Introducing Yoga for Martial Arts

Rating:
Summary: Get the yoga-edge for your martial arts...
Review: As someone with limited flexibility, I had always thought that you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to a yoga class (and live with my kicking and screaming in pain during the class). I've watched helplessly as scores of friends and loved ones jumped onto the yoga band-wagon. "Just a fad", I thought, "I'll stick to me martial arts..." Well, years later, they're still at it, and still trying to convert me. Intellectually, I could see the benefits, but my passion was still the martial arts as I explained to one and all. And then this dvd came out. Finding myself more susceptible to minor injuries of late with -ahem- advancing age, I figured it was as good a time as any to look at this yoga thing. I admit I was wary that this would be a "gimmicky" product. What did I find?
The intro gives a brief overview of why yoga will help a martial artist: succinct and logical. (I would have preferred a longer sell job, but that's because I needed a lot of convincing to put myself through such anticipated pain (did I mention I hate stretching? No, I obviously don't do TKD)) Then dvd jumps pretty quickly to the main event: the yoga.
The content is well organized. Production values were very high, from the video quality, to the editing, to the mood-setting background music. Cool. And so it kept my interest throughout. And surprise surprise, I was able to follow it, and follow along in real time(I am so used to watching instructional videos with my fingers flashing between the rewind and play buttons...this was much better). Better yet, there was a simultaneous simplified version demonstrated next to the advanced version, just so inflexible people like me wouldn't hurt themselves too badly...sweet. Movements flowed from one to the next, which is always helpful. The quality of the yoga was high (from my lay-view and also according to my yoga-enthusiast wife who watched it with me), so it successfully avoids the dilution of quality that can plague crossover training. The skilled instructors inspire confidence: if they think these exercises are the most relevant for martial arts, I'm inclined to believe them.
Bottom line for me was that it offered a way of achieving some of the crucial martial arts enhancing benefits of yoga without signing up for a whole yoga course (which I wouldn't have the time or enlightenment to do just yet). Thumbs up from this yoga-phobic customer for a well-executed concept: this dvd's the real deal.

Rating:
Summary: finally a Yoga-martial arts cross-training dvd!
Review: I viewed this DVD with great pleasure. Having practiced Capoiera as well as Yoga on a twice a week for several years, I found this routine to be quite different from other tapes I tried. This is the video that made a few martial artists friends of mine start practicing Yoga regularly.
For Yogis, this sequences are a nice change of pace to help bring variety into one's daily practice. The sequences are flowing very well and the instructions are very clear.
I found it very easy to select a program. Stephan and Josephine present each workout in a no-nonsense style, which makes the format easy to follow from the first time.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but you can get much better yoga for 1/2 the price
Review: Most martial artists who train regularly would be a lot better off with any of Baron Baptiste's hot yoga tapes or Bryan Kests Power Yoga tapes. There is nothing wrong with this tape, but I think most athletic martial artists would enjoy the balance, breathing, strength and relaxation opportunities of a fuller, deeper, more challenging practice. After all, a lot of M.A. people are already pretty flexible and athletic. Just wanted people to know there are more interesting videos out there. Also, the price is outrageous given the content. The tapes I mentioned are less than half the price of this one.

Rating:
Summary: A High Standard for Martial Arts training videos
Review: THIS is a quality martial arts (or is it yoga?) training video!

I've been a martial artist for 20 years, in arts ranging from karatedo, to various gung fu, south-east asian systems, jiu-jitsu and even crazy-ass full-contact, no-rules stick fighting (the infamous Dog Brothers). And I've seen all manner of crappy training videos - I suspect the same people who make pornography also produce martial arts videos in their spare time.

I could only WISH that other martial arts videos could do as well as this one. Not only is this a valuable reference in terms of content, it is, quite simply, very well made. Clean editting, professional camera work, tasteful settings, and even pacing set a standard that is to be envied.

Past the introduction, the structure and pacing of the material is very well suited to self-training at home in front of the television. Enough time is given to allow study and practice with minimum rewinding and pausing during the presentation. Unlike some videos that either seem devoid of real material or present far too quickly and discontinuously, it is clear that the author has given careful consideration to his audience and the challenges of training from video.

I have been a yoga convert for several years already so this isn't a hard sell to me. The content is a natural fit as far as I am concerned. I'm just thankful it comes in a worthwhile package!