To Generalize Or Specialize, That Is The Question?

[Brian R. VanCise]

I thought I would bring this post over from my blog: The Instinctive Edge to generate some conversation.

http://brianvancise.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/to-generalize-or-specialize-that-is-the-question/

 

[dancingalone]

Brian, thanks for the link. I think it really depends on your goals:

If you want to be a UFC contender, then obviously it's better for you to be exposed to a variety of training under the MMA flag. I can't think of a single top fighter right now in MMA who doesn't cross train.

If you want to teach a koryu art and pass it on to your students, I think it best to remain uncorrupted by outside influences. Find a good teacher, learn all you can from him, and then teach yourself. Know the full value of what you are learning and don't compromise for popularity or monetary gain.

If you want to learn street self-defense for the average citizen, I daresay any good instructor can help you, regardless of style, and I'll go even further and say you need not learn anything more than what your instructor teaches. Krav maga, karate, boxing, jiujitsu, whatever.

If you want to work as a bouncer or a private bodyguard, then the more knowledge you know the better. A friend of mine worked as part of a private army for a year in Iraq. He's literally the MacGyver of martial arts, knowing all sorts of lethal and nonlethal methods, armed or unarmed. He's even an exploisives expert having learned the science during his Army days.

It's all about your goals and what you want your MA to do.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Nicely said and I agree, but I would like to add there can be a danger in being overly specialized as well as overly generalized.

Thanks Brian

 

[BrandonLucas]

Brian, thanks for the link. I think it really depends on your goals:

If you want to be a UFC contender, then obviously it's better for you to be exposed to a variety of training under the MMA flag. I can't think of a single top fighter right now in MMA who doesn't cross train.

If you want to teach a koryu art and pass it on to your students, I think it best to remain uncorrupted by outside influences. Find a good teacher, learn all you can from him, and then teach yourself. Know the full value of what you are learning and don't compromise for popularity or monetary gain.

If you want to learn street self-defense for the average citizen, I daresay any good instructor can help you, regardless of style, and I'll go even further and say you need not learn anything more than what your instructor teaches. Krav maga, karate, boxing, jiujitsu, whatever.

If you want to work as a bouncer or a private bodyguard, then the more knowledge you know the better. A friend of mine worked as part of a private army for a year in Iraq. He's literally the MacGyver of martial arts, knowing all sorts of lethal and nonlethal methods, armed or unarmed. He's even an exploisives expert having learned the science during his Army days.

It's all about your goals and what you want your MA to do.

I agree with this, but to an extent.

I do think that part of it is about what you want your MA to do, and what your goals are in learning the MA that you're learning.

I also think, however, that the way many of the MMAists are going about learning things is a very powerful tool, no matter what your goal is.

To specialize in, say striking is a great thing, and then round that out with take-down defense, submission knowlege, and general grappling, would make the individual a fairly well-rounded MAist, hence the term MMA.

The bottom line, as far as my opinion goes, anyway, is don't limit yourself to just one area. Train in as many aspects as you can. If you are a specialized striker, at least learn take-down defense, and basic grappling techniques. If you are a specialized grappler, at least learn how to block enough to take your opponent down.

 

[zDom]

I thought I would bring this post over from my blog: The Instinctive Edge to generate some conversation.

http://brianvancise.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/to-generalize-or-specialize-that-is-the-question/

I think you pegged it here:

"... we are looking at everything from all kinds of tool usage, to kicking, to hand striking to trapping hands and joint manipulation and finally grappling. Then as the conversation continued I said that we also specialize in certain areas based on our own interests and unique skill sets and attributes."

I would add, also, that specialization should take into account your environment, your culture.

For example, I think the Gracies did the right thing when they chose grappling. Works out great in a "many-y-mano" culture when a lot of their time is spent on beautiful beaches.

For me, in the Midwest: arts that enable me to deal with multiple attackers is probably a great choice. Rednecks like to help their buddies in a brawl

 

[Andy Moynihan]

If you know your situation and your physical limitations and an art that suits them--that is the time to specialize.

When you know enough to know how and where what you do is lacking--that is the time to generalize.

 

[Flying Crane]

hmmm... I say, do anything and everything that you find yourself interested in and drawn to. That may be one thing, or several. Only you can decide that.

