questions for those that train in multiple arts and those who teach

[sinistersamuri]

hi i train in aiki brazillianjit wingchung and thai boxing fortunately for me my instructor does all 4 so some days it is focused on just throws and submission takedowns and other days we do stand up freely with our own fingerprints. i dont know much about other clans or dojos but my instructer emphasises modification not fixed positions. my advice is to look for a dojo that teaches multiple styles hence mma. one place might say a and one might say b then you have a conflict kind of like reason versus emotion best of luck

 

[qwksilver61]

Funny you say that.....coming from a traditional Kwon Jae Hwa Tae Kwon Do background,the most difficult thing that I had to un-learn was how to be relaxed.Since Wing Tsun relies on borrowing-riding,feeding or transferring,and then chasing or following,There was a lot had I had to un-learn.However, I can still deliver a barrage of Tae Kwon Do attacks,as if I had never un-learned anything....strange...indeed...questionable to some...maybe..

 

[geezer]

Dedicating time to one art will always impede your progress in another.
I would reccomend not doing multiple arts until you are atleast Shodan in your primary art, maybe even waiting until Nidan.
Then, find an art the complements your main style well...

Boy, that's pretty conservative advice. Well, then again, I was the equivalent of "nidan" in Wing Tsun before I took up my second art, Escrima. But if you choose a second art that is compatible in concept yet sufficiently different in application (say standup, plus grappling, or weapons, etc.) you should be able to avoid too many conflicts. And of course you may learn each a bit more slowly, since you are dividing your time.

Still, it's simply innaccurate to say that studying one art always impedes your progress in the other. As others have already noted, you may find that some cross training really opens your eyes. Sometimes I've found that something I learn in one art suddenly helps me understand a core concept or idea that I had been missing in the other. Then "snap" it all comes into focus. Kinda like the time I invested in learning Spanish. It actually gave me a better understanding of English, too. So with the martial arts, if I had time, I wish I could have studied a third system...say BJJ or similar grappling art. Of course, I'd also like to speak a half a dozen languages...but it ain't gonna happen. So I'll be content with WT and Escrima...at least for now.

 

[jarrod]

it depends on a lot of factors, as others have already mentioned. i received my shodans in judo & jujitsu simultaneously, & studied sambo at the same time. the three are really the same thing with different rules.

another factor is your network of partners & coaches. my kickboxing coach is also a kung fu & tai chi teacher, & although i don't train any CMA with him we have a lot of discussions about the similarities in principles between kung fu & jujitsu. he & i agree that the principles of fighting are the same, the differences are in the prefered application. for instance, you are either redirecting or borrowing your opponent's force or you are not. i prefer to throw somebody with that borrowed energy, he prefers to direct it back into a strike. so i feel that i could cross-train kung fu with him & it would in no way be detrimental to what i do now. fighting is fighting.

jf