changing styles?

[Paul Genge]

I swapped styles many times whilst looking for the art that suited my requirements. Eventually I found the Bujinkan which seemed to tick all the boxes. I stuck with this style until I had reached the grade of 5th Dan and I would probably be still going down that route know if it was not for meeting an instructor who totally blew me away.

This was Vladimir Vasiliev who is based in Toronto and teaches Systema. This is a traditional russian martial art that he learnt whilst serving in their special forces. For a short time I tried to train both systems side by side, but there came a point where I had to give up what I was for what I could become. Having made this decission I actively tried not to use Bujinkan movements and techniques during the Systema training drills. These drills are very free and it would not have been out of place using some of the techniques of the Bujinkan in them, but I knew that by holding onto my past I would hold back my development.

The funny thing was that as my experience with Systema increased, more and more of the Bujinkan techniques came out in my work. Anything that was based on sound principles just came out at the right time, without trying to shoe horn the techniques to fit the situation.

I guess I am trying to say that changing styles really worked for me.

Experiencing lots of styles is a good thing to do when you are looking for a martial art to study. If you like a style try to train with as many instructors from that style as possible. That way you can find the instructor that gets the best out of you.

Sometimes in your travels you come across instructors or styles that simply blow you away. The difficult thing can be giving up what you are doing now for what you can become later. Take the chance.....

Paul Genge
http://www.russianmartialart.org.uk

 

[Drac]

Great post! Too many people rush much too often to get what they feel is sufficient. Then move to the next art. Unfortunately this is what bastardizes the martial arts. Someone may achieve black in something (maybe) studies 5 other style...doesn't amount to much. Opens their own school applies for sokeship and then gives a bad rep for the martial arts. :asian:

An OUTSTANDING post!!! Words of wisdom my MA brother...

 

[karatekid1975]

I agree with the above post, also. But in my case, I moved and had to change styles. If I didn't move, I would have stayed with my old school. I couldn't find TSD up here, so I chose TKD, because it was similar. But lately, I've been interested in cross training a bit even if it's just "fiddling" with another style. BUT I would not stop TKD (unless I get the chance to go back to TSD LOL).

 

[stickaddict]

My .02 cents.

If you are going to cross train pick styles that are dissimilar without being
contradictory. For instance...
My first experience was a gungfu style. Next I did a FMA style.
They don't contradict one another because the gungfu is "up close
and personal" and the FMA style I train (unlike most FMA) likes
to fight from the outside.
Neither the gungfu or the FMA have much in the way of a
groundfighting component.. and now I'm training BJJ. The important
thing is to train yer **** off.. whatever you pick. Stay focused, stay
hungry, and *never* believe you know it all.

 

[phlaw]

Sarted i 1084 in Tang Soo Do (Moo Duk Kwan) and took that for about 1 year. When that school closed I trained on my own abd with friends for many years because no other school was in my town (I was young)
1990/1991 I started in Shotokan and took that for about 1 year. In 192 I started Traditional TKD and have been in that ever since. Since 1992 I have also had training in Aikido, Judo, grappling, and American Kenpo.

 

[kroh]

I have had to change styles a few times due to my military career when I was younger. Now that i can remain in one place... i will echo Paul...

Correct technique will rise to the top when the time is right....

Reagrds,
Walt

 

[tshadowchaser]

My thoughts:

Learn one art till you reach at least black belt level. if you like that arts and are comfortable in it. If you choose to change arts after that time or change befor the black belt level choose something that is different. This will give you a chance to see a different aspect of the arts.
Changeing to me means a complet change and starting over at the bottom because of reasons like:
you moved and no one in your new area teaches what you learned
Your old school closed and again there is no one qualified to teach that art
You are not satisfied or do not feel that the art you are studying is correct for you
Now if you have studied long enough to reach black belt and want to learn more from a different source to enhance your knowledge, that is different. You may continue to practice your original art while takeing up a different art that has simularities to what you have studied. Studying something new may help you see the possibilities within your art that have not been explained to you or you just didn"t reconise befor. Studying a completly different art may make you a more complet student with a better understanding of what the arts are about.
Sometime just changeing instructors with in your first art may give you that boost to renew you energy and drive. Not all instructors teach the same way or emphise the same things. A new instructor may be all you need.
You may need to question yourslef as to why you want to study something different. Why are you unhappy with what you now do.

