What are some good resources for self learning Japanese swordsmanship? I have some of the nessesary equipment such as a bokken and shinai, but I'm not near anywhere I could train with other people. I found this set of DVDs on Amazon which had good reviews, and I wanted to know if anyone with more experience thought this was authentic or if there are any better resources.
I really like this documentary about miyamoto musashi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi4GB7XEcVg
>self learning
I don't honestly think anything valuable can be self learnt.
Do you really believe you could correct your own shitty form?
>>1082850
>set of DVDs on Amazon which had good reviews
There were a lot of fake reviews on Amazon. Supposedly, they cracked down on that stuff, but it could still be out there.
http://www.amazon.com/PS-Products-Knuckle-Batteries-Magnetic/dp/B008IT2PNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458181341&sr=8-1&keywords=stun+gun+knuckle
>>1082858
It is in fact possible to learn a martial art and effectively apply it without a teacher and or sparring.
A common myth is that one is unable to perceive the flaws on one's movements when mimicking the movements of a martial art, and that a teacher is required to detect these flaws in form and aid in correcting them.
Detecting the flaws in one's form can easily be done with the utilization of attention to detail and a mirror.
It would take some very severe cognitive impairments and or lack of effort to be unable to do this, given that adiquate information is provided.
Another common myth is that muscle memory is required to apply martial arts, and that one would be unable to participate in combat without getting a gluteus maximus kicking.
One reason people believe this myth is because of how much more quickly humans tend to react to a stimuli with muscle memory rather than conscious reaction time. They fail to understand that this in no way means that conscious reaction cannot be utilized. With higher aptitude for reaction time and or training, one who may have never engaged in hand to hand combat will be able to perform as well if not better than one who has trained muscle memory for hand to hand combat, not to mention how muscle memory can be used in combat if trained with proper knowledge and understanding beforehand.
Experience is only as creditable as how it's interpreted.
Not saying that learning with a teacher isn't almost always more efficient.
Unless you're educated in psychology and neurobiology, you need not reply to: >>1082862
>>1082850
>What are some good resources for self learning Japanese swordsmanship?
Get an instructor, if you have to travel travel.
the most you can achieve is a technically incorrect imitation, which will have no actual connection with japan.
>>1082856
That documentary is terrible and the guy hosting it is cringe worthy, here is a somewhat anal review of it.
http://www.theshogunshouse.com/2010/03/modern-sammyrai-wet-dream-history.html
If you want a real documentary on japanese swordsmanship look at this. it gives you a basic idea of what actual Japanese swordsmanship is and what learning it entails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRfQjj8ltEg
https://youtu.be/kPpywcACZzk
>>1082850
>self learning Japanese swordsmanship
>>1082862
No you can't learn without a teacher, you irredeemable fuckwit.
And before you reply:
Name ONE serious (= competing) martial artist that is a "self taught" fighter.
Protip:
Save your precious time, there is none.
>>1082850
If you don't have a trainer, you better at least have a friend to train with, it's not ideal to learn any sort of fighting style solo.
Masayuki Shimabukuro looks somehow legit (coming from iaido), don't know about the dvd's, but dvds don't replace actual training with a real teacher.
You might learn stances and basic strikes, but ultimately, the japanese learning method of old swordsmanship requires a teacher... like pretty much any martial art for that matter.
>>1082850
Also, there is not one unified Japanese swordsmanship but many styles which can be vastly different one from another (just like in Europe), you should check first what sort of swordsmanship you want to learn and what interest you.
>>1082963
>uploaded 6 years ago
I wonder how he thinks about this video nowadays?
A Japanese swordsmanship teacher.
>>1083562
But if that's true, who was the first in all these different arts?
>>1085751
Guys fighting. They figure out what works and what doesn't by living or dying. What work keeps them alive, and they pass it on, and that shit continues until there's an actual level of skill. Or something like that,.
>>1085751
Let me put it like this:
Is it possible to build your own car just from a pile of metal and plastic?
Maybe - if you put really really much time in it. And the result will still be absolutely garbage.
Oh what a surprise!!
Why is this?
Because there were smarter guys who dedicated their whole life to figure out what works and what doesn't. And the result was still garbage (from a contemporary point of view). So then they passed their knowledge on to their pupils lest they have to start from the scratch again.
It's the "midgets on the shoulders of giants" thing, you know? That's how science works, that's how fine art work and that's how martial arts work.
Of course you can say "Oh look, I just ignore everything that's been done before because I'm SUCH a special snowflake."
But it's just stupid and arrogant. It's the implicit assumption that you are smarter than whole generations of fighters before you, fighters who really dedicated their lifes to research fighting in a way that you never will.
>>1085826
Well, that sums it up nicely. But other thing you could add is that there are many things that make it a martial art: traditions, rules, etc... And many of those can only be understood by practicing with someone who was properly instructed.
Without that you could just be flaying your (insert weapon of choice here) around and be done with it.
>>1082850
>What are some good resources for self learning Japanese swordsmanship? I have some of the nessesary equipment such as a bokken and shinai, but I'm not near anywhere I could train with other people. I found this set of DVDs on Amazon which had good reviews, and I wanted to know if anyone with more experience thought this was authentic or if there are any better resources.
>>1085854
Absolutely!
There's a reason for everything in martial arts.
For example boxing:
It starts with something that looks more like Vale Tudo or MMA. Then a guy accidentally kills someone and thinks to himself: "Oh shit, it shouldn't be like this" and invents some rules. Then some guys make the rules better, i.e. put the fighters in a ring. Then some guys think that's it's still a fucking bloody mess and invent new rules so the fighters have to wear gloves, can get medical aid sooner and disallows grappling to put an emphasis on technique (wrestling was considered as "brute").
Or Judo:
Mix 10 different fighting schools, leave out everything that can't trained with full force because of injuries and give give everyone the same clothing to indicate that on the mat all people are equal and social differnces don't apply here.
Now today you CAN argue that boxing has no standup grappling as Muay Thai does and that Judo has no No-Gi training. But you should think about why the rules are there. Often guys say "Oh, why doesn't BJJ teach heelhooks from day 1"? But I want to see the same guys when they are purple belts and some eager white belt (who can't control himself yet) fucks up their knee and they have to pause for half a year.
I really think people should just start training and put some trust in why things are done in a certain way before judging so easily.
