Primary Style influence

[MountainSage]

I have seen a general theme in a number of forums about how outside training by instructors influence their primary art. My example is the my master was trained traditional WTF TKD, but he had been a dancer and boxer. He also does additional training in the use of Ki. My instructor was, obviously, trained in traditional TKD, yet his experiance in vietnam as a solider and his running 50 and 100 mile races along with some Aikido training. How has outside influence improved or hurt the particular arts you train? How will or does your outside experiances effect how you teach others? As a WTF school we are probably more improved punchers because of our teachers boxing background, our self-defense is more aikido based, and conditioning is very intense. Give me your thought, please.

 

[tarabos]

"outside" arts like say, boxing, kickboxing, and BJJ, which are more sport based...give you a great feeling of getting in there and really going at it with a realistic pace for the most part....but they also have a lot of rules. even "no holds barred" matches have rules, so how can you truly call it that?

guess what i'm saying here is that those arts give you good experience, but if you focus on them too much they can blind you to other options and ways of moving i think. but i'm also relating this more to cross-training than what you are asking. sorry about that.

to relate it more to the subject. those sport/art backgrounds tend to give us more realistic hand movements and bring in ideas such as groundfighting, or just looking at a technique or defense or offense in a more realistic, simple manner.

i'm all over the place here though...might try this again later today.

 

[MountainSage]

Tarabos, I didn't intend to limit the scope to just MA and sports. I believe our real life experiance can heavily influence our view and how we as individual apply and train in a particular style and how we teach a particular style.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Whatever the outside physical activity we do reflects because we care about our bodies enough to do something physical. Running, weightlifting, yoga,and rock climbing all make our bodies do things we naturaly do not do every day, and we push our minds and body to do them. This translates back to our training because we have the knowledge that if we try we can achive, and if we do not push the limits a little we make no head way.
My thoughts only.
Also arts like painting, dance, music give us a different perspective and awareness of the beauty and rythem of life.

Shadow:asian:

 

[MountainSage]

tshadowchaser, I wasn't thinking of things like painting and such at the time of the original post, but you are so right! I read that the great samuari warrior were also master painters, writers, and such. I see that the MA are losing that aspect of the warrior spirit. Everyone seems to be more concerned with "kicking someones butt" and how many way to do it, than finding a way not to fight. I enrolled in local arts, philosophy,writing, and music course at the local college to hopefully improve me as a person as much as MA has improved me physically and mentally.

 

[tshadowchaser]

The two go hand in hand the body improves what it can do by repatition and pushing itslef to new limits. The mind improves by gaining new knowledge, reinforceing the old, and contemplating what is not yet known.
Your martial arts training becomes broader as you learn more and become proficient at what you do. As your knowledge gains you start to question and explore this widens you search even more.
Learning to be a human being and to be humane are as much a part of being a martial artest as learning to break and kill.
Shadow

 

[karatekid1975]

When I did TSD, my instructor did TKD first, then Hapkido, then TSD. So he taught TSD, Hapkido self defense, and TKD (ITF) type sparring.

My instructor now did Kung Fu, karate, and TKD (still does). He also mixes all these together (including Chin Na).

I train on my own also. I do some Muay Thai kickboxing, and I still fittle with Hapkido.

I think all arts have something to offer. I feel that cross training doesn't hurt. It can make your "mother" art stronger. I do TKD and proud of it, but I always believe if you see or learn something useful, why not bring it in and make your art better.