Any 'Martial arts for dummies' videos/series/books, etc.?

[Bob]

Someone mentioned martial arts in one of my exercise threads.

Does anyone know of any good beginner/self-teaching media for that?

I'm thinking for exercise, martial arts is a way of moving, balance, probably better grounding... That idea of not being able to be pushed over sounds interesting.  There's got to be some good "grounding," something like that with martial arts.

This would be adding martial arts movements into exercise.  I'm not committed to martial arts at all.  It's exercise to me.  And I'm cheap.  I'm not getting a teacher or buying anything. 

[quantum]

IMO martial arts are probably best learned with an instructor or class and not from a book.  The instructor may be able to teach you something in 5 mins, comparable to what a book make take 10 pages of diagrams and photos to describe. 

If you don't want to pay, at least go watch a class, tournament or something. 

[Bob]

Or a video... or a book.... I'm not going to a class. I'm maxed out for time.  I suppose just a few moves would be good enough.  I saw a video just now on a more stable way of standing up.

[quantum]

You still need time to watch a video or read a book.  If you're crunched for time a class is probably the quickest way to learn material in a short time. 

Nonetheless, do a google on Taekwondo Hyeong, also referred to as Forms or Patterns.  You can do these by yourself, no partner needed. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyeong
https://www.blackbeltwiki.com/itf-taekwondo-patterns

Start at #1, you will need to do a bit of prerequisite study on stances.

[Bob]

I think I'm looking for...

Balance

Centering...   I wrote this down.  I don't remember what I meant.

Solid stance.  Where you can't be pushed over.  Sounds interesting.

Efficient movement.  A guy in a video yesterday looked like he went from being on the ground to standing pretty efficiently and easily.

[chopinlover01]

Someone mentioned martial arts in one of my exercise threads.

Does anyone know of any good beginner/self-teaching media for that?

I'm thinking for exercise, martial arts is a way of moving, balance, probably better grounding... That idea of not being able to be pushed over sounds interesting.  There's got to be some good "grounding," something like that with martial arts.

This would be adding martial arts movements into exercise.  I'm not committed to martial arts at all.  It's exercise to me.  And I'm cheap.  I'm not getting a teacher or buying anything. 

That would be me And the guy who mentioned sword fighting.
The problem with martial arts in the US is that they're extremely oversold.
Also, it's near impossible to actually learn without an instructor.
I'm going to advice you not to go with Tae Kwon Do. It's extremely over commercialized. There are some youtube videos for strikes and joint locks, but those take an extremely pain tolerant training partner to do them (also, never go full force with strikes or joint locks- especially the locks. They're meant to break people).
Some good martial arts to look in to:
Aikido
Judo
Japanese Jujutsu (NOT Brazilian)
For stance, just about any traditional martial art (especially Karate) is good for that. However, if you're actually in a confrontation stances should be the LAST thing on your mind.
Hapkido

Aikido is a very flowing art, every move blends with your opponents energy. However there's lot of flips and things, which may or may not be for you. After 7 years of Judo, however, I can testify that they don't hurt with proper breakfalling. Really I understood this after 7 weeks.
For a few moves, look up Judo throws O Soto Gari and O Goshi (Major leg reap and major hip toss respectively) . They're the two safest throws in Judo when practiced on a soft surface.
Honestly, you need a class. Something hands on. Books are really not a good way to learn martial arts.
Source: 10+ years of training

[Bob]

I agree about a live class being best.  I can't commit the time though. And I don't want to pay anything if I don't have to.  *Bob is cheap.  Ebeneezer Bob.*


Another thing I thought of, not quite related... I have no idea what would actual cover this, if it's possible.  But to be able to turn a fall into some kind of recover.  So if I trip, I roll/flow along with the trip and ease it out instead of just tripping and falling.  Sounds useful.  Not that I trip a lot, but if I trained myself to do a certain movement whenever I start to trip... could save the actual trip.  I did stretching/twisting of the torso and hips before.  And then one day I tripped a bit.  But since I stretched, it didn't amount to anything.

[chopinlover01]

Lots of martial arts do that, Judo and Aikido the most prominent among them. In fact, on youtube there's a series called basic Judo done by a guy who looks uncannily like Sean Connery. They cover falls, basic throws, chokes, and pins, the whole Judo repertoire.

[Bob]

I think I'm looking for something useful in everyday life.  Either immediately practical, like stance, or something a step back, like better balance, heart health, etc.

[chopinlover01]

Then you probably want Tai Chi- it's an art that is world reknown for it's health benefits. Though I'm not sure if it covers falling or not. But what you described with falling is absolutely possible. If you're going to choose one style, either Tai Chi or Aikido is what you want. Again, there are some videos on youtube of how to fall, from a Judo expert. However, when you go to practice this at home (something you absolutely must do if you ever hope to actually use it), do it on cushions- just because it breaks your fall doesn't mean it still won't hurt on harder surfaces! You want to deal with that when it comes, and learn on cushions, or better yet, proper tatame (mats).