Doing other martial arts while learning Tai Chi Quan?

[FluidSound]

Alright, so as you guys probably know, I practice Yang style Tai Chi Quan. My teacher says I shouldn't mix other arts with Tai Chi Quan or I might create bad habits. I know this is true in some sense because you're suppose to become soft and be effortless in Tai Chi Quan. However, Tai Chi Quan takes a long time to get good at and while I know I should be patient, I also want to be able to fight before and while learning Tai Chi Quan. What are your thoughts and opinions?

 

[seasoned]

If you study a hard style I feel that a soft style, in time, will enhance one's art. But if you study a soft art and supplement a hard one, it will be detrimental.
Tai Chi Quan is used as a second art by some, to better understand their art and power generation.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Alright, so as you guys probably know, I practice Yang style Tai Chi Quan. My teacher says I shouldn't mix other arts with Tai Chi Quan or I might create bad habits. I know this is true in some sense because you're suppose to become soft and be effortless in Tai Chi Quan. However, Tai Chi Quan takes a long time to get good at and while I know I should be patient, I also want to be able to fight before and while learning Tai Chi Quan. What are your thoughts and opinions?

If you like what you do and believe in it, then forget the other arts! It will mess up what you are doing.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

In my high school Kung Fu class, my teacher won't teach Taiji until his students had at least 2 years of longfist basic training. My SC teacher (also the founder of the Chang style Taiji) also won't teach any students Taiji if he is not 30 or older. Taiji was my 1st style. I learned it when I was 7. When I was 9, oneday I got into a fight and I couldn't use my Taiji after 2 years of training. IMO, to start Taiji as your 1st style is not a good idea.

 

[Ironcrane]

Tai-Chi has been successfully blended with other styles before. Look up Mizongyi as an example. But the thing about mixing styles is you can't always mix just anything together. Each style is based on it's own guiding method, and some methods will clash against others. Or perhaps it's possible to learn another style without mixing them together if they're different enough. I can say from my own experience of doing Kung Fu, and Judo at the same time, I never got the two mixed up. It's really hard to say which way to go because I don't think there really is a wrong answer.

 

[clfsean]

Do taiji... don't do taiji. It's a personal thing.

Thing is ALL CMA's in my experience end up at the same place, regardless of how they start down the road. There's nothing completely hard or completely soft in CMAs.

I will say from personal experience, kinda parroting Wang Sifu, Taiji would be better as a secondary art once you have a base in something else. It's a great "finishing" skill set. But your mileage may vary. Personally I've found I'm a terrible taiji student so I stay with what I do & am much happier without it.

 

[Xue Sheng]

It all depends on what you want out of Taijiquan

The proper usage of and effectiveness of Taijiquan is directly related to how you train and how much you train by yourself, with your Sifu and with others (push hands and tuishou) Taijiquan takes longer than most arts, even other internals to use correctly and effectively for Self-Defense. And other arts, depending on what arts those are, can adversely effect your Taiji training, particularly in the early stages if you are training them concurrently.I have alse seen many longtime hard stylist having a whole lot of issues with learning Taijiquan. They were just to stiff and had real issues with relaxation.

 

[WC_lun]

My personal opinion is irrelevant. Your Sifu says don't study other arts while studying Tai Chi. If you decide to study other arts, you should find another sifu. You are studying with the man because you want him to guide you through training Tai Chi. If you are going to dismiss his advice, then yu no longer believe his teaching is valid for you and it would be time to move on.

 

[pete]

Taking precious time away from your Tai Chi will not only distract and confuse you with inconsistencies found in other arts, but LENGTHEN the journey for your Tai Chi to become "effective." That being said, Bagua and Xingyi are 100% consistent in principles with Tai Chi, while being somewhat different strategically. Proper cross training in these 'internal' martial arts will actually make your Tai Chi better, although I'd suggest proper cross training in these arts would begin after a solid foundation in your primary style.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Do you trust and respect your teacher? If so, follow his advice. Maybe try to convince him that you should practice others while you still focus on Tai Chi, but if he's adamant on not mixing other MA's with Tai Chi, and you trust him, there's probably a reason for it. If you don't trust and respect your teacher, then find a new one that you do trust.

 

[FluidSound]

Geez, these answers are mixing me up. As far as, do I respect my teacher and trust him? Yes, I do. But I realize that even he can be wrong at times. So, I ask the advice of others from their personal experience. Tai Chi is his main study and I don't think he has studied anything but Tai Chi. However, I love Tai Chi and like it being my main martial art. Though, there are other ones I would like too study, but I still want to maintain Tai Chi as my primary martial art.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

but I still want to maintain Tai Chi as my primary martial art.

