Can you learn martial arts or self defense without a teacher? Answer = No.

I'm not sure where the idea of "self-taught" skills originated. I'm sure it's something that's rooted deep in history and it would be a mistake to assume the origins of the concept started in modern times. In art history there are examples of naieve painters, ones with no formal training, who became recognized for their contributions to art; some that come to mind are Grandma Moses and Edward Hicks.

I believe the naieve, or folk, painters make a valuable contribution to the field of fine arts.  However, I don't think it's reasonable to generalize the concept of self-taught art over into the Martial Arts field.  A Martial Art is a complex physical skill that is ultimately rooted in combat.  In painting the consequence of poor applied performance is lack of recognition and negative criticism; failure doesn't involve immediate negative physical consequences.

In the Martial Arts if one pursues a self-taught program of training and then tries to apply their skills in a "real world" arena the consequences are immediate and physical.  The consequence of failure in the applications of martial arts skill includes serious injury and/or death.

Unlike other fields of study in the humanities there are no prime examples of self-taught martial artists that are recognized for their contributions to the field.  Many people will mistakenly point to Bruce Lee as an example of a self-taught martial artist.  That would be a mistake since Bruce Lee was classically trained in Wing Chun kung fu during his early years in Hong Kong.  Even when he studied in the United States he sought skilled martial artists to train with and develop his skill sets that later were labeled as Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do.  Just because Bruce Lee dictated the direction of his own training and study, that does not mean he was self-taught.  He learned from other martial artists, such as Ed Parker and Gene LeBell.

Bruce Lee's philosophy "style of no style" has been hijacked and misrepresented to justify the reasoning behind self-teaching modes in the martial arts.  One need only truly examine the life and work of Bruce Lee to understand nothing about the man advocates for self-taught training programs.

If one truly is motivated to learn a Martial Art and has invested a lot of time into teaching themselves then I encourage them to seek out a relationship with a senior or master level martial artist.  Once you establish a good working relationship ask them if you can test out your self-taught skills under a controlled enviornment.  I am positive you will find self-taught skills insufficient to be competetive or reliable in application.  A refusal or fear of testing ones own skills against others is a definite sign one understands deep down they aren't up to the task.

I stand by the position that one cannot learn a martial art without the physical presence and guidance of a teacher; videos and books do not count as "a teacher".

Yahoo Answers: Series 1; Frequently Asked Questions: What is the best Martial Arts style for . . .?

Yahoo Answers: Search "best martial arts"

One of the most frequently asked questions on the Y!A martial arts category is one that revolves around the theme of "What is the best" for various reasons ranging from self-defense, combat, effectiveness, to even more specific focuses about scenerios.  Such a question is rooted in lack of fundamental understanding about the nature of the Martial Arts and learning complex physical skills.

When earnestly seeking to learn a Martial Art the person searching for information and guidance needs to understand some basic concepts in order to effectively direct their energy in finding what they want.  First, a good working definition of the Martial Arts (dictionary.com,google web definition,wordIQ.com) is useful to everyone engaged in such a search.  Without a clear definition from which to work an individual risks having all manners of misconceptions clouding the issue and interfering with their efforts to find what they seek.

The term "Martial Arts" is a general category that contains hundreds of various topics, styles, and concepts.  All of these things that fall under the overarching label of Martial Arts may be radically different from one another and can oftentimes be in logical conflict with one another when compared.  The dictionary and other definitions of "Martial Arts" are limited in their scope and ability to communicate the complex nature of the label.  I believe to be accurate in nature the definition has to be less specific and touch on the fundamental concepts of the category. (Further reading trying to define Martial Arts)

I will define Martial Arts as follows:  Martial Arts - A field of knowledge covering all things related to the systematic study and practice of activities related to the phenomenon of combat and physical conflict in the human experience.  This category includes (but is not limited to) the sub-categories of spiritual beliefs, philosophies, sports, training methods, physical applications and concepts, history, biographies, and specific styles/systems of martial arts.
Once a seeker understands has a good working definition of the Martial Arts then we can go on to answer the question "What is the best Martial Art ... ?".  Studying and training in the physical aspects of a Martial Art is done under a teacher either in a school or other setting.  When seeking "the best" it is more productive to focus on the qualities of the teachers and type of instruction available to the seeker within their means to access.  Why?  Because it is impossible to objectively measure the qualities of various martial arts styles and compare them to judge which is best.  However, a seeker can research particular teachers/schools and compare them to one another to discern which is best for the particular goals and needs of the individual seeker.  It is important to note, however, the label of "the best" is a subjective term assigned by an individual using their own beliefs and needs as a basis to assign value.  One person's "the best" may vary wildly from others giving an opinion on the same information.

