I am interested in practicing either Karate or Judo, but have been unable to find an authentic dojo in either of the aformentioned arts. I am simply wondering if anybody knows if there is any kind of online dojo I could download lessons from.
Unless you consider yourself to be a great teacher and you are naturally a great athlete, it is inadvisable to self-teach martial arts. Feedback from a real sensei is vital to learn proper techniques. You can self-teach certain self-defense moves. However, unless you actually can use them in a controlled environment, don’t consider yourself to be an expert. You can look up the moves for the mechanics, but books cannot teach you about flow and execution according to your natural ability. That you have to learn from practice.
Look up a martial art magazine. They should have a list of schools near you.
Locke,
Even if there were such a thing, I’d never steer you towards it. You’re never going to master any martial art with out the community and mind set of the dojo. You can read all the style, strategy and technique books in the world but they won’t do you a bit of good without controlled, practical application.
In searching for a good dojo, do not be discouraged if what you find does not meet your expectations. Remember, your contributions will make any dojo into a second home. It’s like selecting a new city to move to or a message board to be a part of. Good luck in your search.
Capacitor, Tymp, thanks for your input. A few items of clarification however, since I seem to have left out a few details: first of all, I have experience in Koei-Kan Karate, Ju-Jutsu, Kung-fu, Kendo, and Aikido, so I am not a complete beginner looking for the easy way to learn. However, I agree with you fully that without a Sensei one cannot fully grasp a martial art. I am planning to move to New York in a year, where there is an established dojo I plan to join. Because of this, I simply wanted a source of beginning techniques and katas, so I could begin practicing before I enter the dojo.
In terms of ‘not meeting my expectations’, I don’t mean that I didn’t like the particular dojo’s style. What I meant is that every dojo I could find was something along the lines of “Ashida Kim’s learn to be a trained killer in three weeks” establishment.
Finally, does anyone know where I can order Aikido supplies by mail?
Locke
Learning martial arts on-line would be about as effective as learning to drive by correspondence course.
Where are you? I can probably hook you up with a reputable judo club.
Locke,
You can find high quality materials here. I have had luck purchasing less essential items here.
You mean you are not a follower of the great Ashida Kim? What a trip that guy is!
Hard to believe you are somewhere where there is no karate or judo school available. What type of karate? And how is it that, with your experience, you are undecided between two arts as different as karate and judo?
Have fun when you get to NY. There, you’ll certainly be able to find what you are looking for. And if you ever want to check out JKD or FMA, I’ve got some friends there, so drop me a line.
On re-reading the OP, it sounds like you’ve got a dojo lined up for when you move to New York. Ask the Sensei there if he/she can recommend a dojo closer to you for the interim.
For judo, a sign of a good dojo is whether it’s affiliated with either the United States Judo Federation (USJF) or the United States Judo Association (USJA), or even both. Every dojo I’ve been in has certificates attesting to membership in one or both of these organizations plastered all over the walls, and usually certificates of promotion of the sensei and some/all of the assistants, too. Some even have certificates from the Kodokan, and the endorsements don’t get any better than that.
The USJF and USJA are significant indicators of quality, because they both have local and regional tournament structures that feed into national championship tournaments. Not that competition is the be-all and end-all of judo, but affiliation means the dojo in question probably adheres to basic judo philosophy, compared to an unattached club. (In fact, the USJF Junior/Youth Championships are being held this weekend (July 1-2) in Oakland, CA.)
Most importantly, visit a few dojos, and get a feel for them. Is the sensei training killers or teaching a philosophy?
For judo in NYC you won’t a better sensei than Rusty Kanokogi. She is the highest ranking female American judoka. she has a branch in Flatbush.
Oh by the way, did I mention that the sensei in NY is Sensei Bellot, who studied under Sensei Kalludos(sp. ?), who was responsible for bringing Koei Kan Karate into the US? (The dojo’s other sensei, sensei Busby, rated fourth place in the Koei Kan world tournament, and was taken out by a foul, not by a legit move.
Sorry…I don’t know shit about karate…well, I can say it correctly, but that’s about it.
Eh, reported.