Martial Arts question

Inx

So I think this thread goes here.

I was looking for people's opinions on learning martial arts from books or videos. I, personally, don't like the idea, but my issue is that I've discovered an interest in Savate, but I don't know if there's anywhere for me to learn it in the area. I live on Long Island, but would be willing to commute into Manhattan or the surrounding areas if necessary, but my google fu is weak.

Should I look around on Amazon? Give up? Anyone have a similar issue?

takyris

Don't try to learn from a book or video. The only time I consider it even remotely worth your time is if you're already an advanced practitioner (as in, enough years of training that you're now teaching students yourself) and you are looking at the videos to pick up pointers on something that the other style uses that is similar to but slightly different from something you already know how to do.

(For example, I've trained a lot with sticks. I might look at an escrima video to see how they handle check moves, or to pick up a couple of combinations that I think might work well with what I already know. But I've only had a little Jujitsu, and I would never try to learn more from a video.)

I don't live in the area or know anyone there, but I can hit the Google myself. If there's really nothing out there, and I find that absurdly unlikely, you could try some other martial art just for general interest and fitness, and be on the lookout for a one-day Savate seminar coming through the area.

But seriously, no books or vids for your main training.

Doc

No, either find a Savate place or find a different art. Standard or Thai kickboxing is good if you can find a gym with real sparring.

Sorry.

spcmnspff

Check out what's on offer at any nearby university(ies). That's where I took my Savate courses. And if there's no Savate, keep an eye out for Muay Thai or just regular kickboxing; Tae Kwon Do also has a lot of kicking in it. They might not be the most practical martial art pursuits in the world (like things with more grappling), but they're lots of fun to learn and give you a great work-out.

(edit: definitely check out some books if you're interested in learning more about Savate - whether it's the history or the technique - but don't count on a book or a video to come anywhere close to a good teacher. There are tons of interesting Martial Arts though, so I'd recommend trying anything you happen to have access to).

Inx

Nyeh, I had a feeling that would be the consensus. The search continues, then - either to settle for something similar, or to find something with people.

Thanks guys.

JohnnyCache

Learning from books is a poor idea - books and stuff are great tools if you know what you're doing already, but not great for starting out.

Savate in particular has some counter-intuitive elements that you won't pick up off paper.

CangoFett

You *can* learn some stuff from videos. Thats how Evan Tanner got started in his Jiu Jitsu game. Though at that point he was a state wrestling champion, and also a genius.

Google the name of your city and then kickboxing, or savate, or muaythai.


And as with any martial art school, if you're looking for something practical and effective, keep an eye out for a few things


1) Alive sparring. Are they practicing their techniques against a fully resisting opponent

2) Do they compete? A school that has kickboxers entering in full contact kick boxing tournaments, is probably better off than a school that only enters point sparring tournaments

3) Use common sense. If you sign a contract that says youll have a guaranteed blackbelt in X many months, or they are kids with black belts who arent old enough to ride in the front seat of a car, maybe you should think twice.

Savate is probably gonna be somewhat difficult to find, atleast compared to say Muay Thai, or an MMA school.
Good luck.