My brother bought me a genuine samurai sword for christmas, should i learn to use it, or put it on my wall?
That really depends on you. No matter the quality of the sword, it has caught your interest to learn to use it. So even if you can or cannot use that sword itself for learning is irrelevant. IF you think you can put up with the vigorous training that goes with it then go for it. There is Iado, the art of sword drawing where you use real Katana, and there is Kendo based on the use of the Katana but practised with full body gear and usually shinai (bamboo swords) or bokken (wooden replica of a Katana). Those are two good Japanese sword styles that go with the Katana. IF you want to learn a differant sword style, say Chinese or even Fencing, then you will need the proper sword for the class. So again, you can use it potentially for both. On your wall when not in use, or on your wall permanately if it is not the proper sword for the class and get the proper one. I hope that helps. Make sure you check into the references of any sword teacher and make sure they are for real and not a hoax, you can do so by talking to them and looking at their certificates, see who their teacher was and backwards to the founding father of the school system. Their are many great swordsman that you can learn from but also many non proffesional swordsman that pass themselves off as a practioner and teach senseless dangerous moves that would either hurt you or someone else in practise. So go with your hearts desire, but do it safely. PS just for accuracy sake, a true Katana would cost a thousand or more to purchase for it is hand crafted and the blade folded many times from a block of special metal into a long sharp sword, versus using 440 stainless which is not folded and is cut out to shape with no folds making it less durable and strong. A authentic Samuraii sword would cut a 440 in half upon strike. I am sure it is an authentic replica and looks awesome. I have a genuine authentic replica of Excalibur in a showcase but it is not for combat use. I did purchase a true katana for nearly $2500 for competition use in Iado back in the early 90's. It was a folded blade made from hand in Japan as is my GI (uniform is a Mitsobosi .sp?) a top quality Gi like a Taikado Gi. So your sword is authentic yes, but maybe not combat ready if says 440 stainless on it as a set I have does on display.
How can I learn kenjutsu online for free?
Martial Arts aren't one of these things that you can just get straight away. There maybe courses on-line but I suggest you go to a proper Dojo with a real Sensei. How do you know these guys on-line aren't just fakes and wanting money?
Can I learn martial arts from YouTube?
You cannot learn Martial Arts Online, From a Book or DVDs. There is no substitute for a qualified instructor period. You cannot correct what you cannot see. There will be small and large mistakes that EVERY beginner makes. You cannot fix these if you have no idea if the are right or not. You cannot see your body position at all times, you can't tell if your timing is off. At the very best you could manage a poor shadow of the true Art you are attempting, that is COMPLETELY ineffective. You will also develop many bad habits that will take longer to unlearn before you can learn the correct way if you ever did take a class. I have met a few "self" taught Martial Artists over the years and with out exception none were competent or effective in the least. The web, DVDs, and books are great references once you have a strong foundation in a Martial Art, they cannot give you that foundation though. Let me put it this way. Would you trust your life to a Doctor who had learned online, or just from a book? Then why would you trust your life to an online Martial Arts class or a book? Dead is dead be it from an inept doctor with a scalpel or a muggers knife.
Finding a personal Martial Arts master?
Hi. I'm trying to find a personal Martial Arts master that can train me. Actually, i want to be his/her only 'disciple' and train under that martial arts master. (s)he can be a master at any martial arts. the reason im trying to find this master who teaches only one person is because of how fast i can achieve my goals in life and the actual training i will do with him. I would rather train at his home than in a dojo. I want to train my endurance, strength, skills- everything. Yes, i want that awesome master-disciple bonding. My goal, if all goes well, is to become a martial arts master. With my skills, i want to regularly go to China and help stop human trafficking. yeah, my goals seem pretty weird. im not even sure if i will be able to go that far in life... but i still want to try it out. I'm not even sure if there is such a thing as a 'personal martial arts master that only teaches you'. but, who knows, maybe there is some hermit martial arts master living in the mountains who doesn't take in any ordinary disciple lol. i've only heard of classes and private instructors of martial arts. but those aren't enough for me. classes go slow. private instructions go fast (which is good), but they're expensive and there is no bonding between the master and disciple. I'm willing to pay for my personal master, but not too much. maybe $5000 a year. seems unrealistic... also, the kind of master i want has to be a really great teacher and has to be able to take me on 'field trips'- such as, going to the sketchy parts of town and helping out women who get their purses stolen, etc. i've found this one master in karate, hapkido, boxing and some other martial arts who have been fighting for more than 30 years. the place is (amazingly) just 1 minute away from my home! but his private instructions are $350 and hour. that's insane! my dad only makes $9000 a year! plus, i suspect that there is no bonding between him and his students. so i won't practice under him. Is there any website that helps out people like me? i really want this master-disciple bonding. Well, thanks for helping!