Before I found the dojo that I've a member of for the past 15 years, I spent a lot of time training with friends without a teacher and in classes that weren't quite what I was looking for. Trying to combine what I saw on television to what I was learning in class wasn't exactly ideal, but it did help me learn to think for myself at a young age. I remember a time in my early high school years when I had worked out a three-way barter system, because I was determined to train but had no money for classes and didn't know of any schools that were teaching what I wanted. When there's a will there's a way.
I was a pro wrestling fan for as long as I can remember and back then there was an underground extreme wrestling promotion that was banned from most TV stations. As a result, you had to call their 800 number and order the tapes (yes, VHS tapes. Shut up, I'm old). I had a friend at that time who explained to me that the roots of pro wrestling came from CACC (pronounced "catch") wrestling and that if I liked the show they were putting on then I should look into the real thing. He then lent me some Karl Gotch instructional videos. I was hooked. This chain reaction of events was one of the best things to happen to me. My friend had told me that he'd been watching the tapes for a long time and wanted to try the techniques but he didn't have a partner and couldn't afford lessons at a gym. He proposed that he would keep buying the tapes if I agreed to meet him twice a week to practice. Sold!
Shortly after that, another friend of mine had started training in Hung Gar Gung Fu; a style I always had an interest in. He consistently invited me to join him, but I didn't have any money to sign up and very little free time with rugby practice and my wrestling practice twice a week. Luckily for me, my Hung Gar friend got into a fight with a kid in his neighborhood and he was rendered helpless when the bully tackled him to the ground. He approached me to learn some of the grappling I was practicing. In exchange for some wrestling practice, he would share what he was learning in his Hung Gar classes with me. This gave me an extra way of practicing my grappling and a way of learning a new style. None of us were qualified teachers, of course, but we did the best we could with our options.
We trained this way for a long time. We eventually branched out into boxing and other styles. When I eventually ended up in Kempo Jujitsu I knew I found my new home. They both joined as well, but ultimately stopped training shortly after high school.
Years later, I would eventually realize that I happened to live in the same city as one of the best instructors in the world, so I promised myself I would never take that for granted. I experienced not having access to the training I wanted and I've met some very inspiring men and women over the years that traveled long distances to seminars to bring new information back to their humble clubs. Not everyone has access to what they want and it's important to remember that. I'm always happy to see that there are so many warriors that don't let that stop them from learning. The following are some ways of training when you're on your own or with a partner that I still keep up with now. Just being part of a large martial arts community doesn't always mean that we have the same schedule, so here are some tips that work for me and hopefully you also:
Conditioning and Bio-Mechanics
Keeping up with your conditioning and cardio exercises can keep you busy for hours every day, if you want them to. There are many ways of training your body both with and without a partner. Running, skipping, kettle bells, free weights and yoga are just some of many that I practice on my own all the time. Also, when studying your techniques, isolate the movements required and practice them on your own, without any resistance from a partner. This will train muscle memory and proper mechanical structure. Not only will this come in handy for execution, training this way can also help prevent injuries later on.
Partnered Drills and Technique Practice
Training with a partner doesn't always have to be sparring; a lesson we quickly learned when we stopped improving. At first, most of the footage we were working with were sparring sessions. Every time someone executed a technique successfully, we would break it down into stages and then isolate those movements. Repetition became the name of the game. We weren't experienced enough to train our skill sets any other way so we took the literal approach. We worked with no resistance until we felt comfortable to to try it out in sparring.
The Age of Information
As the internet continues to become the main source of information for the world, it's that much more important to have some kind of online presence. Not just to make yourself known, but to find what you're looking for. You'll find instructional videos, instructors and training opportunities that you might not have been aware of otherwise. I've met people who have created and joined online martial arts communities and travel the seminar circuit almost exclusively. Connect with others of similar interest and build a network of information sharing. It's easy to set up and free!
Teach
Another decision I made, despite being part of a dojo, was to start teaching in my community. I found a cheap venue close to my home and started a club. This was an excellent way of reviewing what I was learning on a regular basis and an easy way of training more. I've met teachers who don't have any schools in their area who manage small clubs via online videos. They receive lessons from a distant instructor and film themselves training. The footage is then sent back for feedback. It's a great system that can keep everyone motivated and working hard!
These are some tactics that have come in handy for me over the years and that I still practice now when I need to train more on my own. I've been inspired by some stories I've heard of humble beginnings into training that have lead to great things. The heart of a warrior doesn't care about circumstance, they'll find a way. Hope this comes in handy one day.
Jordan Bill
Fight or Die
www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts
P.S. Please feel free to share any solo training tips you practice! There are lots of great practitioners out there that could use that info!
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