That is how I ended up studying the several arts that I have. Not because I had a goal of different skillsets that I felt were important, or I needed to fill in holes that an art has. Rather, I just found myself thinking, hey, that art looks good, I want to explore that. Next thing I know, years have gone by and I'm still doing it. It's happened several times. It's fulfilling.

 

[Archangel M]

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

 

[Perpetual White Belt]

From what I read in this blog, I'm going to have to agree with you Brian and say that IRT has much in common with Senkotiros in the training mindset.

 

[Nolerama]

It's just another form of knowledge acquisition. I fully agree with what Archangel said about striving to be a "Renaissance Man/Woman" and for me, that applies to the MA's.

Yes, you can be an efficient fighter in several ranges, but there's always something more to learn.

 

[championmarius]

Siding with Flying Crane. I have what is affectionately known as "S.O.S." (Shiny Object Syndrome). I tend there fore to dabble in alot of stuff that just looks kewl, or intriguing.
But I now wonder about the possibility of subconscious specialization. All of the stuff I have dabbled in, I still tend to do the deed right up close, and the clinch game is just where I tend to come up with the gold. Not really a conscious choice, I just kinda gravitated to closer range arts and technique sets that work well at that range, so I guess I ended up specializing (to a degree) kinda by accident.

 

[chinto]

I think you will find that most of the older arts, ( over say 90+ years old or so) are designed a bit generalized in that they cover all ranges. why? because it was about survival, not sport, or a prize fight. for self defense your older combat proven arts such as traditional Okinawan Karate, Kungfu, Japanese Jujitsu, Filipino martial arts such as Arnis or Kali or others are all well proven over a long period of time to be very effective. now if you want to comply with the rules of a prize fight such as UFC.. then you have to look at training for that particuler aplication with spacific mixes of techniques.

 

[hpulley]

The question I've been pondering isn't whether or not to specialize because I don't (I practice several arts) but more a question of, which would you use in a self defense situation? A single style or a blend? There are throws in karatedo but in randori and self defense practice I've found myself throwing more of a judo/jujutsu throw into it at times if I thought it would work better; overall it is understood that classical kihon isn't used, the bunkai is used instead. If you know Japanese, Chinese and Escrima/Arnis stick techniques, which would you use or again would it be a blend? Some of the systems are quite different and I don't think they'd blend well while others work quite well together.

 

[jks9199]

I think it's simple.

There's room to do both, specialize and be generalist.

In part it depends on your goals and purposes in training. If you're looking to compete in the Olympics, you have to be a specialist in Olympic TKD or Judo or Boxing. A boxer doesn't need to be able to grapple anymore than a judoka needs to be able to throw a spinning back kick -- FOR THE OLYMPICS. But if practical defensive skills are your goal, you need to be able to deal with all ranges of combat.

But that doesn't mean you can't have a preference. I've trained with a subset of my style that involves explosion and close, but not grappling, range fighting and in my personal training, I happen to like moving in close, and driving through people. Grappling with you isn't my goal -- I want to break bones and crush you. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to fight at longer or shorter ranges. I like my knees and elbows and tight punches -- but I can still kick and close range -- and I can grab and throw you, or lock you up, too.

Think about a doctor; they start out as a generalist, and eventually specialize. But that doesn't mean that a cardiothoracic surgeon (or even a forensic pathologist) can't still set a bone, splint a sprained ankle, or stitch up a laceration. Your fighting should be the same way; learn to handle all the ranges -- and then decide the ones you like best.

 

[MJS]

My .02. I'd rather not limit myself to one thing. I also don't think that training outside of the box will hinder or corrupt your training. I'll use myself as an example. My base art is Kenpo. That is the art that I've trained the longest, so one could say that is the one I specialize in. However, I cross train in BJJ and Arnis.

Now, I know alot will depend on the teacher. Some Kenpo teachers will say everything is in there, ie: punching, kicking, throwing, grappling, etc. Of course, depending on who your teacher is, will depend on how much of this knowledge is passed on to you. IMO though, I don't think that those aspects are as in depth as they appear. Sure we have weapon defense, however, if you choose to expand on that, and I did, then going to a weapon based art is what needs to be done. I, as well as some other people I know, have said that its hard to really get a good understanding of something outside of your art, if your art isn't geared to that area 100%. Is there grappling in TKD? Possibly, I don't know, but if I was looking to really expand my ground skill, I'm certainly not going to head to the local TKD club, but instead to the local BJJ club.

