A Different Perspective

[Xue Sheng]

starting anew always seems to give one a different perspective of the arts. I know this form experience.

A little different approach to doing things opens even wider avenues of thought and lets the mind grow

enjoy your new art but never forget of lose your old one

In another thread I had on MT the tshadowchaser posted this in response and I have to say it seems incredibly true.

Stopping my taiji training has most certainly given me a different perspective, and I like it.

I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing when they changed their way of training or their art.

Since removing taiji from my day things were a bit different at first but now I have discovered that I have scads of time to train things I need (cardio and strength) and others I want (Xingyiquan and another style to be named later...maybe) and a few things I am realizing I should never have stopped.

Anyone else have this experince in MA and what was it you changed?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I too have always found that a little different approach has inspired my training. I would recommend to everyone that every now and then you need to get out there and experience something totally different.

 

[pesilat]

Absolutely. When I moved from Okinawan Goju-Ryu to Sikal it seemed like a huge paradigm shift for me at first. I knew it was right for me because Sikal literally felt like coming home; it was like I'd been searching for Sikal during my previous 17 years of martial training/experience and had finally found it.

At first it was a somewhat painful transition because many things seemed to run completely counter to my Karate training. Over time, though, I began to realize that while the expression was different the underlying concepts/principles were, for the most part, the same. My understanding of the Karate I had trained improved - even though I was no longer training it. Once I started seeing these connections it started working some in the other direction; things I'd learned in Karate started helping my understanding of Sikal.

Another version of this experience is when I've been training with other instructors at seminars or visiting their schools or even as an ongoing student and the instructor teaches something that I already know from Sikal - but the presentation of the material is different than what I'm used to and it's like someone has turned on a light because this person's presentation shed some light on a blind spot I hadn't even realized was there. Usually, when I stopped to think about it, my Sikal instructor had been telling me the same thing for quite a while and I just hadn't gotten it yet. Having it presented from a different perspective, though, helped me get it.

Mike

 

[Flying Crane]

Definitely. Every time I took up another art, it completely opened my eyes and broadened my horizons.

Sometimes the only way to study a new method is to let an older method go, even if you later come back to it. But if you do come back to it, it will be with a different perspective as well.

 

[terryl965]

Differently adding and changing helps build the response of certain techs and opens alot of your mind to other ideals.

 

[zDom]

Changed several times for me

TKD student who also does HKD

to

TKD instructor who used to do HKD and would someday like to get their HKD black belt

to

a HKD guy who used to do TKD, too

 

[arnisador]

When I moved from Okinawan Goju-Ryu to Sikal it seemed like a huge paradigm shift for me at first. I knew it was right for me because Sikal literally felt like coming home; it was like I'd been searching for Sikal during my previous 17 years of martial training/experience and had finally found it.

I had a similar experience in going from Okinawan Karate to the FMAs. Yes, what a change of mindset it induced!

 

[bluemtn]

Changing art forms has definitely given me a new perspective in many ways. I'm not necessarily learning something different, but the instructors has a difference in focus. Example- we have virtually the same techniques, but where I wasn't getting corrected at first, now I am. I don't know, maybe my original art didn't have much "instructional" time where things were broken down, or shown properly. We were told to do a tech. or form, and told, "looks good, move on" kind of thing. It just feels more... I can't quite explain it, but I agree with pesilat. I really just feel happier, and it just feels right. Before, I was starting to feel stressed about just showing up for classes. All my patience was zapped, and was reaching my breaking point. Sadly enough, I had started to feel this way for quite some time, but couldn't afford much better. It's almost like a rebirth, so to speak...

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

The biggest eye opener was Bagua. Coming from a Jujutsu backgroud I was amazed by this art. Hsing Yi was very interesting coming from a Western Boxing background.

