I met a guy recently that has been asking me a lot of questions about training online.
Now I know any martial artist reading this are probably thinking "I hope you told that guy to find a dojo, because online training just teaches bad habits".
As it turns out he has a background in martial arts and just hasn't really practiced in a number of years (I believe 7 or 8). He's looking for something he can do in his spare time after his toddler goes to sleep. His wife passed away a few years back so he's a single dad that simply cannot, at least for the next few years, get to a dojo to train. He plans to start getting himself back in to shape at home in the evenings and then when his son is old enough to train, he'll sign them up for a family class at a Taekwondo school near his home that he know's is good (because it's where he trained years ago).
I told him I couldn't recommend anything other than what he already knows how to do. He has a background in Taekwondo so leveraging online resources to bring his Taekwondo skills back to the forefront and get back into shape would be good for him, but learning something completely new I couldn't recommend without the observation of someone experienced. The reason for this is that I agree with the above sentiment of finding a real dojo to prevent the development of bad habits.
Since he and I have similar backgrounds, as far as Taekwondo is concerned I actually had some good resources for him to look into:
Taekwonwoo.net
Master Woo is a Korean Master of WTF Taekwondo that runs a very well put together online school that I've referenced myself several times for kicking tips and refreshers on Taeguk forms.
www.hiatustraining.com/
My own head instructor from my current school runs Home Invasion and Tactical Urban Survival (HIATUS) training online. This course is more about general knowledge for modern day defense when you're home or out and about. It covers some basic, easy to learn defense skills, but also covers wonderful tips like escaping from being bound (duct tape, zip ties, and even handcuffs) as well as basic lock picking, things you can carry on you to help you escape abduction situations and even escaping the trunk of a car. I took the "in person" form of this class which is done in the form of a weekend seminar and we even got to get locked in the trunk of a car to try out the skills we had learned as well as physically escaping from duct tape, cuffs and zip ties. I found the information very useful. Not great for him to use to get in shape but since he's looking to expand his knowlege, this is a good resource as it's not teaching anything that could develop into a bad habit.
Ginger Ninja Trickster (YouTube)
GNT, is a Taekwondo 2nd Dan out of the UK that has a very active YouTube channel. I love his tricking samplers and choreography, but I also like to go through his older videos because he has some very nice breakdowns on how to execute some beginner through advanced Taekwondo kicks and some tricks (butterfly twist anyone).
Kwon Kicker (YouTube)
KK collaborates with GNT occasionally for choreography demos and whatnot, but he also runs his own channel with his girlfriend for stand up sparring tips, demos and applications. He's a very talented instructor with a good head on his shoulders and a great understanding of the mechanics and timing required to be successful in the ring. His background is in Taekwondo and Muay Thai which, in my opinion, are two of the best and most complete stand up styles in the world, especially for sport application.
So the point of this post is that, you have to use what's available to you. If you have a situation like my friend then maybe online training can tie you over until your situation changes. This are also great resources if you live in an area with mediocre dojo's. I live in a busy city area with lots of schools around me so I can afford to be picky and hold out for the best. Not everyone has that luxury, and so online training can be a great augmentation to offset that limited access to quality instruction. Just make sure you question things and really study to see if the techniques you're learning are effective for your purposes.
Until next time, train on.
Now I know any martial artist reading this are probably thinking "I hope you told that guy to find a dojo, because online training just teaches bad habits".
As it turns out he has a background in martial arts and just hasn't really practiced in a number of years (I believe 7 or 8). He's looking for something he can do in his spare time after his toddler goes to sleep. His wife passed away a few years back so he's a single dad that simply cannot, at least for the next few years, get to a dojo to train. He plans to start getting himself back in to shape at home in the evenings and then when his son is old enough to train, he'll sign them up for a family class at a Taekwondo school near his home that he know's is good (because it's where he trained years ago).
I told him I couldn't recommend anything other than what he already knows how to do. He has a background in Taekwondo so leveraging online resources to bring his Taekwondo skills back to the forefront and get back into shape would be good for him, but learning something completely new I couldn't recommend without the observation of someone experienced. The reason for this is that I agree with the above sentiment of finding a real dojo to prevent the development of bad habits.
Since he and I have similar backgrounds, as far as Taekwondo is concerned I actually had some good resources for him to look into:
Taekwonwoo.net
Master Woo is a Korean Master of WTF Taekwondo that runs a very well put together online school that I've referenced myself several times for kicking tips and refreshers on Taeguk forms.
www.hiatustraining.com/
My own head instructor from my current school runs Home Invasion and Tactical Urban Survival (HIATUS) training online. This course is more about general knowledge for modern day defense when you're home or out and about. It covers some basic, easy to learn defense skills, but also covers wonderful tips like escaping from being bound (duct tape, zip ties, and even handcuffs) as well as basic lock picking, things you can carry on you to help you escape abduction situations and even escaping the trunk of a car. I took the "in person" form of this class which is done in the form of a weekend seminar and we even got to get locked in the trunk of a car to try out the skills we had learned as well as physically escaping from duct tape, cuffs and zip ties. I found the information very useful. Not great for him to use to get in shape but since he's looking to expand his knowlege, this is a good resource as it's not teaching anything that could develop into a bad habit.
Ginger Ninja Trickster (YouTube)
GNT, is a Taekwondo 2nd Dan out of the UK that has a very active YouTube channel. I love his tricking samplers and choreography, but I also like to go through his older videos because he has some very nice breakdowns on how to execute some beginner through advanced Taekwondo kicks and some tricks (butterfly twist anyone).
Kwon Kicker (YouTube)
KK collaborates with GNT occasionally for choreography demos and whatnot, but he also runs his own channel with his girlfriend for stand up sparring tips, demos and applications. He's a very talented instructor with a good head on his shoulders and a great understanding of the mechanics and timing required to be successful in the ring. His background is in Taekwondo and Muay Thai which, in my opinion, are two of the best and most complete stand up styles in the world, especially for sport application.
So the point of this post is that, you have to use what's available to you. If you have a situation like my friend then maybe online training can tie you over until your situation changes. This are also great resources if you live in an area with mediocre dojo's. I live in a busy city area with lots of schools around me so I can afford to be picky and hold out for the best. Not everyone has that luxury, and so online training can be a great augmentation to offset that limited access to quality instruction. Just make sure you question things and really study to see if the techniques you're learning are effective for your purposes.
Until next time, train on.
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