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FAQ - Training at Home (Read before Posting)
A question that comes up often involves the best method of training stand-up on your own. If your goals are to compete or just become a competent hobbyist, then there are a million reasons why "training yourself" is a bad idea. For one, any stand-up art, from boxing to muay thai, to whatever else, is very unnatural. You have to re-train your body to do movements that will feel very strange or awkward at first. There is no doubt that you will pick up bad habits that will have to be un-learned if/when you ever do decide to actually join a gym or hire a coach. Its harder to un-learn something than it is just to learn correctly the first time. Another problem with the home learners is that they pick up tips and bits of useful information and don't know how to put it together. They have heard that they have to "keep their hands up," so they focus on that. Meanwhile, their head and body are completely statue-like, they never bend at the knee, and are stiff as a board. A proper trainer helps iron out all these little tid-bits so that everything flows together a lot more smoothly. Gym-trained fighters look relaxed, smooth, and confident. They have ring generalship and a solid understanding of the fundamentals. A home-trained "fighter" is stiff, jittery, tight, and completely un-polished. The problem is that the vast majority of men think they know how to handle themselves in a fight, despite any evidence to back it up. Practice by yourself long enough, and you can fool yourself into thinking that you are doing well. That's why we see so many home videos of people "shadow boxing," or even worse, "sparring" in their backyards or bedrooms.
Now, if you are just looking to get a workout in, then feel free to whale away at a heavy bag until you're exhausted. You can definitely use it as a way to lose fat, build muscle, or just relieve some stress. If finding a gym is truly not an option due to financial problems, a lack of a worth-while gym close by, time issues, etc., then I guess that ordering instructional videos could act as a replacement, albeit a very, very poor one.
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"Just pay the parking ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double parked."
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