We’re used to doing many things virtually now – but is it really possible to teach or learn a martial art online?
Matt Stait and I have co-written a new book which asks some searching questions about the essence and the future of the martial arts; and invites you to consider whether online martial arts are the death knell for authentic practice, or their much-needed saviour.
If you would like to buy it, and/or let your martial arts friends and colleagues know, here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0892HW3FR
We’d appreciate it so much if you would consider buying either the hard copy or Kindle version and leaving an honest review on Amazon!
Best wishes
Kai xx
Gunther
I haven’t read the book; however, trying to teach martial arts online is like trying to teach a student chef online and you don’t know if he/she is really progressing since you can’t actually taste the student’s food. Personally, I don’t have the self-discipline to do martial art at home online. I need to have it done with an instructor at the instructor’s place.
Kai Morgan
Thanks Gunther; your chef analogy is truly brilliant – wish I had thought of it myself to put into the book LOL! Kx
Gunther
You are welcome.
Gunther
You can also say that about other jobs where you need to check the student’s progress like wood
crafting, auto repair, electrician, plumber, machinist repair, various medical and nursing professions, various agriculture classes at the colleges where you grow and cultivate plants, raising and taking care of livestock, acting, dancing, learning to play all sorts of musical instruments, repairing and maintaining computer software and hardware, doing all kinds of medical research like studying diseases, and trying to come up with ways to counter them which means you have to used groups of animals or people and subject them to certain conditions for a certain length of time and then write up the results of what happened to them. Many jobs whether they are blue-collar or white-collar ones still require hands-on work.
If you ever do a second edition, you can insert the student chef and/or other jobs I have mentioned.
Kai Morgan
Thank you so much Gunther – such creative and helpful analogies! Yes, definite material for a possible second edition, and in the shorter term, I’d like to create a short blog post from your ideas if you don’t mind . . . ? Best wishes Kai.
Gunther
Go ahead with short blog post with my ideas. We have to let people know that alot of jobs will still require hands-on training and that students’ work do need to be physically viewed by the instructor in order to catch any discrepancies in their work and make corrections to them. Unless we can transport our homework to the instructor via the computer just like in the 1970s movie Willie Wonka where a chocolate bar was transferred over the airwaves onto the TV screen, we still have to physically attend a classroom to do the work. Besides, our houses and apartments are not designed to be academic classrooms or job vocational classes. Think of the electricity bill, storage and safeguarding of dangerous chemicals and dangerous bacteria vials, costs of buying, storing and maintaining various machine equipment, etc.
Kai Morgan
[The blog post that used and built on Gunther’s ideas is here:] https://www.budo-inochi.com/seven-metaphors-for-online-martial-arts-training-under-lockdown
Gunther Von Hoffman
Dear Kai:
Go ahead with short blog post with my ideas. We have to let people know that alot of jobs will still require hands-on training and that students’ work do need to be physically viewed by the instructor in order to catch any discrepancies in their work and make corrections to them. Unless we can transport our homework to the instructor via the computer just like in the 1970s movie Willie Wonka where a chocolate bar was transferred over the airwaves onto the TV screen, we still have to physically attend a classroom to do the work. Besides, our houses and apartments are not designed to be academic classrooms or job vocational classes. Think of the electricity bill, storage and safeguarding of dangerous chemicals and dangerous bacteria vials, costs of buying, storing and maintaining various machine equipment, etc.
Danielly
Hello, Kai!
I tried to download your Female Friendly Dojo ebook again and the link is not working. Could you fix it or send me the ebook, please?
Thank you!
Kai Morgan
Hi Danielly, the link looks ok but I’ve emailed you a pdf just to be on the safe side . . . 🙂
Sandra
Hello Kai,
Such an interesting post! I live in the United States and the dojo where I train has been doing so “under the radar”. There are also Zoom classes that don’t quite do it and is not entirely effective compared to the personal, “in person” contact. The Zoom classes are very sterile but I suppose it is better for the tine being. I believe that the martial arts is just evolving and not extinct. It’s not entirely about the contact but about mindfulness, peace, discipline. There are contact classes at the dojo with permission, of course. As the economy opens up here in the US classes will resume within 6 ft distancing and there will be contact as well.
Kai Morgan
Thanks for this Sandra; always appreciate your thoughtful take on matters! Take care Kx
Quentin Cooke
Well I certainly think that long term it is a problem for all martial arts and would be their death knell. However, there are important principles , ideas and exercises that can be done in this difficult time. For aikido, particularly, which for some practitioners at least, has a strong philosophical background, ( I would say, it offers rules for living a decent life), it’s an opportunity to get creative with the teaching and to explore the ideas without the distraction of technique. But looking forward , the reason why aikido is so brilliant is that it allows the student to experience how powerful the principles through their bodies and that’s an efficient way to learn. So I hope that we get back sooner rather than later.
Kai Morgan
Thanks Quentin, as you say the online space does offer new scope for creative teaching and learning, but also has definite limitations. Agree that it will be good to get back to physical training, although you’re clearly doing some really exciting work in the interim!
https://youtu.be/tYq6OFm1KW0
best wishes Kx