I am worried my inconsistency with styles is hurting my potential

[wab25]

My first training was in boxing. I "learned" the boxing footwork and the boxing way to punch. I then switched over to Danzan Ryu Jujitsu, then did a few years of MMA and BJJ. The last 6 years I have been studying Karate alongside Danzan Ryu. My boxing training was great, and never bothered me, until I started the Karate. The footwork is very different, the body and arm work is very different... all to produce a very similar result. The differences in movement really hampered (confused) me... I spent a lot of time relearning how to throw the basic 1-2 combination the karate way. Up until I started karate, I was very good at keep my hands up. My boxing and MMA coaches always complimented me and pointed out to others how well I kept my hands up while fighting. (I was only good at one thing, but I am proud of it... ) One day I noticed that when sparring in Karate I started getting hit with things I never used to get hit with... why? My hands were dropping. In Karate, the other hand chambers during the kata practice. Then I worked on getting my hands up... and now they tend to stay up during kata.

My point is that some systems are ok to cross train with... meaning they won't interfere with each other. Others, not so much. This may be a personal thing, but I found Boxing and Karate to really interfere with each other. I suspect that your TKD and Boxing may be holding each other back.

At the end of the day, if you train multiple systems at the same time, you have more work to do, to keep them separate. Its hard to get good at TKD using Boxing technique and vice versa.

If it were me, I would pick one art and really get into it. Later, you can worry about a second one or more. But get a firm foundation in one art first.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bruce7]

No he's not mistaken at all. It's well documented he didn't learn the full system and was even kicked out by ip man and yes he taught but only because he was literally the only one in his area who knew even the slightest bit about it

You maybe right I was not there,
but I wonder way kick him out and take some many pictures of Ip man and Bruce Lee as teenager and young man.
Pictures were not common back then. The films of Bruce Lee blind folded demonstrating Wing Chun looked pretty.

 

[Headhunter]

You maybe right I was not there,
but I wonder way kick him out and take some many pictures of Ip man and Bruce Lee as teenager and young man.
Pictures were not common back then. The films of Bruce Lee blind folded demonstrating Wing Chun looked pretty.

Because he was part German and that went against ip mans beliefs of only teaching pure Chinese

 

[Bruce7]

Because he was part German and that went against ip mans beliefs of only teaching pure Chinese

Is an interesting read Bruce Lee & William Cheung - The Early Years
Bruce Lee & William Cheung - The Early Years Grandmaster William Cheung's Global Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Association

 

[TMA17]

I started in Wing Chun in a TWC school, then moved to a Moy Yat school then took private lessions completing the 2nd form. I then wen to BJJ, Judo and took a private wrestling class. I loved Judo, but locatioin was a problem for me so now I'm back at a MMA school that does BJJ and Muay Thai. As someone that has bounced around trying to find what I like best and also wasted so much time doing so, I'd suggest sticking with at most 2 arts, primarily ones that are complimentary of one another such as a striking art and a grappling art. If you have a busy life outside of martial arts, location is really important. Where I go now is 5 minutes away from my house.

But define your purpose of why you are training to begin with. For me it's self defense with a secondary focus on exercise. I was never a gym guy.

 

[Ivan]

You

You are simply spread too thin. Whatever it is driving you to practice so many styles is an issue. Is it social because you have friends in each style? Or are you truly thinking you need to learn all of them? In the first scenario you are doing yourself a dis-service. No one can progress very well in this format. If it is the second scenario, know that it is very hard to become advanced in any one style. Let alone multiple styles. It can take the better part of a decade to become advanced in any two styles. Add this to the rest of your lifestyle (college life should be a full plate on its own) and you are setting your self up for frustration and failure. If you are determined to continue working out in such a broad spectrum, start by knowing you are only going to get exposure to each style but will likely never become proficient. It doesn't sound like this is your goal. Creating a totally new MA style with limited expertise is a very bad idea.
I know you are young and intend to conquer the world, which I wholly support. But setting goals means creating small milestones that you can reach on a timeline that motivates you to reach for the next goal. It is like saying "I am going to be a brain surgeon". That can be the top level goal but if I never create a list or plan of how I become a brain surgeon, it will never happen. It will just become frustration. The college format is a good place to learn this methodology. They do a very good job of laying out the class requirements and timelines to acquire a given degree. Most MA curriculums are a little more vague and less defined adding to your challenge.
Which style has been most intriguing and enjoyable to you? Which one has great instructor(s), format, and facilities? That is where you start. By becoming advanced in one style, it will accelerate being able to learn another style. This is where you start your journey to achieve your goals.

I am very aware how I am not yet close to ready in creating an MA. The reason I've moved around a lot in styles, is due to my family constantly being on the move; I used to live in Spain, now I'm in the UK, and in the past 8 years here, we've been moving around a lot. Moreover, my available time is also constantly changing due to different circumstances that arrive, whether it's a new timetable at my college, or my parents constantly switching jobs, or new responsibilities arising.

