Countless are the reasons to learn Karate. However, you may be unwilling to invest as much money in martial arts classes. As a result, you’re left with a single option, training at home. So, is it even possible?
Learning Karate at home is impossible because you need a senesi to fully comprehend the techniques and understand the values. Moreover, a qualified instructor will fix your mistakes whenever you make one. Without these positive attributes a sensei brings to your training, you won’t learn as much, if any.
Nonetheless, you may still be eager to study Karate at home. In that case, some ways will bring you that platform, but it won’t be as effective as attending actual fighting classes.
In this article, we’ll discuss the ways you can implement to study Karate at home. However, throughout this article, I’ll mention the odds you have learning the techniques accordingly a couple of times.
Honestly, they’re not high.
But, I’ll ensure to give you all the tools you need to properly learn Karate by yourself. And one last time, if you can attend fighting classes in a dojo or a gym, it’ll be best if you invest some capital into your training and eventually into yourself.
How to Learn Karate at Home
So, you’ve decided to learn Karate at home. Well, I appreciate that decision, as you’re most likely unwilling to attend fighting classes. As a result, it may be your only way to start training.
To learn Karate at home, you must follow a sensei’s YouTube channel and watch every instructional video religiously. By mimicking the techniques as they are without any mistakes, you’ll be capable of learning Karate. Do know that it’ll take an extended period to self-teach it at home.
Numerous other ways present similar opportunities. However, they may eventually cost the same as fighting classes, ironically enough.
As such, sticking to following a YouTube channel, a completely free action, should be your favorable choice.
The first step is to find a qualified sensei. Then, you need to adapt the instructor’s style to what you want to learn. For example, if you don’t want to study Shotokan Karate, don’t choose a channel which sole purpose is teaching Shotokan Karate.
It should be obvious, but still worth mentioning.
Training at home may become too difficult, and you may need to order essential gear to contribute to your training’s realism. Buying these two items will drastically improve your training experience; these are: a punching bag and gloves.
From my experience, I encourage you to buy this punching bag and combine it with these Karate gloves. If you do, you’ll up your training’s realism and ensure you progress faster. As such, I recommend you pair these two to grow your progression rate.
Why You Can’t Learn Karate by Yourself
Wait, why is the subtitle titled why I can’t learn Karate. Just now, you presented a way I can follow to learn it at home. So, is it possible or not?
First, I want to present both sides to ensure you understand the entire picture. Learning any martial art at home is almost impossible because they often require a sensei to guide you in your training process.
As a result, you’ll find it difficult to comprehend the motor and complicated movements and combinations Karate presents. As a result, you’ll need a qualified instructor to guide you, so you can avoid forming bad habits.
It’s more likely you’ll form bad habits if you train at home, even if you follow a YouTube channel. So, what’s the takeaway from this section?
Knowing Karate classes are more effective and will grow your progression rate faster than self-teaching- is vital. Some people who are unwilling to invest some money on fighting classes since don’t know the consequences of training at home.
Here’s a quote from an expert on why you can’t self-teach Karate.
Can I learn Karate by myself?
You can’t. Even tennis is too difficult to do well by yourself.
Martial arts involves too many dimensions and interactions with your partner.
The nuances involved cannot be visually observed nor verbally explained. It involves both gross and fine motor learning.
Can Martial Arts be Self-Taught?
Thus far, we’ve discussed Karate and how you can learn it. However, the case may be different with other martial arts. So, is self-teaching yourself martial arts at all possible? And if so, how can you do it?
Martial arts can be self-taught by following a particular master and practicing what the master preaches. As a result, you won’t get confused whenever a new instructor sends you new irrelevant or not suitable information, such as techniques or movements.
That said, numerous martial arts and fighting styles exist. Thus, it only makes sense that learning some-will be impossible. On the other hand, you’ll be able to learn other martial arts incredibly well at home.
