Suggestions for Instructional Videos or anything else when sans instructors/trainers

[FngSaiYuk]

I've searched through the forum and throughout the internet as well as hunted around my local area... Unfortunately I've ended up moving to a part of the US without any Kung Fu instructors (there's one guy here that teaches Tae Kwon Do).

Given my circumstances, what's my best recourse for beginning some Kung Fu training without an instructor watching my every move? What are the best training videos and books I can work with?

I'm sure I'll get a lot of, you really can't learn anything from books/videos, however I really don't have much to go on and don't have the resources to travel regularly to any place with decent instructors. Moving is also out of the question, for family reasons.

[WanderingMonk]

May be you want to ask yourself why do you want to lean kung-fu and what do you expect out of the experience?

If the motivation is self-defense or learn how to fight, then there certainly are other options such as mma/boxing/kali/etc.

If the motivation is a hobby that you enjoy, then you should investigate the tkd school. although it is not the same, it will teach you some compatible skills which can be improved/augmented when you find and join a "good kungfu school".

The main reason against video/book is the feedback. You need to practice your skills against someone to get some feedback to see if you are learning the skills effectively and can apply them under pressure. A good school offers that. even a bad school has students which you can experiment your skills on, uhemm, I mean spar with.

If you are completely by yourself in this endeaver, then tkd school will be an option you want to consider. If you have some buddies who are willing to sparr with you on a regular basis, then you might want to look into the video/book.

[FngSaiYuk]

Well, really, the reason I would like to practice kungfu is that I got a taste of it about a decade ago when I lived in California and had time to train regularly. I tried out a couple of different school styles, taekwondo, shotokan,tangsoodo & a ninjutsu school before finding some chinese schools. I really enjoyed the chinese kungfu training a lot more than the korean and japanese training.

So basically, I've been trying to remember my forms after about a decade of non-practice and since I didn't take written notes and the one video tape I made with a friend never did get back to me, I end up working on the same low level forms over and over again. I'm keeping an eye out for a training partner, and I'll be dropping by the taekwondo school some time soon, but I'm mostly training my stamina, strength and conditioning since I can remember so little with accuracy.

Now when I look through KF & IKF magazine, there's various instructional videos and books advertised, so too via internet searches. What I'd like to know is which ones I should purchase and work with given my situation. I now have the time to train, but time and some $$$'s are my only resources. I really can't travel much either, due to family responsibilities.

So does anyone know of any good sources which have reviewed instructional media, or recommendations on well presented and fairly thorough instructional media?

[MasterKiller]

What style did you study before? Are you interested in finding videos for that style, or starting a new one?

[FngSaiYuk]

I'm not sure what the first style I studied was... I trained with someone (I really can't remember his name anymore - wow, it's been 13years!) who just gave me some basic training - kicks, stances, bits of forms, no weapons, although he did demonstrate a broadsword form. He appeared to be decent based on what I've seen on tv and videos and from some others I've met since then.

I ended up hunting for other chinese martial arts in the area and ended up practicing some very basic drills leading into forms with a man named Phil (don't remember his last name, I always called him Phil). The forms were described as southern shaolin based but encompassed several styles. They were purely for building movement, flow, condition, etc. I also learned a few beginning weapons forms, again for building movement, flow & conditioning.

I ended up learning what I now know to be a funky version of the standardized 24 movement tai chi form. I've since adjusted my practice of this form after researching its practice on the internet (demo videos, competition videos, etc). I've also begun reading more on tai chi, to try and at least get as good as I can until such time that I'll be in an area where I can find a qualified instructor willing to help me out (I'll likely be posting the question of who qualified instructors are in a particular area in the future the next time I'll be able to travel to an area more prolific in martial arts schools).

My main intent is to develop myself in fighting arts to improve my health and fitness level, as well as my grace, balance and physical abilities in movement and hopefully acrobatics. I'm actually fairly decent at raw self defence and fighting, and I've always avoided fights, so I'm not as concerned with learning how to kill someone in 2 seconds in just 2 weeks of practice. I really want to build a solid foundation so that I'll be in a 'ready' state to advance to the more in-depth instruction when I'm finally able to work with an instructor directly.

[Oso]

your reasoning sounds good to me, fwiw.

The problem is that there are very few really well produced video series out there. (cast.....)

Jon Funk of NPM has a series that I think is fairly well done and he does offer distance learning in that you can send him a tape of yourself and he'll send back critique.

http://www.mantiskungfu.com/HowtoLearn.htm

a lot of websites out there offer pics of their basic stances that you could mimic and if you used a mirror you could probably get the static posture down fairly well and build your strength if you push yourself to go longer and longer on the time.

any martial endeavor requires feedback though so you'll only get so far. I know how it feels to be in an area with limited options.

Good luck.

I ended up learning what I now know to be a funky version of the standardized 24 movement tai chi form.

that wouldn't happen to be from the Kash line would it?

[FngSaiYuk]

Thanks for the link! Distance learning where I would submit vidoes of myself for evaluation and feecback would be ideal, I think. This is really the first link I've been to which has offered this. Everything else I've seen are fronts for schools or offer instructional videos and books, but with no form of feedback on my practices.

As far as my initial encounter with the standardized 24 movement taichi form, I don't know of any 'Kash' lines. The way it was presented, it appears it was introduced into the curricula of this particular school as it was very popular. All of the movements are there, however they're just that much different from all of the video I've seen of mainstream practitioners/instructors/masters/etc.

Thanks again for the link, it's exactly the type of thing I'm looking for!

[Ray Pina]

Join the TKD school. Increase your ability, learn timing and distancing, entering, ect. When the student is ready the master will present himself.

The thing with videos and books is that you might think you have it but you only have the most basic understanding. This is even a problem in schools where seniors are so quick to correct juniors only to have the teacher come and correct the senior...... explain how a car works to a five year old and you get "the gas makes it go, the brakes make it stop."

If you want to really grasp this stuff you need to go deeper than that.

[Sow Choy]

Hi,

Check out http://www.leekoonhungkungfu.com/videos.html

We have had only good feedback so far, and many have used the videos to learn and made the rtip to florida to learn more... We were pretty impressed at how well they learned... Some have won some form championships too...
Ask Garr de Tigre...

The forms are shown in normal and step by step, as well as applications for each section.



Joe

[FngSaiYuk]

Evolution Fist-
I will be dropping by the TKD school soon, I would just like to be prepared for more in case I end up with little more than a training partner.

Sow Choy-
Thanks for the link! I'll email the address on that page to find out if there's any distance learning, or video evals offered.

Now that I've got a good search combo to use (video tape evaluation martial art), google has been displaying a lot more usefull looking links. I'll compile a list of what I've found and post a request for evaluation of the schools/videos/etc from those with more experience.

[Ray Pina]

And keep your eyes and ears open.

I train with a few guys in my neighborhood but no one would be the wiser. There's me, a kick boxer, a boxer, a WC guy and a few others who drift in and out.

All it takes is over hearing a conversation at Starbucks or something. Maybe post a flyer in town or at the library.

[FngSaiYuk]

OH GAWD! How I WISH there was a Starbucks nearby... That gives you an idea of the remoteness of this town compared to where you normally find decent martial arts training.