roundhouse87

Just like DVD's, books are a valuable tool to many martial artists worldwide.

You can carry them around with you, just like you can a DVD, however unless you have a portable DVD player, you're stuffed.

Does anybody else use books as a way of learning not only techniques, but about the culture and principles behind martial arts?

rogue

Books are awful in my opinion. Its very difficult to do things while reading step by step. I don't see myself ever getting a book.

The only reason I'd get a book would to just learn things before I jumped into it, but I would never use it as a "training" manual.

Falian

Yeah i agree with rogue, Martial arts cannot be easily explained through books, you need to visually see how the moves are executed. Also, i would suggest that you only use dvd's as re-training and practice, make sure you learn the actual moves from someone who is experience and who can teach you personally.

rwogh

I think books are terrible too. Knowledge can only go so far to give you better physical abilities. Plus pictures are hard to understand a lot of the time.

platinum

I used to get karate books out from the library and practice at home when I was younger. And I can honestly say from taking Karate classes for just a month everything I had 'leaned' from a book I was doing wrong

easyG

I think books are good if you are actually studying the martial art. As in the history, the origins etc.. But as far as learning techniques from a book - I would stay well away, you need to learn that in person.

Dizaster

Yeah I would agree, it would be quite hard to look down at a book while reading each step and trying to follow it. I'd personally probably end up losing where I was reading and have to start over constantly.

Matt Walker

I love having books on the different martial arts I train in. They're handy for when I forget things, that's about all. I would never recommend trying to learn a martial art from a book alone, or even a DVD.

Bruce Lee's books are quite good, and have hardly any, if any, non-useful techniques.

wahpah

Books can be good to learn principles and such. Or to reinforce knowledge about the arts. I don't think they're good to learn techniques off of.

e2thehu

I can't see anyone learning mma through books. That's crazy. You gotta have a lot of discipline and knowledge before you can do that.