Cross training- is this advisable?

[bluemtn]

I apologize in advance if similar threads like this has been brought up, but here I go anyways. I'm currently in TKD, and have been there for 2 years now- I have achieved 4 kyup, and I really enjoy my class. Now however, I'm looking to suplement my studies with a different school that provides more of a "mixed art"- it teaches break falling, more take down tech's, etc. The thing of it is, I don't really want to give up my old class just yet. My question is, has anyone else around "here" done cross- trained and still stuck with their original art?

Thank you in advance!

tkdgirl

 

[dsp921]

A lot of people cross train in a different art to "round out" their training. However, most wait until they have earned their Black Belt, at least. I would recommend that approach. If, on the other hand, you simply aren't happy with the style you are currently training in, by all means, look around. Doing two styles at once can be confusing as there tends to be some level of contradiction with the different training methods.
There are several threads covering this topic, a search on cross training should give you a lot to look at.

 

[Moogong]

Crosstraining is a very smart idea but I too suggest you wait until you reach black belt. TKD combines nicely with arts such as hapkido, judo, bjj. Also, those arts sounds like what you are looking for.
I have crosstrained for years with TKD and HKD as my base and have never had a problem or felt the need to leave my original art. Some of the best training sessions in class is when I was able to combine the arts I crosstrain in very fluidly and without much thought.
On a really postive note, my training in BJJ has made me apprecaite my original arts more because I understand them better.

 

[terryl965]

A wise man said wait till you have obtained the basics in one Art until you start another, to achieve the true basic you must obtain your BB in the Art of choice with that being said finish your primary before you satrt to supplement your journey.

Terry Lee Stoker

 

[arnisador]

Crosstraining is a very smart idea but I too suggest you wait until you reach black belt. TKD combines nicely with arts such as hapkido, judo, bjj.

Good advice, although rather than absolutely waiting for black belt I'd just say wait until you have a solid grounding in your first art...which happens around blck belt level, usually.

On a really postive note, my training in BJJ has made me apprecaite my original arts more because I understand them better.

I've greatly benefitted from adding BJJ, but I'm still an arnisador!

 

[Andrew Green]

If you are doing something different enough there is no need to wait till black or any similar rule of thumb. Just go for it.

Cross training early is only a issue if you are doing the same things two different ways, like Karate & TKD. But to join a Judo/Bjj/wrestling/sambo/submission grappling/etc. should not be a problem at all.

 

[arnisador]

Yes, it's less of an issue when the arts don't 'interfere' with each other. I agree.

We need a FAQ entry for this question!

 

[Matt Stone]

TKDGirl -

Crosstraining can mean a lot of things. "Supplementing" your skill set is a touchy issue... Unfortunately, for the bulk of TKD, it has been shown that much of what may originally existed within the curriculum has been lost. It is no major secret that TKD came out of Shotokan when Shotokan was transplanted to Korea. It did eventually evolve into its own art, but in so evolving, lost whatever ties and content it had with or from Okinawa...

The advice others have given is sound... Waiting for black belt is often a good idea, though having a "solid grounding," though far more subjective, is also good... Black belt doesn't necessarily equal "solid grounding," as I'm sure others here could confirm.

I've studied Yiliquan since 1985. I studied aikido for a short time, not to supplement but to understand "acceptance." I studied boxing, not to supplement but to understand 3 dimensional vertical movement. I studied karate, not to supplement but to understand a different approach to the same topic. I studied Modern Arnis, not to supplement but to understand the immediacy that a weapon inspires in a conflict (and because it was cool).

Get the picture? If TKD is an art you really, truly enjoy, stick with it! Milk it for all the information you can, not limiting yourself to what your teacher teaches you or tells you. Go beyond him/her... That is what a good teacher should want, anyway. But in staying with it, as you learn from it learn also that it isn't necessarily the be-all/end-all, nor is any art.

Enjoy the journey...

 

[still learning]

Hello, You may want to talk to your present teacher first. Many instructors do not want learning other art and have it said my other teacher does it this way?

