There is no doubting the allure of becoming a martial arts master. Possibly you have seen advertisements in your local area about karate classes, however, haven’t had the opportunity to give it a go.
Maybe you’re fascinated by the amazing moves or awesome weaponry you have seen wielded in martial arts movies, like nunchakus, staffs and swords.
Or perhaps you have been threatened before or felt unsafe when going out at night, and you just want to discover some easy self-defence techniques.
If you’re interested in beginning martial arts from home however and don’t know the right place to start, this is the perfect guide to getting started.
Is it Practical to Start Learning Martial Arts Training at Home?
If it is your dream to learn martial arts but you haven’t had an opportunity to begin your formal training, I have some excellent tips for you!
You can begin martial arts practice in the comfort of your home with minimal equipment, as long as you know the right way to begin.
The question then becomes is ‘can I learn effectively without the guidance of an experienced instructor’?
This is an entirely different question.
If the plan is to become to be an elite boxer or MMA fighter, then training solely at home isn’t the best option. Actually, the majority of martial arts systems have some aspect of combat included, so at some point in order to ensure you have learned your techniques correctly and can apply them in real-life situations, you’ll need to have an experienced sparring partner.
Bear in mind that even if you decide to start your martial arts journey at home, it doesn’t mean that this should be your only method of training.
Like many other disciplines, you will progress much more quickly if you train with an experienced instructor. Without the guidance of a professional who can provide feedback and insight into your training progress, you’re not likely to achieve your complete potential as a martial artist. You will benefit from a trained expert to assist you in honing your skills and refining specific techniques as you go.
Training By Yourself vs. Training with a Partner
Let’s use the analogy of another sport, like soccer. If a soccer player only practised shooting for goal by himself and didn’t have the pressure of another player trying to stop him from making the shot, or the goalie trying to prevent the goal from being scored, he wouldn’t become a well-rounded and accomplished soccer player.
He might improve his fundamental skills such as kicking the ball itself, and working out the power and angle needed to hit the back of the net from different positions on the field; however, there’s a lot more to soccer than this solitary action.
Now, suppose this same football player mostly trained at home, however, in addition to this, he trained 2 times a week as well with the rest of his team at soccer practice, guided by a coach?
Alternatively, he could play soccer every evening at the local oval with his friends. With the added pressure of teammates and an opposing team, he will naturally get better at kicking, scoring, comprehending plays and defending the ball, as well as boosting his physical conditioning.
He wouldn’t necessarily transform into the next Diego Maradona only training by himself, but with the support of a coach or trainer as well as some playing experience with teammates, he would certainly have a more diverse skill set.
This analogy is a great example to keep in mind when you’re seeking to start practising martial arts from home.
Will learning from home help if am already taking classes?
Whilst it is great to attend classes in person a few times a week, you can always benefit from learning at home in between lessons.
You may also have an opportunity to learn new techniques not taught in your current system or school, providing you with an edge in sparring over your classmates, who have less diversity in their training.
It is important to remember you still need to have days off in order to properly rest and recuperate from your martial arts sessions, but provided you know your body well and understand how to recuperate, you will certainly better your martial arts knowledge by training at home as well as in the gym.
Instead of competing with a training partner as you would at your school, you can concentrate on solo exercises like hand and body conditioning, correct striking technique, and stretching to promote recovery.
Which Martial Arts styles are the most effective to learn from Home?
Whilst I stand by the belief that you will struggle to master martial arts training by yourself, you can definitely make some solid progression by learning from courses on the internet, tt will assist you to understand basic techniques and concepts, as well as the body and hand conditioning methods of a specific martial art, and aid you in improving your cardiovascular conditioning.
If you do a bit of research and watch some tutorials on each specific martial art that takes your interest, it may help you in making a decision on which one is the most appropriate for your situation. Keep in mind that you can always discover the concept behind fighting styles from the convenience of your home.
To help speed up your research, you can eliminate Judo, Aikido, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or any martial discipline that is reliant on having a partner to practice techniques with.
There are numerous training courses available with a quick search online that educate you on the background and history of certain styles, their methods, and the movements and techniques for their martial art. They may not be able to teach you specific fighting strategies or provide you feedback on your own training; however, they can equip you with basic skills and knowledge.
Below are a few examples of some great martial arts practices that can be learned from home:
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is strongly geared towards self-development, so it is a great system for those looking to start their martial arts journey at home.
Although Tai Chi has many partner-based practices including pushing hands, free sparring and weapons combat, the form itself is a solo practice which makes it perfect for exercising alone.
As with all martial arts, however, you’ll still benefit from the feedback of a Tai Chi specialist, to ensure your method of practice follows the principles of Tai Chi. If you’re interested in this practice, our website has a number of great Blog articles for beginners who may want to know how to begin practising the art of Tai Chi, and some tutorial videos as well.
