What comes to your mind when you think about martial arts? Flying kicks? Hard punches? A single man fighting a number of people? Well, then I think you are concentrating more on the attack part than the defense and martial art means self defense. It is a combination of physical and spiritual strength. It not only teaches how to carry out self defense but also helps in finding inner peace and mental strength. It is not magical and extraordinary work which only few people can do, but an art that anyone and everyone can master if they have the determination. So, if you have the determination and the passion to learn martial arts then keep reading as I am going to give you some basic but important tips on how to learn martial arts at home. Tips on How to Learn Martial Arts on Your Own Breaking tiles, pots, furniture or anything at home is not martial arts. So, all the people thinking about it are requested to please try to concentrate on the real martial art. You have a lot of things on which you need to concentrate before starting martial art and while practicing it. So following are some of the tips on how to learn martial arts all by yourself which will help you for sure. Decide Your Martial Art Style Which style do you want to learn? There are more than 200 style or types of martial arts. They have different origins and are done with different purposes in mind. For example: Karate means 'empty handed' and hence all the combinations are made without using any weapon whereas Kenjutsu is a Samurai's sword art which will no doubt have weapons in it. But the best styles to start at home are the ones which are empty handed like Aikido (Japan), Kung Fu fighting styles (China), Western Martial Arts (Europe), Karate (Japan), Jiu Jitsu (Brazil/ Japan), etc. Clothes to Wear You cannot do martial arts wearing jeans and tees or with long clothes but it's not necessary that you have a martial art costume. Make yourself comfortable by wearing track pants and loose t-shirts or shorts and tees. Try to do stretches and kicks in order to check whether you are able to do it comfortably or not. Look for the Basics So now you are ready with your clothes and the style which you are going to learn. There are many CDs and DVDs available in the market which are made by the experts that give you a detailed knowledge about the basics. Once you get your basics strong you will not take much time in learning the advance techniques. You can also learn martial arts online as there are many websites which are dedicated to learning martial arts. The basics of karate will have blocks, punches and kicks. Various stances will help you to have a proper grip on the ground. Once you learn the basic level, the higher techniques will have combination of various basic techniques only. Warm Up Before starting any type of martial art practice, you should do at least 15 minutes of proper warm up exercises. Your body needs to be free and warmed up in order to minimize the risk of injuries, sprains, muscle spasms, jerks, etc. You can make a small routine which should include movements of all the body parts: hands, legs, neck, back, feet, etc. It should also include all the stretching and breathing exercises. Technique Technique is more important than speed and stamina in martial arts. A man with perfect technique can bring down a man who is of double health and height than him. For example: If you punch following the style of karate, your closed fingers should face down and your thumb should be above the other fingers but it should not come out and should be bent inside. Now when you punch, your wrist should be tilted a bit so that the knuckles come in contact with the opponent's body before the entire punch. This punch will make more impact than the normal punch with is done in the street fights. So, by this you can understand the difference in martial art technique and its importance. Concentration and Alertness You should concentrate on whatever you learn. If you are not concentrating on your technique you will miss out the point of attack. This is very common for the people who learn martial arts at home because there is no opponent to hit you back or to make you understand that the block or punch you did was wrongly placed. Hence, keep yourself perfect with total concentration. Second thing is to be alert all the time. You cannot afford to relax at the time of your practice because in real life you never know who is going to attack you and from where. Hence, when you are practicing you need to keep yourself alert all the time. Speed Speed is very important whether you are blocking the attack or attacking a person. If you don't have enough speed you will not be able to make complete attack as the opponent will block it and in case he attacks, you are going to get hurt before blocking his attack. Hence, increase your speed but with proper technique. Increase it only when you are perfect in your technique. Stamina You need to build up your stamina. Practice for half an hour in the beginning for say one week, then increase the duration by 15 minutes. Once you reach 2 to 3 hours time then start working hard on the practice. Start with 10 punches a day to 100 punches a day. Stamina will develop slowly hence, do not stress yourself. Every week increase 10 punches or 10 kicks in your routine. Practice It is very truly said that practice makes a man perfect. You need to practice a lot to become a master. Even the coaches and the teachers practice daily. If you can afford, get punching bags for practice, they can be of great help. Practice is the only way to succeed as it will keep you updated in your technique and will keep you ready in every situation. Drink lots of water and maintain a balanced diet in order to make yourself internally strong as well. You may get lots of injuries at the time of practice which you need to take care of on your own. Keep your first aid kit always ready. Proper rest will improve your concentration. You can no doubt learn martial art at home but always remember one thing that learing martial arts without a master will not bring you perfection as no one is there to correct your technique and to teach you the right way of performing this art. Hence, if you are really serious about this amazing art form, look for a good teacher and get proper training.