Online learning

“You can’t learn martial arts from a book” was a common criticism levied at the classic martial arts books of the 1970’s which originally ushered in the “home study” era. This same criticism is often applied to instructional DVDs and online tutorials and it is equally erroneous. No, you can not learn Hung Gar or Muay Thai sitting in a chair watching an instructional DVD without taking classes, but if you are a serious student you can expedite your learning by viewing instructional DVDs or online tutorials. A student simply can’t learn everything in class and what many students neglect is to seek supplemental research material.

If there any major negatives they would be the fact that martial arts instructional tutorials are not interactive. That is, the student can not question the instructor on a tutorial nor can ask for clarification. The information presented is dictated and limited in the way it conveys information.

Ultimately, online instructional material provides the student with an excellent vehicle for facilitate his or her learning of a martial art and will also maintain the student’s interest level. Surely the traditional schools appreciate this help in retaining their students as well as enhancing their student’s skill level. Clearly the value of instructional tutorials are not lost on students and teachers alike and will be around for a long, long time.