cross training

[Blindside]

This thread is splitting due to a question by Flying Crane:

Is Crosstraining the same thing as Training in multiple systems at the same time?

discussion to ensue....

 

[Blindside]

Michael raised a good point about if there is a difference between training to gain the full arts or if you are training to "patch a hole" in your perceived skillset.

To me this is clearly a continuum, when I trained in BJJ I had no intention of making it a long-term endeavor. I was training to get a clue on the ground, to be able to get good enough to reverse poor positions against decent wrestlers, and to be able to stuff most shoots. I got the first two, never got to the third. But that was my target going in, I never thought I was going to be a black belt or compete for a world title. I would definately consider this "cross training."

When I decided to do Kali, I think my approach was different, or at least my target was to get at a higher targeted skill level, eventually it became a true second art, but I am not sure when me doing Kali (two months, two years, etc) became not cross-training and truley pursuing a second art.

Anyway good topic for discussion, I am curious about other people's impressions.

 

[MJS]

From the other thread.

Originally posted by Flying Crane:

hmmm... this might end up being a debate for another thread.

I'm kinda seeing it as something different, but maybe it's just a spot on a continuum. I'm seeing crosstraining as a more targeted approach with the intent of gaining a limited and specific skillset from one system in order to supplement another system which is the primary system. The intent is not really to fully learn the second system, only to adopt certain specific and limited skills.

Training in more than one system says to me that the intend is to learn the full system, and perhaps none of the systems are considered the individual's Primary system. Rather, they ALL are considered equally primary.

any thoughts on this?

Thats an interesting view Mike, and I suppose it can be viewed as you say. I think that in other cases, the person looking at the other art, may find an interest in it, and begin training regularly. I guess it all depends.

 

[Flying Crane]

Michael raised a good point about if there is a difference between training to gain the full arts or if you are training to "patch a hole" in your perceived skillset.

To me this is clearly a continuum, when I trained in BJJ I had no intention of making it a long-term endeavor. I was training to get a clue on the ground, to be able to get good enough to reverse poor positions against decent wrestlers, and to be able to stuff most shoots. I got the first two, never got to the third. But that was my target going in, I never thought I was going to be a black belt or compete for a world title. I would definately consider this "cross training."

When I decided to do Kali, I think my approach was different, or at least my target was to get at a higher targeted skill level, eventually it became a true second art, but I am not sure when me doing Kali (two months, two years, etc) became not cross-training and truley pursuing a second art.

Anyway good topic for discussion, I am curious about other people's impressions.

aye, I think that what may begin with limited intentions can grow into something more. I've actually begun one system with the notion that I wanted to train it on the side of a different system that I was fully committed to. Eventually I left the original system and the new system became my full focus. Funny how that happens. It's about finding what is the best fit for you.

I think it really is a continuum and it cannot necessarily be defined with clear lines. As you say, when did your "crosstraining" become a complete committment to the full system? hard to point to the actual moment, but it morphed.

 

[Cougar]

Having engaged in this myself, I can only present my reasoning for training in multiple systems or cross-training. From the military or law enforcement perspective, you need as many tools in the toolbox as you can in order to handle as many different scenarios as you can. As great as many of us may feel our primary art is, if we were to be brutally honest, most do not cover every conceivable scenario. This is especially true for the beginner to intermediate ranks. I would hazard a guess that the majority of people training are somewhere between White Belt and Brown Belt with a small percentage reaching Black belt ranks. Many systems hold the really comprehensive material for the proven students that have the solid base the lower material presents. The problem is that society as a whole wants immediate gratification. In MA that usally means they want to be able to do many different things simultaneously. In one organization I trained in for several years, if you cross-trained in anything you were asked to leave. In other systems, it was a non-issue as long as you showed up and could perform the material you were expected to know. It comes down to personal preference and your motivation for learning MA to begin with. Just my two cents.