Hi, Disciplerunner! Welcome to the group! My best beginner advice goes directly against what you just said. The safest and most effective way you can learn a martial art is to learn it from someone else. There ARE books and videos out there, but unless you've been doing it a while you can't tell the good stuff from the bad... plus, having a teacher to look at what you're doing and correct it can keep you from forming bad habits that could get you injured or keep you from being your best. There's a lot you can practice on your own, but it's much better to learn under an expert. I think this advie applies to pretty much all styles of martial arts, not just the more popular karate, taekwondo, etc. Do you know what style of martial art you're interested in? Perhaps someone could help you preview some resources... I'm guessing from your screen name that you're strongly interested in Christianity. There are some martial arts schools that incorporate Christianity into their teachings (I forgot which but I could probably look it back up) but for the most part most commercial schools steer clear of religious teachings.