How important is "combat" to you from 1 to 10?

Where

1 - extream not important,
2 - ...
...
9 - ...
10 - extream important.

 

[WC_lun]

Geez, these answers are mixing me up. As far as, do I respect my teacher and trust him? Yes, I do. But I realize that even he can be wrong at times. So, I ask the advice of others from their personal experience. Tai Chi is his main study and I don't think he has studied anything but Tai Chi. However, I love Tai Chi and like it being my main martial art. Though, there are other ones I would like too study, but I still want to maintain Tai Chi as my primary martial art.

Then you have a choice to make. Either follow what your instructor says or find another instructor who will do it how you think it should be done. Sometimes you can't have everything you want. It isn't that your Sifu is wrong or right, but that he is your sifu and as such is your teacher in martial arts. He makes the rules. Don't want to follow those rules then it is time to find a new teacher. I'm not trying to be malicious, it is just how it is.

Personally, I think if you are past a certain experience point, then experiencing different systems is enlightening and helpful. As a student, you should follow your teacher's advice of when that point has been reached.

 

[harlan]

One thing to consider: the '60's are long gone.

By that I mean that there actually exist people that have studied multiple arts and after decades of training have infused their main style with lessons learned from Tai Chi. Completely up to you and what is available, but unless you're shooting to become a lineage holder, it doesn't make sense to limit the most healthy years of training to a singular art.

 

[Danny T]

I find it odd that so many stand strongly on the premise of training with only 1 instructor or only 1 martial system. I understand the theory (opinion) however, when researching the older masters. Most trained with several instructors and most in different styles and systems; often during the same periods. It is from those who proceeded them, who trained at the end of and right after WWII that we learn of staying with only 1 system or instructor. I ask Why? Why did the masters of old (those now considered the fathers of modern martial arts) train with and in multiply arts and with multiply instructors and now we say don't?

 

[WC_lun]

It isn't about training in only one system. It is about having a strong enough base to have the understanding neccesary to get the most out of experiencing different systems. If you don't even have strong basics down in one system, how can you possibly appreciate even the beginning level stuff another system has to offer? Too many want everything right now, but end up getting very little because of thier wants. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

 

[Flying Crane]

I find it odd that so many stand strongly on the premise of training with only 1 instructor or only 1 martial system. I understand the theory (opinion) however, when researching the older masters. Most trained with several instructors and most in different styles and systems; often during the same periods. It is from those who proceeded them, who trained at the end of and right after WWII that we learn of staying with only 1 system or instructor. I ask Why? Why did the masters of old (those now considered the fathers of modern martial arts) train with and in multiply arts and with multiply instructors and now we say don't?

It isn't about training in only one system. It is about having a strong enough base to have the understanding neccesary to get the most out of experiencing different systems. If you don't even have strong basics down in one system, how can you possibly appreciate even the beginning level stuff another system has to offer? Too many want everything right now, but end up getting very little because of thier wants. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

Even more so, it's about respecting and following the rules of the teacher. As has been pointed out, he's the teacher, he makes the rules. Don't agree with those rules? That's OK, you can do it your way. But Sifu doesn't need to let you keep coming to train with him.

There are lots of opinions on this topic. But in this case, Sifu has explained the rules and if you want to be his student, you follow his rules, even if you don't agree with them. Nobody says you gotta be his student, if you don't like his rules.

 

[FluidSound]

That's the thing, they're not rules. It's more suggestions. He thinks I should mix them because it will interfere and not help my Tai Chi training. He doesn't think that it will defeat my Tai Chi training, but slow it down substantially. He doesn't mind if I learn other martial arts, he just thinks I should stick to Tai Chi Quan solely because hard martial arts will affect my softness. I mean, there are even times where he asks a student of his (Or someone that trains with us) to teach me how to punch, kick, etc... The fellow knows karate and believes that building a strong defense can create a strong defense. Anyhow, I'm fond of Jeet Kune Do's principles, but enjoy the styles of Gung Fu martial arts.

 

[Instructor]

You should consider that your teacher knows best. Chances are you aren't the first student to go down this road.

 

[pete]

All this talk about the teacher's way or the highway... well, #10 on Wynton Marsalis' 12 rules for practice:
Think for Yourself. Respect your teacher, but think things through for yourself

Here's a link to the 12 rules of practice:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/silk-...f-practice-by-wynton-marsalis/121385734546938

pete.