 

[Mark Lynn]

i wonder if anyone has changed styles?
what are your thoughts on it?
what about practicing 2 similar styles. like lets say arnis and modern arnis or 2 different classes of karate?

pros/cons?
should one leave the style to study another or do both?

Enson

I have changed styles, I started in Amercian TKD, moved and studied Wado, moved again and went back to American TKD, and then switched to JKD Kali, and later switched to Modern Arnis and Kombatan Arnis (Presas Arnis).

For me it has made me a better martial artist. I like the TKD and the Wado (karate) but I was never going to be a good TKD player. I was exposed to the Kali early on while studying TKD and that's what I liked to do. The problem was finding instruction. Eventually that was solved and I studied the JKD Kali, but then found my home in the Presas Arnis (Modern and Kombatan). But my prior background gave me a broader foundation from which to build on.

On practicing two similar styles, you can't get much similar than Modern Arnis and Kombatan and yet have two different arts. Modern Arnis here in the states has a more jujitsu influence/flavor to it, while Kombatan has more of a karate feel (hit them and hit them again when they hit the ground). Yet they both share a common background elements of their grandfather's system, and the brother's experience in the Philippines. Both of the brother's worked out and taught the system together (Modern Arnis) and then Remy came here to the states and Ernesto was in the Philippines. So in comes the modernization of Modern Arnis with the jujitsu influence, and Ernesto over time developed Kombatan.

I wouldn't recommend studying two different arts at the same time unless you had several years background in the martial arts from which to draw from. I studied TKD and moved to Wado only because I relocated and I liked the Wado instructor best from the surrounding area we lived in. I had been studying TKD about 4 years when I switched to Wado, took that for 2 years and relocated back to home and started back with my original TKD instructor. So there wasn't a big switch there. In the FMA's the Modern Arnis filled in the gaps I had with the JKD Kali instructor, so that wasn't a huge change. Doing Kombatan and Modern Arnis together can be a challange but again there is enough similarity to progress pretty easy. The challange is "Is this Modern Arnis or am I doing Kombatan"

One student of mine has been practicing Kung fu for several years, and he's wanting to learn the arnis to help his weapons work. He feels studying both will help him be a better martial artist.

Mark

 

[Mark Lynn]

Great post! Too many people rush much too often to get what they feel is sufficient. Then move to the next art. Unfortunately this is what bastardizes the martial arts. Someone may achieve black in something (maybe) studies 5 other style...doesn't amount to much. Opens their own school applies for sokeship and then gives a bad rep for the martial arts. :asian:


Just my couple of pennies.

But is this bastardization or is this evolution of the arts.

Look at history and at the arts
1) Wado - Founder was a instructor/master in jujitsu and then studied shotokan under Funakoshi. He combined the teachings of both systems and created Wado.

2) Modern Arnis - GM Remy studied his grandfather's system, Balintawak, he fought other arnis players/instructors/masters (whatever) and incorperated techniques from their systems into his method of Arnis. Studied some form of karate, catch as catch can wrestling (from Rocky's dad) and later added the jujitsu to have the Modern Arnis that is practiced world wide today.

3) Judo - Kano sensei modified his jujitsu method into Judo.

4) Aikido - Usheiba sensei modified his jujitsu method into Aikido

5) Doce Pares eskrima _ 12 masters of different methods of escrima blend their systems together to create this system

6) Okinawan Karate - different systems were created by students of several of the same instructors which in turn lead to Japanese karate. But the Okinawan systems were a combination of some different styles of Chinese Kung Fu and traditional Okinawan Arts.

7) Look into the history of TKD - Japanese karate taught to several Korean instructors who went back to Korea and created different systems of TKD blending the karate with Korean martial arts.

The martial arts as we know them today are from people who went out on their own and created something after they had learned something from other people and combined it with their knowledge, skill etc. etc. It's late.

Mark