How to Learn Russian Martial Arts at Home
Learning Russian martial arts at home is not the best way to go about it. There is no replacement for live training from a qualified instructor, nor can you find a suitable substitute for hands-on time with classmates. However, Russian martial arts aren't as common in the United States as arts such as boxing or tae kwon do. If you have no trainer within reasonable driving distance, learning at home is the next best option.
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Instructions
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Choose an art. As of 2010, the most popular Russian martial arts are Sambo and Systema. Sambo is a sport-wrestling art with street defense applications. Systema is a military combat form. Sambo training focuses on technique, while Systema practices concepts. Only you can decide which of these arts is best for you.
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Set up your training space. If possible, put some mats or extra carpet on the floor. Both Systema and Sambo involve a lot of ground work. The bare cement floor of your garage will get old very quickly.
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Go to the home website of the art you choose (see Resources section). Order the first-level training video. Surf the site to get a sense of context.
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Search the web for the homepages of individual and independent schools that teach your art. Many will have a blog, video library or tip of the week that can give you valuable insight into your training.
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Establish an account on one or more martial arts forums. By posting your questions, you can get a lot of advice from people with access to live training.
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Set aside two days a week for learning new material. During each learning session, go over a single technique or concept from the video. Take time during that session to review the material from the session immediately before it.
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Set aside two days a week for practice. During practice, go over in detail the material from your previous two learning sessions and an assortment of material from previous sessions.
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Consistently seek feedback whenever possible, either via a formal distance learning format or checking in on web forums. Posting videos of yourself can be a good way of getting feedback, some of which will actually be useful.
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References
- Jason Brick, martial arts instructor, Bushido Martial Arts, Hillsboro, OR
