Learning multiple arts at same time?

Danny T

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All great points here. Appreciate it.

As a weekend warrior hobby for me and as someone that gets bored easily, I could see myself never sticking with one art. I know myself. So far so good with the Chun though. I’m done with the first form.

Like VPT I feel I’m pretty good at copying movements. I don’t ever perfect them I’m sure, but i feel like I’m coordinated enough to get the mechanics down and I do practice. (Just within striking arts).

I think what I continue to struggle with is my liking of western boxing and trying to learn WC which to me is different enough to notice. I do really like what I’m learning in WC though. The WC Sifu’s I seem to like are guys like Och, Watts and Redmond who are fast and fluid and seem to know what it takes to make WC work if needed. Those guys to me are the non robotic WC I’m looking for.

It’s really an opportunity cost issue I need to figure out. Right now I’m just going with it....
Range...boxing and wc weapons as well as power generation for the most part are for different ranges.
When understood it is easy to transition from one to the other.
 

drop bear

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There is no reason that you cannot learn multiple martial arts simultaneously. Having said that, what would seem to make the most sense would be to pick arts that do not overlap in purpose, range, etc. As someone noted earlier, studying BJJ and Boxing at the same time, or Karate and Judo, FMA and SAMBO, etc.

Studying two striking arts that both focus on hands and which exist largely exist in the same range, might, when it comes time to apply them, lead to some confusion, unless you do work specifically on integrating the two at some point. Both boxing and WC have their own tactics and assumptions in regards to how to actually fight, beyond simply the mechanics of how to throw a punch.

So, the problems I see with what you are doing exist largely in the cognition/decision making aspect of things, rather than the physical.

Because bjjers dont Judo and wrestle?

What Happens To Your BJJ Game When Cross-Training in Judo
 

Gerry Seymour

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I don't know much about wrestling, but I can't think of any significant conflicts among those three, unless you're training specifically for the competition in each (conflicting rules would lead to conflicting choices). The techniques - assuming none of the instructors are anal about people doing it exactly their way - should meld nicely.
 

drop bear

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I don't know much about wrestling, but I can't think of any significant conflicts among those three, unless you're training specifically for the competition in each (conflicting rules would lead to conflicting choices). The techniques - assuming none of the instructors are anal about people doing it exactly their way - should meld nicely.

If you tried to pull guard in wrestling you would get pinned. But in BJJ you can avoid a lot of stand up wrestling issues by pulling guard.

This is why I like doing both because when I wrestle I am forced to engage in a stand up wrestle. But then if I do get taken down the ground game is a lot shorter. So I can be less conservative.

And when I BJJ I am forced in to an elongated submission game. If I get taken down I have more opportunities to recover.

Combined the make me a better martial artist.
 

Gerry Seymour

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If you tried to pull guard in wrestling you would get pinned. But in BJJ you can avoid a lot of stand up wrestling issues by pulling guard.

This is why I like doing both because when I wrestle I am forced to engage in a stand up wrestle. But then if I do get taken down the ground game is a lot shorter. So I can be less conservative.

And when I BJJ I am forced in to an elongated submission game. If I get taken down I have more opportunities to recover.

Combined the make me a better martial artist.
Yep.
 

Ondrejmatej

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I’m probably overthinking this. For anyone that had studied/learn different arts at the same time, was it a problem? I’m asking because I am taking WC lessons but still practicing Muay Thai from DVD’s I have at home along with regular boxing. Mind you this is just a hobby for me. I’m also going to be trying Balintawak soon with a local group.

My thinking is it shouldn’t be an issue as long as I practice. However my concern was being WC and boxing generate power differently, I don’t know if it’s a good idea. Some have suggest putting one aside for now.

But being so many people do MMA, I wouldn’t think it’s an issue. It probably also has to do with the individual. MMA folks however usually do one base striking art and one ground.

For a hobby with a secondary focus on self defense I feel ok so far doing this. Curious what others think....



It's not impossible to learn two arts at once, but it can be very difficult, especially if it is your first time learning martial arts.
 

sinthetik_mistik

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I’m probably overthinking this. For anyone that had studied/learn different arts at the same time, was it a problem? I’m asking because I am taking WC lessons but still practicing Muay Thai from DVD’s I have at home along with regular boxing. Mind you this is just a hobby for me. I’m also going to be trying Balintawak soon with a local group.

My thinking is it shouldn’t be an issue as long as I practice. However my concern was being WC and boxing generate power differently, I don’t know if it’s a good idea. Some have suggest putting one aside for now.

But being so many people do MMA, I wouldn’t think it’s an issue. It probably also has to do with the individual. MMA folks however usually do one base striking art and one ground.

For a hobby with a secondary focus on self defense I feel ok so far doing this. Curious what others think....

taking multiple martial arts can be time consuming. also, I used to take Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiujitsu on the same night sometimes, and it really wore me down after a while. but it's different for different people. fact of the matter is i'm not in great shape even though i've been training martial arts for a while now.... I smoked cigarettes for 16 years and even though its been a long time since i quit my cardio still isn't great. so if you're in good shape and you can handle taking multiple martial arts in one day, go for it. your other alternative is to alternate... like take one martial art Mondays and Wednesdays and another on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
 

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