For those who cross train...

[Uncle]

What have you incorporated from each of your different arts into the others? Do you consider that for you everything is blended or that you train in art X. With influences and techniques from the others that you cross train in? Is there anything technique wise or principal wise that you have left behind from certain arts?
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Since this is my baby, so to speak, I'll start.

For me I currently train wing chun. For me my bjj training covers the ground portion for position and submission and gives me a few additional takedowns but even on the ground I am still primarily striking. The wing chun also allows me to incorporate diffrent transitional moves, trapping, wing chun striking, and a different style of movement on the ground. There isn't really anything that I have discarded from either of these except maybe lower percentage grappling techniques like the the omoplata.

The muay Thai and boxing have added general striking skills but most importantly I think is clinch control, knees, and my lead left hook.

The yoshinkan aikido I have discarded a lot from but has still given me some important tools. Though I know and can still effectively apply the wrist locks I don't really use them as I find them to be a more low percentage move and more suited to semi-complaint individuals. I still use a lot of the techniques which attack the elbow like ikkajo, hijishime, hijiate kokyunage, and so on but I've blended it into the wing chun framework with the striking and transitions. I don't really use a lot of the irimi techniques anymore as I find if I can get into such an opening it is better suited for striking. One very key thing I took from aikido was the shikko-ho (knee walking) which always gave me a very good base for ground grappling. I also don't operate on the same long range that aikido uses anymore.

The MMA wining for me has really helped with fluid incorporation of my skills from the different arts I've trained especially constant improvement in seamlessly blending the striking and grappling.

 

[Blaze Dragon]

I've found that mixing martial arts has worked for me. However I've heard strong arguments that if you don't stick with one you don't get the essence of what makes that art so effective and how to properly generate power. So I think it depends on the martial artist and how they choose to utilize different tactics and techniques.

 

[MJS]

What have you incorporated from each of your different arts into the others?

My base art is Kenpo. I've cross trained in Arnis and BJJ. Since leaving Kenpo, I've began training in Kyokushin, which I've been doing for a little over a year. The Arnis fits well into pretty much everything. I've enjoyed expanding my understanding of the stick and knife, and often compare the techs/disarms found in the FMAs, to those found in Kenpo. The BJJ...well, IMO, the best way to understand the ground, is to understand how the grapplers operate, thus the takedown defenses, have been improved for me, by doing some BJJ. The Kyokushin...well, I'm still fairly new to that, however, since beginning that journey, I've had to change the way I punch, kick and block, from the way that I did when I was doing Kenpo.

Do you consider that for you everything is blended or that you train in art X. With influences and techniques from the others that you cross train in?

When I'd teach a Kenpo class, I'd keep it Kenpo. However, there were times, that when teaching say a knife defense from Kenpo, that I'd use Arnis as a reference point. I'd make it clear that I was showing 2 different things, simply giving a different point of view. However, there were many times, when running thru various techs, that I'd blend and mix other stuff together.

Is there anything technique wise or principal wise that you have left behind from certain arts?

IMO, all the arts that I do, have a ton of great things. While there have been some things that I've not been overly crazy about, there have been some concepts and principles that I have kept as they seem to fit very well with everything.

 

[oaktree]

I am more of aa bagua zhang guy who does taijiquan, xingyiquan and
Daito ryu aikijujutsu. I also practice some other stuff but not in depth
As these yet. I find taijiquan and bagua zhang go together well.
Xingyiquan and bagua zhang go well too. Xingyiquan and taijiquan
Have no idea how to make them work together. Daito ryu and bagua zhang
Some things don't go some do. Daito ryu has very deep movements where
Bagua amd taijiquan are more like will use a joint lock off there stomach if need to.
I feel daito ryu is more like an oaktree bagua zhang and taijiquan are more
Like bamboo.
When move or attack the line becomes blurry of what is
The separate arts. Everything is internal just different expression
Of it.

 

[geezer]

I train Ving Tsun and Escrima. My old Chinese WT Sifu barely tolerated my interest in Escrima. But now I'm with an independent group who are a bit more open. In fact the head guy in our VT association invites me to his schools to conduct Escrima seminars. The particular style of Escrima I practice is a really nice complement to the Ving Tsun, and my personal coach helps me adapt it to my core art. The two systems look very different but share a lot conceptually, so there are very few contradictions. In fact, often my Escrima training helps me refine aspects of my Ving Tsun. Sometimes looking at things from a different perspective can be useful.

Now, if I were younger and had more time I would want to add some solid grappling training. Not only would it round out my ground game, but I've always liked grappling since I wrestled as a kid. But I'll be 58 this summer and I suffered a nasty back injury last year, so I think maybe I'll just stick with what I've got and try to get better at that.

 

[Flying Crane]

Over the past 30 years (almost) I've had the opportunity to train in several different methods, under several different teachers. Some of them I pursued for quite a few years.

Finally, I was able to recognize that for me, one particular method seems to work best. It makes the most sense to me, in how we approach our training and in what specific skills we strive to develop, and how we use them. When I had that realization, I stopped doing everything else. They were distractions that didn't add anything of value to what I was trying to accomplish. So for me, what I took away from the cross training and the training in multiple systems, is that it just didn't work well and it consumed my time and energy that would have been better spent working on a single focus.