So, which martial arts are possible to learn and which aren’t?
| Martial art | Possible/impossible to self-teach |
|---|---|
| MMA | Possible |
| Tai Chi | Possible |
| Karate | Impossible |
| BJJ | Impossible |
| Qigong | Possible |
| Muay-Thai | Possible |
| Wrestling | Impossible |
| Kung fu | Possible |
| Boxing | Possible |
| Kickboxing | Possible |
| Judo | Impossible |
The above table present many martial arts and whether they’re possible to self-learn. If you take a close look, you’ll realize that many of them are impossible, such as Judo and Wrestling.
Judo and wrestling are impossible to self-learn because they require human resistance to comprehend the movements and fully understand them, since they teach grappling techniques.
Only today I practiced in Jiu-Jitsu when I had a realization. I was practicing a well-known grappling technique, and I didn’t catch the explanation as well as the other trainees. Nonetheless, once I put it into practice, I noticed I completely understand its execution, and I was able to properly execute it several times.
Can You Learn Karate Without Fighting?
Karate isn’t only a fighting style, it’s a lifestyle – a mindset. Currently, it provides its trainees with a fantastic and suitable platform for self-improvement and to learn self-defense. As such, it can be effective even without putting the techniques into actual fights or spars.
You can learn Karate without fighting because although it teaches self-defense, it doesn’t only serve as a fighting style. Instead, it teaches and allows its trainees to go through a self-development journey. E.g, many of its trainees report feeling more confident, fulfilled, and less stressed
Knowing how to fight isn’t the one attribute you can link to consistent Karate training. Rather, people train in it for many other reasons, such as to lower their stress or to increase their confidence.
I’m not suggesting that fighting is a bad thing. In fact, the opposite is true. However, you don’t have to put the techniques you learn into real practice. But, it can provide many benefits, such as a boosted feeling of confidence and motivation.
To summarize, fighting can be a fantastic way of putting what you learned into practice. Moreover, it’ll allow you to see the results you’ve worked so hard for. Essentially, you’ll be putting your techniques into practice and experience concrete results (using the techniques correctly and seeing them cause damage).
How Much do Karate Classes Cost?
Karate classes will get expensive quickly. Unless you’re training with your friends who happen to also teach you some techniques, you’ll be paying plenty for weekly classes.
As a result, it’s not uncommon to see people avoiding martial arts because they can’t afford the monthly cost. In fact, I was one of these people not that long ago. So, how much do Karate classes cost?
On average, Karate classes cost $150 monthly. However, the price may range on numerous factors, such as the place, club, and the sensei. For example, some cheaper options may charge $50 a month, while the more expensive ones- $300. However, that doesn’t include additional accessories.
You’ll likely end up buying additional equipment and accessories to enjoy training better. E.g, belts and a Karate Gi may grow the price by a few tens of dollars.
Some may be unwilling to pay as much for martial arts classes. While that’s understandable, I encourage you to attend Karate classes, no matter the cost. The return on investment many Karate trainees see-is extremely positive. As a result, you’ll gain more than you’ll pay.
$150 month payments is plenty – and I understand it. Still, I can confidently say that Karate classes are worth the price, as they’ll better you in many areas and senses, such as your physical and mental conditions.
Final Words
To end this article, I want to invite you to begin training in Karate as soon as possible. That’s the only way you’ll see many results regarding your martial arts training. For instance, many trainees report feeling confident, less stressed, and having better mental health.
However, many individuals may be incapable or unwilling to spend $150 monthly payments on Karate classes. First, I want to emphasize how valid it is.
Now, I also want to emphasize how vital fighting classes are. You won’t be able to self-teach yourself Karate if you don’t have a qualified instructor by your side. As such, if you don’t have one, you’ll form many bad habits and thus not see as much progression.
If you enjoyed reading this article, I encourage you to read an article of mine about Karate’s belt order. If you want to train in it, that’s vital information you must be familiar with.