Cardio Kickboxing
If you want to improve your cardiovascular conditioning and burn some calories, it is worth looking into cardio kickboxing.
Unlike conventional kickboxing, sparring doesn’t take place during cardio kickboxing class. Nonetheless, kickboxing, as with all other martial arts, places emphasis on ensuring your strikes are accurate, and you’re your footwork is sound, which means that it is easier to improve your skills if you have a coach to guide you throughout your journey.
Self Defence
It’s easy to practice some basic self-defence moves while training at home, even without a partner to practice with. When you begin researching the world of martial arts to understand the best self-defence methods, you’ll likely encounter a system known as Krav Maga.
This martial art was developed by the Israel Defence Force (known as the IDF) and is an effective approach to defending yourself. The techniques taught in Krav Maga are quite dangerous though, and it may be unsafe to exercise with anybody who isn’t already experienced in the correct application of the technique. Krav Maga can seriously wound or kill an opponent, so be very careful with this style.
How long will it take to become proficient at Martial Arts when training from home?
Lots of people who begin practising martial arts dedicate their lives to becoming experts, so there’s no way to determine how long it will take you to succeed in your own journey.
As a basic rule of thumb, you should work at a pace you are comfortable with, and gradually build on the time spent training in each session. It is common for students training at a martial arts school to attend 1 or 2 classes each week, so as a minimum I would recommend aiming for between 45 to 60 minutes per session, at least twice per week.
When you have started to understand some of the basic concepts of your chosen system, you may benefit from attending classes in person at your local martial arts school.
If you are dedicated to your practice and do at least two one-hour sessions every week, you will make great progress in only 3 to 6 months, however, it is important to understand that this timeline is more accurate for those that have a dedicated training partner to practice with, and an instructor who can correct your technique and provide regular feedback to ensure you are progressing.
There’s no assurance you’ll progress that quickly if you’re training by yourself, however, if you spend at least 2 hours each week and are consistent in your practice, you can take some substantial strides in the right direction.
Recommended equipment to begin learning Martial Arts from home
To improve your general physical fitness prior to delving into any specific martial art practice, it is great to begin with simple bodyweight exercises and basic punches and kicks; no expensive training equipment is required.
When you start to get comfortable with your footwork and basic kicking and punching drills, you can up your game significantly by purchasing a few basic items, for example, a punching bag or a grappling dummy.
Will I Benefit from Learning Martial Arts through an Online Course?
If you are looking to start your journey in martial arts but would prefer to begin learning from home, you are not alone; many people are in a similar position, who either don’t have a reputable martial arts school in their local area or can’t afford the class prices, which is why numerous online martial arts courses have surfaced in recent years to help mitigate this problem.
Wu Xing Dao Online Martial Arts Courses
There are numerous well-structured courses available with Wu Xing Dao, including free training tips and fundamental skills for those who are new to Kung Fu, as well as paid courses for body and hand conditioning, which are suitable for those who have completed our internal power program, or who are experienced martial artists of other styles and want to gain an edge in their training.
We also offer Tai Chi and Qigong courses for internal energy cultivation, health and wellness. With these programs, you can learn by using our ‘follow along’ tutorials, and comprehensive step-by-step training videos, allowing you to practice and refine the techniques as set out in the course programs and receive detailed feedback from instructors at Wu Xing Dao on your progress.
The most effective components of our Wu Xing Dao course programs include our community Facebook Group, where you can share your experiences and questions regarding your training with other students who have enrolled online, as well as the evaluations you will receive from your certified teachers, for the advanced training programs we offer.
While responses from trainers over video may not be as effective as real-time feedback in-person, it’s definitely an improvement from attempting to learn martial arts with no assistance at all.
If Kung Fu is not a system you want to pursue, you will also be happy to know you can enrol in various types of martial arts online; there are courses for Karate, Taekwondo, Krav Maga and others, depending on your preference.
Cardiovascular conditioning for aspiring Martial Artists
If you only want to make progress with your stamina or endurance, gain greater flexibility or improve your overall health and wellness, there are many workouts available on YouTube which can help you with these goals.
Obviously, it’s best to receive hands-on direction from a qualified instructor, so if you can do a combination of online courses and in-person training you can have the best of both worlds.
Hopefully, these tips will assist you in making the leap into martial arts training; it is a wonderful practice that can benefit you in many areas of your life.
Learn Martial Arts at Wu Xing Dao
If you would like more information or to try some of our free courses available you can visit our YouTube channel. Our training courses are ideal for all ages, from youngsters to seniors. If you invest your time in the training, you will start seeing some serious changes during the first six months. ENROL NOW!
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