Is it possible to learn karate at home? When starting something new, researching online is always a good start. With some online tutorials, you will be able to understand what to expect if you attend a karate club.
But if you have some video instruction, I only recommend using them at the same time you attend classes conducted by a qualified karate instructor and the moves you practice, will be basics (kihon) or forms (kata).
Karate is an incredible art form that has developed over thousands of years of evolution giving us the karate we have today. There are thousands of karate for beginners classes starting every day, where people, young and old start to learn karate for the first time.
Karate classes usually start with a warm up, followed by a full body stretch. This alone is great for health and well being, keeping the body soft and supple is a fantastic thing, especially in your later years.
Then we come to karate kihon, which is kicking, striking, punching, even locks and throws. These are practiced on the spot, or stepping forward, back and even at different angles in the many varied karate stances (dachi). It is these basic karate moves that will enable you to learn karate at home and help you on your karatedo journey.
So karate class training has the warm up and stretch, basics (kihon), next comes sparring (kumite). Sparring is a huge topic in karate classes, comprising of prearranged attack and counter combinations, right up to free fighting. an example would be, you are with your partner practicing diffusing an agressive situation, in most karate dojo, this would be reffered to as kumite or sparring. So try not to think that every time the word sparring (kumite) is used, you are going to partner up with a crazed black belt who is going to try and kill you!
After the warm up, basics and sparring, kata (forms) is usually practiced. I love karate kata! Kata has many karate moves, including jumps and spins, these moves are put together in a similar way to how the gymnasts perform their floor displays.
To explain kata fully will need an article all on it’s own, but to me kata is the most important element of karatedo. They say, kumite is the spirit of karate, but kata is the soul! And I agree.
So if you are practicing karate moves at home, trying to get a feel for karate, I wish you luck and urge you to attend a karate class as soon as possible. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles, begins with the first step! Ossu
Linden has been training and teaching karate for over 30 years and loves to share his knowledge and experiences in the martial arts. Supplement your dojo training with these free videos, karate lessons for beginners.