“Karate and kobudo are difficult, if you do not practice seriously with a traditional approach, you may miss the important points.” – Fumio Demura 9th dan Shito-Ryu
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The truth is to become good at karate, to get anywhere near being proficient with your techniques, drills and kata, you need to do hundreds and hundreds of repetitions. This is what makes you grow as a martial artist and moves you along the path. And today, many people just want to skip this essential part of their martial arts.
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I know instructors (yes I really do), that think learning from YouTube allows them to teach others (their skill levels are just atrocious). This is wrong on so many levels. There are those that want to get to the end of the journey before they have even started. Taking as many shortcuts as they can. Paying their way along the path, from one dan grade to the next. Using made-up dan grade diplomas from their “Takemydough” school, to enable them change to another school or style……. The “McDojo” way.
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YouTube is NOT a substitute for learning from a good instructor, in a good dojo. Not having someone there to offer constructive criticism and guidance, you will develop poor habits, no matter how hard you try.
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YouTube, or instructional videos and books are excellent SUPPLEMENTS to training, but I don’t believe you can truly learn a martial art just from them. That is not enough to be good at martial arts. There’s so much more to martial arts than just punching, kicking, sparring, or learning the movements of kata by rote.
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But there are those that just don’t care. They believe that their dojo is the best, their karate is the best (and the strongest), their EGO transcends everything……. Even if their karate sucks (it does believe me).
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The more you practice and train karate, the more you may realize, and perhaps feel, that although learning to punch, kick, and defend yourself, is important and necessary, this is such a small part of the karate lifestyle. Ultimately it is about you. Trying to master the strength within you, and become a better person…. the person you want to be…….. Except if you’re a McDojo instructor….. You don’t give a **** (insert expletive). 
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