 

[shihansmurf]

I went from Shotokan to Boxing. It was like night and day. I had trouble adjusting to the idea of snapping punches instead of the heavy stance strike through concept in shotokan, although now I don't punch "correctly" as my shotokan teachers point out. As I have found boxings punching to be vastly superior I stick to it and after about green belt I expect my students to punch with boxing tech when sparring.

The hardest part about changing systems for me has been untraining my body from the way I was taught certain movements. For example, when I studied American Kenpo learning their Reverse bow stance was a nightmare for me as I was so conditioned to use Back Stance from shotokan. Now I find it much more practical and only teach back stance in kata.

Mark

 

[still learning]

Hello, Everyone should experience a different martial art.....there are always more ways to do one thing!

We went from Stotokan Karate/Goji ryu...to Kempo..and a little Judo....WOW.....the learning will never stop!

Education only ends when you learn only ONE THING! ....

Mastering one art and training in one art....WORKS too! Nothing wrong with this method.

Everyone can learn more by trying new things.....NEVER close doors to different learning different martial arts....YOU MAY JUST LEARN MORE!!

Like shopping in one super market only....never going to other market...one may never learn of new products or ideas of goods...

Aloha ( costco is good,)

 

[matt.m]

Wrestler, Judo, Hapkido guy has to drop hapkido for a while. Pursues Judo hardcore and wrestling as well.

Hapkido, Judo and dabble in tae kwon do

Judo instructor, hardcore hapkido and still working on tae kwon do. However, if it were not for the intrisities of the transitions of poomsea and the fact that it is a powerful art with a lot of benefit of physical therapy I wouldn't do it at all.

 

[IcemanSK]

I went from being a TKD guy, to taking up Western boxing. Talk about a paradigm shift! In addition to the learning to use my hands, it was the shift from an Art that used many techniques in forms, to an Art that used considerably less in the ring, was mind blowing. "Here, learn these 8-10 techniques. Now, spend all your time perfecting them. And, get yourself in MUCH better shape to perform this Art."

Now as a TKD again, I incorporate that in my classes & my personal workouts.

 

[JustAVisitor]

I practiced Wing Chun kung fu for more than 10 years. And I decided that i was through with how the guys were brutality training, putting emphasis on strength. After all, it is a style founded by a woman... So, recently i attended a Taï Chi class. Same basics, same culture. Postures and movements are very similar ,but practiced with a totally different awareness. Breathing, positioning, stress, intent, eye movements, weight, speed come together under a different light. It is like being naive again. This is very refreshing and also very stimulating. I am back to a daily routine. Interest is renewed. And, here and there, i have retried familiar movements giving them a new dynamic. This is awesome.

Many years ago, i was discouraged with my upper and lower bodies that were disynchronized. I did indoor rock climbing for almost a year. As you can imagine rock climbing requires you to know where your extremities are, and to balance your center to connect them... It made a huge difference.

 

[Hawke]

I think learning a new set of skill opens up a whole new world.

Depending where you are in your own personal journey you may focus on certain things more then gradually change this focus to something else.

One art you may learn speed, flexibility in movement, and awesome kicks.

Another art you might learn angles, flexibility in thought, and vulnerable areas to exploit.

Again in another art you will be taught the principles behind the techniques such as marriage of gravity, back up mass, 3D strikes to generate power, while moving from point of origin to strike swiftly.

And the journey continues and you continue to learn and grow and refine your techniques and your thinking.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Over the history of my time in the Martial Arts have change systems, changed form kicking to striking then both together, added throws ( hard ((judo)) soft (( aikido))), whet from Korean, to Okinawan, to FMA to Chinese oh yes there was Japanese in there also. But I always kept practicing my main art while learning the others.
Each new school of learning presented itself with its own difficulties and subtleties. Each brought me more understanding of what I was doing and added to my knowledge of the arts.
I still try to do the various exercises ( forms/techniques) from all of these arts (those I can remember) from time to time. However I always return to my main art and practice it with renewed passion because I find more and more in it with each new lesson I learn