In high school my son does "wrestling" in the begining of the season and "Judo" at the end of the wrestling season. Both seems to help each other. His performance has improve in both. He also train in Kempo-karate year round ( for 10 years). and he now has more skills in the art of fighting.

Sometimes it is best to be a "master of one" . but the martial arts is an endless void of training. So much to learn, so little time....trust you instincts on what you want to do. Everyone is different and will have different opinions. Only you can decide what's good for you? Don't be surprise you teacher was in other "arts" too. ..................Aloha

 

[bluemtn]

Thanks, everyone has definitely given me some food for thought. I visited one class already, and it seems to be Korean- based art. The class I go to doesn't have mats, so it makes certain techniques a little difficult to learn, although we do sweeps and throws, we just don't carry them out to the ground.

tkdgirl :asian:

 

[Matt Stone]

Hello, You may want to talk to your present teacher first. Many instructors do not want learning other art and have it said my other teacher does it this way?

What right does a martial arts teacher in the US have to tell his/her student not to do anything, specifically what they do with their own time and money outside of their school?

This is the 21st century. We live in the US, not China, Japan or Korea.

TKDGirl, if your teacher "tells" you that you "can't" study something else, somewhere else, it would be best for you to leave that school completely. Your teacher has no right, no culturally granted permission, to limit your study of another art whatsoever.

 

[TKDKid]

If I may, I think Aikido would be an excellent art for you to look into. Aikido has many wonderful thing to offer you TKD training. The foot work I learned in Aikido helped me in sparring a hundred fold, and the techniques from Aikido and TKD combined make an excelent self defense, imho.

 

[BaktoBasics]

If you do a grappling art - that's fine. In fact, I would recommend it as TKD ill prepares you for going to the floor, falling, grabbing, biting etc etc etc.

Anything else and you will get confused as even the basic concepts are different. Remember, you develop skills as time goes on. Training in contradictory methods will hampen your skill development. Eg: I have my BB in TKD, went to Muay Thai, have forgotten my TKD!!!, now, started wing chun, have forgotten my Muay Thai!!! as it is second nature for me to assume a wing chun stance, protect the centre line etc etc.

Whereas, I started ju jutsu and there was no problems. When i'm standing I use TKD or Muay Thai or Wing Chun (you need to be concious though - which is bad, once you find a good "standing" MA, stick to it), when i'm grappling, I use Ju Jutsu as all the above arts have little grappling save for muay thai.

 

[MattJD]

The person who studies one style will master it.
The person who more than one style (crosstrains) will master none.
In other words you can be a exeptional practitioner at one style or a ok practicioner at two or more styles.

A person shouldn't play around with different styles. I think it's disrespectful. Kind of like flicking the channels on T.V. You have to have respect for your style and the fact that you want to try out a different style while taking your original style means that you don't have respect for your current style. By this I mean your current style does not suit who you are. Which means you have to do some searching in your mind to descover what style you could come to respect and dedicate your time to knowing it's the best style for you to be studying.

Find a style that suits your personality and stick with it.

I'm sorry if I sound a bit harsh, I just really take this stuff to heart.

Matt

 

[Matt Stone]

The person who studies one style will master it.

Perhaps.

The person who more than one style (crosstrains) will master none.

Untrue, though a common misperception.

In other words you can be a exeptional practitioner at one style or a ok practicioner at two or more styles.

Or, with practice, exceptional at both. It just takes longer.

A person shouldn't play around with different styles. I think it's disrespectful.

"Disrespectful?" To whom? What country do you live in, and what culture do you subscribe to? In the US, and other western societies, learning from multiple teachers is not only permissible, but the standard... From elementary school through the final levels of higher education our culture espouses the belief that learning from those who have specialized knowledge in order to broaden our own understanding is not only acceptable, but the standard for realization of one's own potential. How is this any different, really?