The same thing for weapons work. There are weapon based arts out there, that would probably stand a good chance of making some of the weapon defenses out there look like childs play.

In the end, it all depends on what each person wants to do, what road they want to take their martial arts. If someone wants to train one art, learning as much as possible, fine. If someone wants to cross train, fine. I often think though, that people think they have to devote another 30yrs to learning another art. They don't. I'm no BJJ champ, nor am I a Filipino master, however, my ground work and weapon work has improved greatly. The arts that I study, really do go hand in hand, and blend together very nice. I've found by working with other arts, its helped make my Kenpo better. Because I now know how a grappler will operate, I can adapt the Kenpo defenses to work better.

I'll always be loyal to Kenpo, it'll always be my base. But, I'm not blind to the other arts out there. If I can take a simple thing, work it like crazy, and appy it to what I'm doing to my what I'm doing better, you can bet I'm gonna do it.

BTW, great blog article Brian!!!

 

[jks9199]

I've been taught that every style is made up of 3 elements: holds, blows, and throws. In other words, every art contains ways to hold someone or lock them up, ways to kick or punch them, and ways to knock them down, in various proportions. Judo and aikido are heavily balanced on throws -- but both have locks and blows. Karate and tae kwon do are mostly blows -- but there are throws (or sweeps) and holds, too. Jujitsu is mostly holds -- but they have some throws and a few strikes, right? A few styles have a syllabus that's pretty balanced... but each practitioner will mix them in their own way for their own goals and preferences in fighting. It's kind of like mixing concrete; you add cement, sand or gravel, and even rebar to build a platform suited to the purpose.

 

[7starmarc]

I've been taught that every style is made up of 3 elements: holds, blows, and throws. In other words, every art contains ways to hold someone or lock them up, ways to kick or punch them, and ways to knock them down, in various proportions. Judo and aikido are heavily balanced on throws -- but both have locks and blows. Karate and tae kwon do are mostly blows -- but there are throws (or sweeps) and holds, too. Jujitsu is mostly holds -- but they have some throws and a few strikes, right? A few styles have a syllabus that's pretty balanced... but each practitioner will mix them in their own way for their own goals and preferences in fighting. It's kind of like mixing concrete; you add cement, sand or gravel, and even rebar to build a platform suited to the purpose.

I was pretty much thinking the same thing. There are exceptions, however. Particularly in those styles which have been "refined" for the sake of sport competition. Boxing and Sport TKD, for example, have no holds or throws. Sport judo has no real strikes to the best of my knowledge.

 

[thardey]

I personally prefer to generalize, but with a specific strength in mind at all times.

For instance, for my culture, with my Body type, and my personality, I would prefer to be "aggressively defensive" that is, stay protected, and blitz the guy until he's finished, then deal with the next threat. (That's partially because I live around rednecks, too!) I'm also not likely to go for "pain compliance" holds, because there are a lot of Meth users around here, or drunks, and those would be the most likely to pursue a fight with me. They probably won't feel much pain, but a dislocated joint isn't a matter of "mind set" either!

So that is my strength, and the primary focus of my MA. However, that's not my only strength. I've also incorporated locks, throws, etc into that, as well as extensive weapons work of all types - practical and impractical. (From knives and handguns to two-handed longswords). So I'm well-rounded with a focus on one aspect.

 

[Flying Crane]

Siding with Flying Crane. I have what is affectionately known as "S.O.S." (Shiny Object Syndrome). I tend there fore to dabble in alot of stuff that just looks kewl, or intriguing.

I refer to it as "The Curse of the Perpetually Curious"

 

[Andy Moynihan]

I was pretty much thinking the same thing. There are exceptions, however. Particularly in those styles which have been "refined" for the sake of sport competition. Boxing and Sport TKD, for example, have no holds or throws. Sport judo has no real strikes to the best of my knowledge.

Not in the competition form of Judo anyway, though Atemi does get discussed nearer the brown/black belt levels and in some of the older kata there are self defense applications over and above just the "traditional" competition throws.

But don't look to see 'em on the mat at a contest.