I was wondering if it was possible to "teach my self" if you will, jkd. I know without sparring it will be difficult, if not impossible, but is it possible to learn kicks, punches, philosophy, with just videos and books...

No, you can not teach yourself. It is not safe to rely on things that you may be doing incorrectly, even if you are just learning the kicks and punches for fun (and not for self-defense). You could hyper-extend your knees, wrists, or elbows doing the kicks/punches wrong, and you can easily break a foot or hand striking an object wrong.

Before anyone lambasts me, please consider that Bruce Lee never taught himself. After years of wing-chun, he took what he knew (such as proper, safe kicks and punches) and modified them over the years. Also, he was visiting boxing, karate, and kung-fu schools everywhere, taking little bits and pieces that he liked.

Bottom line is that you need to find a teacher and go to him.
Don't just check out jkd. There are many karate and freestyle schools that look identical to the jkd schools around.

If money is a problem, as it is with most of America, find a boxing school. Most of those are free if you are under 16 years old or so. Also check out your local YMCA, churces, or community centers. Many of the BEST martial arts schools are tucked away in places like that.

How old are you and what general area do you live in?

pressureguy
http://go.to/southeasternmartialarts
http://go.to/martialclipart

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Yes it is possible. However, it will take alot longer and will be alot harder than if you actually did it with an instructor.

If you are going to do it by yourself, it is imperative that you have a sparring partner.

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jiyasa
naz
http://nazforum.vze.com
http://nazworkshop.vze.com

If you are teacher-less and want to learn on your own, the best substitute in my opinion is videos. Get a friend who is a martial artist or wouldn't mind trying out some techniques with you. Both of you'se review the tape as you are going through the motions. This way you have something you can see on tv that is showing you in motion what to do and you have someone to try the move on. If you try from books alone, it's a lot harder. You have to look at each consecutive photo that goes after the one before it and form a continuity with them. It's easier with the videos. But read the books too as they might go into more detail about the technique and if you are at a loss without an instructor, you need as much info from as many different sources as possible to understand as completely as you can everything you are trying to absorb. This is all just my opinion.

Like me for example, I have a teacher. But I also went and bought the books and the videos to learn more. Learning is always fun and you should learn from as many different sources that you can. Expanding your options is one of the best ways to remain open-minded where you can always see things in their totality rather than segmented in parts.