The only person who would feel any "disrespect" is the teacher who does not have the student's best interests in mind, the teacher for whom development and learning have ceased or, for the teacher who has found his/her niche art. Not everyone is a) so self-centered, b) so close to the end of their learning curve, or c) so lucky as to have found "where they belong."

Kind of like flicking the channels on T.V.

No, that's "dojo hopping," and an entirely different issue altogether.

You have to have respect for your style and the fact that you want to try out a different style while taking your original style means that you don't have respect for your current style.

Please, elaborate on this more... How is it "disrespectful" to your "style?" The style, as a nonentity, cannot feel respect nor disrespect. What is there to respect if the style is lacking in something, be it technique or "something else" that leaves the student feeling unfulfilled, and so the student desires to look elsewhere for fulfillment?

Just because a person begins with one art does not mean that is the only art they will ever practice. It may likely be the only art close enough or cheap enough to begin lessons in! It is wholly unrealistic to state someone should "respect" an art, and continue to train in that art, when they are not happy in said training (unhappy for the right reasons, not just because training is difficult).

By this I mean your current style does not suit who you are. Which means you have to do some searching in your mind to descover what style you could come to respect and dedicate your time to knowing it's the best style for you to be studying.

Find a style that suits your personality and stick with it.

And it would seem that you have misread everything entirely... TKDGirl likes the classes she's in, but is interested in finding something else. What she is taking, though she enjoys the training, is not suiting her needs and desires.

 

[MJS]

I apologize in advance if similar threads like this has been brought up, but here I go anyways. I'm currently in TKD, and have been there for 2 years now- I have achieved 4 kyup, and I really enjoy my class. Now however, I'm looking to suplement my studies with a different school that provides more of a "mixed art"- it teaches break falling, more take down tech's, etc. The thing of it is, I don't really want to give up my old class just yet. My question is, has anyone else around "here" done cross- trained and still stuck with their original art?

Thank you in advance!

tkdgirl

I think that cross training or referrencing is an excellent idea. I would however, wait until you're at least in the advanced ranks before taking on another art.

As far as being disrespectful...Matt Stone made excellent points. If you want to study something else, then you should be able to do so.

As far as not being able to "master" more than one art...simply not true.

There are many arts out there. If you want to see the others, go for it!! However, like I said, I'd wait until you're in the advanced ranks.

Mike

 

[BaiKaiGuy]

Yes, cross-training is advisable if you study a style you feel is lacking in certain respects.


As to when, it's up to you, but I think that as long as they are two different arts, such as TKD and BJJ, it shouldn't be necessary to wait until bb. It is more a matter of hitting your comfot zone on your first art where you feel as thoujgh you understand the material well-enough to cross-train.

It's not disrespectful to cross-train. It's a simple recognition that not all styles train students to cover all their bases. There is nothing wrong with that. One purpose of MA is to teach you to defend yourself, and the fact of the matter is that most TKD schools don't cover an important element. If covering that element is important to you, go for it!

As for "not being allowed", yes there are some organizations that specifically prohibit cross-training, even in the states. One such organization will force students to choose between arts if it comes down to it. I won't mention names, but it's not TKD.

 

[Matt Stone]

As for "not being allowed", yes there are some organizations that specifically prohibit cross-training, even in the states. One such organization will force students to choose between arts if it comes down to it. I won't mention names, but it's not TKD.

I'd love to know who they are. There are a few organizations that do that, and I understand why (they want their students to either continue to a reasonable level of skill first, or their organization got raped by some schmuck who attended for a short period of time and then gave them a bad rep after that student went off to another organization). The rest, however, are just trying to be "more Asian than the Asians" by imposing cultural baggage they don't understand on their unsuspecting students, and should be avoided if at all possible...

 

[BaiKaiGuy]

The one I was told about was a Shaolin-Do (aka Chinese Shaolin Centers) school out in the west coast area. Don't know if it's style-specific or if it's just that instructor.

 

[Matt Stone]

Shaolin-Do

And with that, I nod knowingly and continue on my way... Not surprised in the slightest... :idunno: