by Va'al » Wed Dec 05, 2012 3:16 pm
- Motto: "Till All Are Pun!"
Some videos and books can be useful for the theory or the philosophy behind the various arts, styles or schools.
But also pointless if you do not practice with someone who has practical experience.
(As with most things, really: you can know the recipes by heart, but if you never cook, you'll never learn.)
I used to attend regular judo classes, got to green belt, and then had to move country for my studies. I tried Uni judo clubs, but they're all aweful, and have a very sport-oriented mentality and competitiveness. Which actually contradicts most of my school's beliefs.
We did have fights, competitions and the like, but never as a "IWILLKILLYOU" scene or like what you see in the Olympics. Form should always be minded, it's nothing to do with the body type, height or weight or muscle mass.
And you're not learning it to be cool, or to learn how to fight in real life.
If that's your attitude, you should stop immediately and have a serious think about it.
That's what a lot of clubs I've seen are about, unfortunately.
*sigh*
So yes, try some books, but also try finding people who practice the styles you're interested in! Even if money's an issue, there are some decent classes around, you just need to look.