It is this subjective nature to the process of finding "the best martial art" that makes asking this very general question a non-productive approach to seeking direction on finding a martial art to study.  Essentially the FAQ "What is the best martial art ...?" and attempts to find answers to this question is a waste of energy and effort that could be better devoted to learning about the martial arts and developing more focused questions that reflect the specific needs of the individual seeker.

Yahoo Answers:  Answers from the martial arts category related to this FAQ.

• "There is no best style.
  
  Your size, body type and sex have nothing to do with the style you want to choose. People that think that your size and body type determine the style know little to nothing about martial arts.
  people of all various so called body types, are found in all styles of martial arts and do well in those styles
  
  Most people will tell you there style is the best or they heard such and such is a great style,
  The style is not important, what matters is how good your instructor is and how you train. The style is secondary, they all have there pro's and con's there are no superior styles.
  If you have an instructor that can’t teach you how to fight, regardless of the style, what good would it do you?
  
  Choose a school with a good instructor in the end that’s all that matters, that and how you train.
  Its the person that has the ability to fight not the style" -  (more quotes to be added)    Shihan J, 30+ years martial artist.
• (more quotes to be added)

Tips for making a better question to find "the best" for you:

• Find out what styles are available to you within the limitations of your travel, budget, and interests.
• Visit those schools/teachers and ask questions based on your interests and needs.  Write down information on web sites, brochures, etc...
• Decide which of the available instruction matches your needs.
• If you are unsure about how to decide which to pick out of the avialable choices then you can present a question that will give better feedback.  Model question = "Which of these options available to me are best suited to (fill in specifics)?"  Make sure to include the relevant information (i.e. school web sites, style names, school/instructor details, focus of training) in the details area of the question.
• NOTE:  If you don't narrow the field of your questions down to specifics then all the answers you receive will be based on the subjective opinons and biases of those who choose to answer the question. 

Yahoo!Answers Series 1 : More in depth reasoning and arugments

Click here to visit the Y!A Martial Arts category
Please do come and participate in the Y!A community if you are passionate about the Martial Arts. The more with passion and experience, the more everyone benefits.

I participate in the Yahoo!Answers Community, specifically in the Martial Arts Category. I'm "ranked" a Top Contributor of the category but it's my understanding the ranking is based on frequency of answering questions not the quality of the answer so I wouldn't read to much into me being a TC.

The Yahoo!Answers format doesn't allow for a fully developed answer for many of the more complex issues. What seems like a simple question could warrant an entire essay just to cover the background context and set up the assumptions and logic before finally giving the answer supported by logic, reason, and citations. This Blog will be an excellent place to link answers that deserve more development and/or exploration in order to supplement the answer on the Y!A site.

Oftentimes the answers aren't developed enough to be understood and thus good answers by many knowledgable people are rejected out of hand. However, many good answers are rejected out of hand because of the self-serving biases and other factors of human social psychology. Many people don't want a correct answer, they want an answer that reflects and reinforces what they already believe and when they get that answer it is picked as best even if it is factually incorrect. I find that to be a fascinating display of human psychology. Some people get frustrated by the phenomenon but I don't really care if my answer is accepted or not by those who prefer to reinforce their misconceptions rather than learn the correct information. It is not me who will suffer if their incomplete knowledge fails them at a critical time.

I will address some of the Frequently asked questions from that category in this Blog so I can later provide a link rather than repeated typing out the same answer over and over again. I will also link and discuss some of the great answers from other contributors that have an impressive depth and wealth of knowledge about things outside my realm of experience.