![]() ![]() Yet, with repetition comes fatigue and with fatigue the body’s natural inclination to optimize each movement for energetic efficiency kicks in. Focus, body positioning, synchronization, lower and upper kinetic chain movement, breathing and flexibility. Inevitably, in the initial phases of this everything would be wrong. If a complete novice started out with the simple desire to throw punches and kicks. There are only so many effective ways we can punch and kick. Today, with everything we know it is a resounding “yes”. This leads us, naturally, to the obvious, unasked question of the opening paragraph of this article: Is it possible to learn martial arts at home? Traditionally, the answer to this was unequivocally, “no”. There are, truly, only so many ways one can punch and kick and only so many combinations that can effectively be put together. Within that framework all else fades away. The sum total of all this led to an inevitably opaque martial arts culture where rumours of secret lore abounded, origins were intentionally shrouded, and where reality and myth became blurred.įast forward to today and we know that martial arts is a kinematic type of calisthenics that uses the basic principles of physics to turn the body into an instrument that can be used for unarmed combat. This led, in turn, to differentiations in styles based upon philosophical and cultural perspectives and the need to establish unimpeachable authority within each particular martial arts style. When it did become necessary, for cultural as well as practical reasons, for this to happen, inevitably, instruction was formalized, a system was created and instructors became credentialed within that system. ![]() There were no instructors to begin with and no instruction to pass on. Like most physical activities martial arts started out at the individual level where everything had to be worked out from scratch. Because of its perceived complexity it is also considered as the one sport or discipline you can’t learn on your own, at home. It also requires flexibility, balance, agility, spatial awareness and the ability to accurately predict how the body interacts with the environment when it is in motion. It has relatively soft muscles when compared to other mammals in the animal kingdom, it sports no claws or long, sharp teeth and unless exercised regularly, it loses a lot of its physical strength, speed and endurance. The mental component of martial arts is key because the human body was not really made for combat at all. While the image that we have from popular culture is that of a person who can perform complex, acrobatic combat moves and move their body in ways that virtually baffle the mind, the foundation to that end result lies in basic moves and exercises that condition the body and develop the mind. Specific moves, techniques and training that anyone can perform in their back garden or their living room. All of these sports have a component of alone-practise. It’s no different in this regard to let’s say running and cycling or, at the slightly more complex spectrum of physical activities, dancing, tennis, football and boxing. ![]() Yet, in its core, martial arts is nothing more than a means to control the body in order to manoeuvre it in physical space. The mystique of ‘secret knowledge’ handed down from master to student and the persistent popular image of sweaty halls and students standing in lines to learn their art is hard to shake. Of all the things you could try learning at home, on your own, martial arts is seemingly the least suitable. ![]()
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