I also choose to train a wide amount of styles, not because I am naive enough to believe that it will advance my learning, but because each style I train, only offers a maximum of one class per week, which I feel isn't beneficial enough for me. I now go to Tae Kwon Do once per week, and Capoeira once a week. It just pains me that while such big dreams, I'm hindered by the classes not feeling plentiful enough for me, and most of my time being invested in my physical condition rather than there being a healthy balance. Therefore, I compensate for the lack of sessions weekly in each club I go to, by finding others to enroll in as well.

 

[spidersam]

I am very aware how I am not yet close to ready in creating an MA. The reason I've moved around a lot in styles, is due to my family constantly being on the move; I used to live in Spain, now I'm in the UK, and in the past 8 years here, we've been moving around a lot. Moreover, my available time is also constantly changing due to different circumstances that arrive, whether it's a new timetable at my college, or my parents constantly switching jobs, or new responsibilities arising.

I also choose to train a wide amount of styles, not because I am naive enough to believe that it will advance my learning, but because each style I train, only offers a maximum of one class per week, which I feel isn't beneficial enough for me. I now go to Tae Kwon Do once per week, and Capoeira once a week. It just pains me that while such big dreams, I'm hindered by the classes not feeling plentiful enough for me, and most of my time being invested in my physical condition rather than there being a healthy balance. Therefore, I compensate for the lack of sessions weekly in each club I go to, by finding others to enroll in as well.

This may be a “well, obviously” comment— have you talked to any of your teachers to see if they could offer more classes per week if other students were interested, or how much a private second class would cost? I do agree with some of the comments earlier about aiming for a high degree black belt in one art if you’d like to be a teacher. Maybe you can file the bills or mop the floors for a second class

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I am very aware how I am not yet close to ready in creating an MA. The reason I've moved around a lot in styles, is due to my family constantly being on the move; I used to live in Spain, now I'm in the UK, and in the past 8 years here, we've been moving around a lot. Moreover, my available time is also constantly changing due to different circumstances that arrive, whether it's a new timetable at my college, or my parents constantly switching jobs, or new responsibilities arising.

I also choose to train a wide amount of styles, not because I am naive enough to believe that it will advance my learning, but because each style I train, only offers a maximum of one class per week, which I feel isn't beneficial enough for me. I now go to Tae Kwon Do once per week, and Capoeira once a week. It just pains me that while such big dreams, I'm hindered by the classes not feeling plentiful enough for me, and most of my time being invested in my physical condition rather than there being a healthy balance. Therefore, I compensate for the lack of sessions weekly in each club I go to, by finding others to enroll in as well.

If moving a lot is likely to be a continuing situation, you probably want to focus for a while on something that's easy to find in many different places. Within the US, that would easily be something like boxing, BJJ, or Taekwondo - all of which are usually within reach (though quality may vary by location).

As for the once-a-week offerings, that's unusual, but maybe more common outside the US (my primary area of experience). If it were me, I'd be focused on trying to find a single place that offers something of value 3+ times a week, to form a useful base. After you have significant time in a single system, you can pick up more in the one day a week others are offering.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

This may be a “well, obviously” comment— have you talked to any of your teachers to see if they could offer more classes per week if other students were interested, or how much a private second class would cost? I do agree with some of the comments earlier about aiming for a high degree black belt in one art if you’d like to be a teacher. Maybe you can file the bills or mop the floors for a second class

Good idea. Some instructors (though not all) would be willing to offer a private lesson in exchange for something you can help out with. It's worth asking.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I am very aware how I am not yet close to ready in creating an MA. The reason I've moved around a lot in styles, is due to my family constantly being on the move; I used to live in Spain, now I'm in the UK, and in the past 8 years here, we've been moving around a lot. Moreover, my available time is also constantly changing due to different circumstances that arrive, whether it's a new timetable at my college, or my parents constantly switching jobs, or new responsibilities arising.

I also choose to train a wide amount of styles, not because I am naive enough to believe that it will advance my learning, but because each style I train, only offers a maximum of one class per week, which I feel isn't beneficial enough for me. I now go to Tae Kwon Do once per week, and Capoeira once a week. It just pains me that while such big dreams, I'm hindered by the classes not feeling plentiful enough for me, and most of my time being invested in my physical condition rather than there being a healthy balance. Therefore, I compensate for the lack of sessions weekly in each club I go to, by finding others to enroll in as well.

The other thing to keep in mind is that there is no rush. You're 16, right? Some people I trained under didnt even start training until way later than that, so you're already ahead of the game. And having an actual goal at your age is also a huge plus.

 

[Ivan]

Thank you everyone for your ideas and support. I've joined a Shorinji Kenpo class at my college, with a very legitimate instructor and I can guarantee I will be attending for at least 2 years time, with 2 classes per week I believe which is quite good.
I have also asked around for private sessions, and my Capoeira instructor said I could have some each week whenever I am comfortable, and it will only be 7 pounds sterling for each session to book the room for as much time as I want. Thank you all!