him?" As if all persons of a certain race know all others of that race, or all martial artists know all other martial artists and schools/gyms. I think people who frequent here are too eager to jump down the throats of new people. To someone that doesn't know anything about martial arts, asking which art is better or if they're too young or old or whatever, those questions make sense. And really, this is Yahoo Q&A, not a discussion forum. This is a place for the uniformed to come and become informed. Maybe to us those might seem like dumb questions, but if you didn't know anything about martial arts, they'd make sense wouldn't they? It's like if someone asked a mechanic what tool is better for some job, for simplicity's sake we'll say changing a tire. For the mechanic that's an "oh lordy" moment, but if a person doesn't know, they don't know, and need to be told, that's all. I'm much more bothered by dumb answers that are chosen as the best answer for a question. For example, someone asks if kung fu (or whatever art) is effective. Ten people will post a well thought out, carefully written response that cites multiple pros and may even make mention of the cons. Then, someone says "lol no kung fu is dumb and doesnt work lol, do muay thai or mma", and they get chosen as the best answer with the explanation of "lol yeah that's what i thought". Seriously, what? Wellp, just my take on it all, at least.

I like Apple Pie analogy, but for completely different reasons. It is like teach yourself language programs. You’ll learn words and you’ll practice them for years and never really get good as just speaking to and learning from the native. However, if I were to be suddenly thrown into middle east, I’d rather know teach yourself Arabic, than not know any Arabic at all. It’s not the perfect solution, but when perfect solution is not available it is better than nothing.

PS Also it does make a good reference material. Even with teach yourself language programs could help while learning from a native to give you a new perspective on things.

Simply a fool and his money are soon parted.

It is foolish to think you can learn self defense, or martial art at home from books and vid's.

We create CD's for students to use for home practice not to replace training with a skilled instructor.

This kind of thing has been around for decades. I don't think it helps the image of Martial Arts. I also don't fret over it like I used to. I would never recommend someone learn a skill this way.

Possum we have vidios for our students to use to augment what they learn in class. We do not grade students that do not attend regular classes. We DO NOT promote distance learning. We never have nor will I be involved in it. I do have closed door students I have trained at their home.

Yes indeed the Shotocan demo lesson was embarrassing> Hug yourself hammer fist your neighbors crotch. lol

I don't know personally someone that have tried the Gracie's courses, as a systematic way of training and learning, to give us some feedback on them, however what I know is that before the opening of many BJJ schools in many places, at a time that it was difficult to find a school, many are claiming that have learned enough BJJ from the initial tapes of Rorion Gracie (the ones that was with his brother Royce Gracie) to compete in MMA events...

Even many of the UFC champions have claimed that they have learned enough BJJ from them.

Now, I don't know more to tell on the subject of learning BJJ in alternative ways, so anyone interested in this, is better to speak with them directly to judge by himself/herself. Is not impossible, since obviously not everyone that have being claiming that is lying about it, what someone can judge, is how helpful is for them to follow these courses, from whom and if they worth the time, always in relation with them...

Honestly I hate it. I spoke to Rener at great lengths about this when he was here late last year and said it is making our style to be a joke. I told him it was for this very reason why i left the GJJ Academy and went to another Gracie Network.

Rener is an amazing instructor and a great grappler who people all over the world can learn from him but you still need to do the work and pass the tests as he pointed out, but even he said this is merely a tool used to help people trapped in isolated areas who have no other way of learning the style but wish to learn.

Nothing beats training aliveness with someone who is taught to train people straight from a Gracie academy but this is merely making a mockery of the style.

I am fortunate enough to have learnt from a brasilian and had relationships with them plus many trips to Brasil to learn so i am far more fortunate as Rener Gracie largely told me. He said but there are people out there in Areas in coastal towns here that are not as fortunate and that have no access to training the style. and people in other countries that have no access to the style and this was his purpose for creating the online system.

Personally to me it is a sell out and i completely hate everything about it. Unfortunately it is happening in other styles as well. I instruct from the Bullyproof curriculum that was introduced by the Gracie Academy online BUT this was simply to see which curriculum they were teaching, i have already known all the training skills needed years prior to this.

Would i learn something online? No absolutely not its ridiculous.

Could you learn something from this if you were from a remote area and had others to train with? Yes you could.

Would anyone learning online be as good as someone learning from aliveness training with legitimate instructors? NOT IN A MILLION YEARS - A Gracie online student Brown belt would struggle to beat a beginner blue belt i taught.

Does this water down the skills of the people training and the style in the long run? YES

Is this all a cash grab hidden behind the promise of its all designed to "help" the people? YES - this has nothing to do with helping people its about promoting the style and creating an inferior type of fighter which would have Helio disgusted just as he was for years prior to his death.

ALL styles are doing it now to market their product and this is why there are so many Mcdojos in all styles

Well that's business for you.

All I can say is that the Shotokan demo of Gedan Barai is hilarious : ) Hug yourself, LOL!

1

It's like when you took spanish in high school. You know some words but you'll never be able to speak fluently. In other words, you learned nothing...